Michigan to Face Minnesota Duluth in NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal

Friday, March 26

Fargo, N.D.

3:00 PM CT

Michigan

Minnesota Duluth

(Michigan Photography)

Michigan to Face Minnesota Duluth in NCAA Midwest Regional Semifinal

3/24/2021 2:21:00 PM | Ice Hockey

By: Kristy McNeil

UPDATE (3/26/2021, 1:05 p.m.): The NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee, in consultation with the NCAA Medical Advisory Group, announced that the Michigan ice hockey team will not be allowed to participate in the 2020-21 NCAA Championship due to positive COVID-19 test results within U-M's Tier I testing group. » Story

The No. 8-ranked and No. 2-seeded University of Michigan ice hockey team (15-10-1) is set to take on No. 9-ranked and No. 3-seeded Minnesota Duluth, the two-time defending national champion, in a Midwest Regional semifinal on Friday (March 26) at Scheels Arena in Fargo, N.D. Puck drop is set for 3 p.m. CDT, and the game will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

The tournament's overall No. 1 seed, North Dakota, will face No. 4 seed American International in the other semifinal at 8:30 p.m. CDT. The winners of the semifinal games will meet on Saturday (March 27) at 5:30 p.m. CDT for a trip to the Frozen Four.

Hail From Home

Game days may look different this season, but the tradition of cheering on Michigan ice hockey continues. Hail From Home is our way to virtually bring the excitement of game day to fans. » Hail From Home

Wolverine Bites

• This season's NCAA Tournament bid is the 38th overall in U-M history, which is tied for the most with Minnesota, and is Michigan's first since 2018. The Wolverines have a 53-30 all-time NCAA Tournament record, including a Division I-record nine national championships.

• Michigan has been ranked in the top 10 since Nov. 23 and is currently at No. 8 in the USCHO poll. The Wolverines earned a No. 3 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and dispatched Ohio State, 4-0, before falling to eventual champion Minnesota in overtime of the semifinals.

• Freshman Thomas Bordeleau leads the Wolverines in scoring with 30 points on a team-high 22 assists and eight goals. He had a 10-game point streak from Jan. 8-Feb. 14 (three goals, 11 assists, 14 points). Kent Johnson adds 27 points, while Matty Beniers has 24 points and Brendan Brisson has 21.

• Following the four rookie forwards in scoring are three defensemen, led by the recently-minted Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Cam York, who has 20 points. Owen Power has 16 points while his defensive partner, Nick Blankenburg, follows the talented duo with 13 points.

• Owen Power was named the College Hockey News Rookie of the Year on Tuesday (March 23).

• Strauss Mann is 11-9-1 in goal with five shutouts, owning a .930 save percentage and a 1.89 goals-against average. The 2020 B1G Goaltender of the Year and two-time finalist for the Mike Richter Award, Mann has 11 career shutouts, fourth all-time in program history.

Mann's 11 clean sheets move him past Shawn Hunwick (10).

• Michigan's high-flying offense averages 3.50 goals per game, eighth nationally, while the defense has limited opponents to just 1.96 GPG, good for fourth nationally.

• The freshman class accounts for 49.2 percent of the team's scoring (42 goals, 84 assists) with 126 of U-M's 256 points. The Class of 2024's outstanding offensive production would be good for 41st among all NCAA teams, let alone classes.

• Matty Beniers leads the Wolverines in on-ice rating this season with a +21. Beniers' rating is good for second in the Big Ten while tying him for seventh nationwide.

The Series

Michigan holds a 23-18-1 all-time advantage over Minnesota Duluth. The majority of meetings took place in the 16 years between 1965, when Duluth joined the WCHA, and 1981, when the Wolverines left the league to join the CCHA for the 1981-82 season. The last time that the teams met was also in the NCAA tournament, in 2011, when they played for a national championship at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. The Bulldogs won, 3-2, in overtime.

Scouting the Bulldogs

Minnesota Duluth is the back-to-back defending national champions after defeating Notre Dame in 2018 and UMass in 2019 for the titles. Senior Nick Swaney has led the deep, experienced Bulldog forward corps with 13 goals and 27 points. In the wings are Jackson Cates (26 pts), Kobe Roth (23 pts), Cole Koepke (21 pts), Koby Bender (19 pts) and Noah Cates (18 pts). Blue-liner and newcomer Wyatt Kaiser's 10 assists pace the defensemen. In net, sophomore Ryan Fanti has earned the starting role after 19 starts this year in which he accrued a 2.40 goals-against average and a .905 save percentage. Fanti's 10-7-2 record helped the team to the No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament.

Up Next

If the Wolverines advance to the Midwest Regional final, they will take on the winner of the Friday's matchup between North Dakota and American International on Saturday (March 27). That contest is scheduled for a 5:30 p.m. CDT start on ESPNU.