Wolverines to Face North Dakota with Frozen Four Berth at Stake

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CINCINNATI, Ohio -- The second-seeded University of Michigan ice hockey team (25-7-5, 12-5-3-2 Big Ten) will take on No. 1 seed North Dakota (31-6-4, 19-4-1 NCHC) Saturday evening (March 26, 6 p.m.) in the NCAA Midwest Regional Final for the right to advance to the Frozen Four. Michigan and North Dakota have met eight times in the NCAA Tournament, with the Wolverines holding a 4-2-2 advantage in those contests. The last meeting overall between the two teams came on April 7, 2011, in the Frozen Four, when Michigan dispatched North Dakota, 2-0, to advance to the national championship game. Goaltender Shawn Hunwick made 40 saves in that contest to backstop Michigan to victory.

• The Wolverines earned their way to the Midwest Regional Final with a 3-2 overtime win over No. 3 Notre Dame, as junior forward Tyler Motte buried the game-winning goal at 8:19 of the extra frame. Senior goaltender Steve Racine made 28 saves in net and sophomore defenseman Zach Werenski (GTG, 3rd period) and senior forward Justin Selman also added goals for Michigan. U-M earned its first NCAA Tournament win since that 2011 Frozen Four victory against North Dakota (2-0).

• Michigan is tied with Boston College for the most appearances (24) in the Frozen Four, while North Dakota is fourth in college hockey history with 21 Frozen Fours. North Dakota's current streak of 14 straight NCAA Tournaments is second in college hockey history only to Michigan's streak of 22 from 1991-2012.

• This season's NCAA Tournament bid is the 36th overall in U-M history, an NCAA record, and the first since 2012. With last night's win, Michigan is 51-28 all-time in the NCAA Tournament, including a Division-1 record nine national championships. Under head coach Red Berenson, U-M has reached the NCAA Tournament 23 times, with Berenson now tied for second all-time with Jack Parker (BU) with 30 NCAA Tournament wins.

• Michigan returns to U.S. Bank Arena (formerly known as Riverfront Coliseum), the site of the 1996 Frozen Four, where Michigan head coach Red Berenson won his first national championship. U-M defeated BU (4-0) in the semifinals and then on March 30, 1996, earned the title with a 3-2 (OT) win over Colorado College on Brendan Morrison's game-winning goal at 3:35 of the extra frame.

• U-M is the top-scoring team in the nation with an average of 4.84 goals per game. No team in Division I has averaged over 4.6 goals per game in a season since New Hampshire (4.6 goals per game) in 2001-02. The last team in college hockey to average over 5.00 goals per game was Quinnipiac (5.42 goals per game in 1999-00).

• With an assist in last night's win against Notre Dame, freshman forward Kyle Connor extended his point streak to 26 games, a Michigan record in the Red Berenson era. Connor has 58 points (30G, 28A) in that span. Connor is No. 1 in the nation in scoring with 70 points (35G, 35A), the first Michigan player to reach 70 points since Brendan Morrison (88 points in 1996-97). He is No. 2 on the all-time single-season freshman scoring list at Michigan, with Bruno Baseotto notching a record 76 points in 1979-80. He has the most goals by a Michigan player in one season since Jason Botterill recorded 37 goals in 1996-97, and the most goals in one season by any player in college hockey since Johnny Gaudreau had 36 goals for Boston College in 2013-14. Connor broke Bruno Baseotto's U-M freshman goal-scoring record (31 goals in 1979-80) last weekend. He is the first freshman in college hockey to record 30 goals since Thomas Vanek (Minnesota) in 2002-03.

• JT Compher who had the assist on Motte's game-winning goal last night, leads the nation with 47 assists and has the most assists by a U-M player in one season since Brendan Morrison had a school-record 57 in 1996-97. With 61 points (14G, 47A), Compher has the No. 2 scoring average in the nation (1. 65 points per game). He is tied for No. 4 in the NCAA with Kyle Connor at +37.

• Sophomore defenseman Zach Werenski is the No. 1 scoring defenseman in the Big Ten, and is No. 2 in the nation among blueliners with a career-best 35 points (11G, 24A) in 34 games played. His seven power play goals put him No. 2 in the nation among defensemen. He has 56 blocked shots on the season and is the 18th defenseman in Michigan Hockey history to record 10 goals in a single season, and the first since Jacob Trouba, who scored 12 in 2012-13.

• Michigan has outscored teams 75-24 in the third period of games this season. The Wolverines can stake a claim as the best third-period team in college hockey, as their scoring margin (+51, +1.38 per game) in the third period is tops among Division I teams.

• At 25-7-5, Michigan has its highest winning percentage through 37 games (.743) since the 2007-08 season, when the Wolverines were 28-5-4 (.811) to start the year. The Wolverines have topped 20 wins for the 27th time in the Red Berenson era and the 40th time in program history.

• Michigan's power play has helped boost the nation's best offense and has been excellent throughout the season, as the Wolverines have power play goals in 25 of 37 games this season. Over the last seven games, the team is a combined 17-for-29 (58.6%) on the man advantage. U-M is No. 1 in the country at 31.8% (47-for-148) on the man advantage. The Wolverines have scored multiple power play goals in 14 games this season.