Michigan
Boston University
Wolverines to Face BU with Frozen Four Berth at Stake
3/25/2018 11:04:00 AM | Ice Hockey
Sunday, March 25 -- vs. Boston University (Worcester, Mass), 4 p.m.
Listen | Watch | ESPN2
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
• Complete Game Notes
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The second-seeded University of Michigan ice hockey team (21-14-3) will take on No. 4 seed Boston University (22-13-4) Sunday evening (March 25) in the NCAA Northeast Regional Final with the winner advancing to the Frozen Four. Puck drop is scheduled for 4 p.m., and the game will be televised on ESPN2.
This will be the ninth time (most amongst any opponent) the two teams face off in postseason play, with the teams splitting the previous eight. The last NCAA Tournament meeting between the two squads came in 1997 when the Terriers defeated the Maize and Blue, 3-2, in the Frozen Four Semifinals.
The Wolverines earned their way to the second round with a 3-2 win over No. 3 Northeastern, as junior forward Cooper Marody tallied two goals, including the game-winner Saturday night (March 24). Senior forward Dexter Dancs also contributed with a goal and one assist, while sophomore net minder Hayden Lavigne 19 saves between the pipes.
Boston University powered its way to the regional final on the back of three goals from its freshman class in a 3-1 win over top-seeded Cornell. Despite yielding the first goal to the Big Red, the Terriers responded 36 seconds later by Shane Bowers and never looked back. BU cracked the 1-1 tie four minutes into the third period by David Farrance for the eventual game-winner, before an empty-netter with less than a minute left in regulation sealed their trip to the second day of the Northeast Regional. Jake Oettinger recorded 30 saves in net for the win.
The Maize and Blue is now 15-5 overall in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, and improved its all-time tournament record to 52-29. Michigan is in search of its 25th appearance in the Frozen Four, which would tie Boston College for the most in tournament history.
Some Michigan NCAA Tournament notes:
- 37th appearance in NCAA Tournament, tied for the most with Minnesota
- 52-29 record (.642)
- 12 championship appearances – 1948, '51, '52, '53, '55, '56, '57, '64, '77, '96, '98, 2011
- 9-3 in championship games; nine titles are most in Division I hockey
- 12-12 in semifinal games; 24 Frozen Four appearances are second most behind Boston College (25)
- Won last national title in 1998, defeating Boston College 3-2 in overtime
- Michigan's 22 consecutive tournaments made from 1991-2012 is the longest streak ever
- Former Michigan coach Vic Heyliger's 10 consecutive Frozen Four appearances are double the next longest streak of consecutive Frozen Fours by a coach
- Heyliger's six championships are the most of any coach
- Former coach Red Berenson made 23 tournament appearances, second all-time among coaches
- Mel Pearson becomes the first coach to lead two different programs to (Michigan Tech, 2017) NCAA Tournament appearances in back-to-back seasons.
Michigan and BU have met 29 times in program history, with the Wolverines holding a 16-13 series lead. The two teams last met in 2016, where they played two games against each other on November 11 and November 12 at Yost Ice Arena. The Wolverines took the first game of the series 4-0, with the Terriers winning the second game 4-2. Michigan and Boston University each are among the leaders in tournament appearances and frozen four appearances. The Wolverines hold the all-time record in tournament appearances, making their 37th this year, with Boston University ranking third with 35 tournament appearances. Additionally, Michigan has reached the Frozen Four 24 times, with BU reaching it 22 times. The two teams have played each other eight times in the NCAA tournament, split evenly with four wins for both schools. While the squads have met in the Frozen Four six times, they have never played against each other for the championship, meeting each time in the semifinals, with the Maize and Blue advancing to the championship game four out of those six matchups.
Scouting Boston University
BU is led by head coach David Quinn, who is in his fifth season at the helm of the Terriers leading them to an 83-54-17 record through four seasons. In his tenure, the Terriers have made four consecutive NCAA tournaments dating back to 2015. Before becoming the head coach, Quinn served as the associate head coach of the Terriers from 2004 until 2009. In addition to his time as the associate head coach, Quinn was the head coach of the Lake Erie Monsters, where he owns a record of 115-94-7-20 through three seasons.
This season, he has guided BU to a 22-13-4 record and they enter the tournament with an automatic bid after winning the Hockey East Tournament.
Leading the Terriers
Boston is led by a trio of skaters that have scored more than 30 points this season. Junior forward Bobo Carpenter leads the way with 35 points (20g, 15a), while classmate Jordan Greenway has racked up 12 goals and 21 assists for 33 points. Freshman forward Shane Bowers has also contributed with 32 points (17g, 15a) this season.
Sophomore goaltender Jake Oettinger has been the primary netminder for the Terriers this season starting and appearing in 37. He has a 2.38 goals against average and a .918 save percentage. He holds a record of 21-12-4 and has posted five shutouts on the year.
Oh Captain, Our Captain
With an assist last night, senior captain Tony Calderone has a team-high five-game point streak, which dates back to Feb. 24 (5-3, W vs Arizona State).
Double Vision for Coop
With his two goals last night, junior forward Cooper Marody now has 15 multiple point games on the season, which is the most in program history since Kyle Connor scored multiple points in 19 games during the 2015-16 season.
Final Four Affair
With Michigan men's basketball advancing to the NCAA Final Four, the Wolverines are in search of the fourth instance that both programs were in their respective final four tournaments (1964, 1992*, 1993*).
* Due to NCAA sanctions, Michigan vacated its 1992 and 1993 men's basketball Final Four appearances.
