Michigan
Quinnipiac
Frozen Four Berth at Stake as U-M Takes on Quinnipiac Sunday
3/26/2022 5:30:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» This marks Michigan's 85th NCAA Tournament game in program history.
» Michigan is 4-0 all-time against Quinnipiac -- winning a series in 2003 and 2005.
» The winner will play Denver/Minnesota Duluth in the Frozen Four.
NEXT GAME
Sunday, March 27 -- vs. Quinnipiac - NCAA Regional Final (Allentown, Pa), 6:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN2 | Live Stats | Live Audio | Live Video | Tickets
• Complete Game Notes (PDF)
• NCAA Bracket | Regional Central
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The University of Michigan of Michigan ice hockey team, the overall No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, will take on No. 2 seed Quinnipiac on Sunday (March 27) in the NCAA Regional final at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa. Face off is set for 6:30 p.m., and the game will air on ESPN2.
WOLVERINE BITES
• Michigan is 30-9-1 after knocking off Atlantic Hockey champion AIC, 5-3, on Friday (March 25).
• U-M checked in at No. 2 in the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls this week.
• 2022 Big Ten Scoring champion and unanimous first-team all-B1G choice Matty Beniers sits atop the U-M stat sheet with 43 points (20g, 23a) and a conference-leading 10 power-play goals, while second-team all-B1G Brendan Brisson (20g, 20a) has 40 points and a team-leading six game-winning tallies. Next is freshman blueliner and B1G co-Freshman of the Year Luke Hughes, the nation's top-scoring defenseman, with 17 goals and 38 points, followed by a pair of forwards who were tabbed as honorable mentions: Kent Johnson, who enters with 37 points (8g, 29a), and last season's leading scorer Thomas Bordeleau, at 33 points (10g, 23a) along with a 56.2% faceoff record. First-year winger Mackie Samoskevich (10g, 19a) has been excellent since the WJC to sit at 29 points and earned an all-freshman team spot alongside Hughes. Sophomore stalwart Owen Power returned from Olympic play to anchor the blue line with 28 points (3g, 25a), and was rewarded with a first-team all-B1G spot.
• Beniers and Hughes were each tabbed as Hobey Baker top-10 finalists. Michigan and Minnesota St. (Dryden McKay/Nathan Smith) are the only schools with multiple finalists.
• Power leads the Wolverines with 48 blocked shots while captain Nick Blankenburg is second with 44. Blankenburg, another honorable mention all-conference honoree, has also set career highs offensively as a senior this season with 14 goals, 14 assists, and 28 points.
• Sophomore Erik Portillo has started every game in net for the Wolverines this year. He has a 30-9-1 record including three shutouts, a .928 save percentage and a 2.08 goals-against average. The Swedish standout is currently fourth in the NCAA with 1,051 saves and second with 30 wins. He was recently tabbed as one of 11 semifinalists for the Mike Richter Award, was named second-team all-B1G and a finalist for B1G Goaltender of the Year.
SCOUTING THE BOBCATS
• Quinnipiac is in the midst of its winningest season in program history at 32-6-3.
• Quinnipiac has appeared in two Frozen Fours, reaching the national title game in both 2013 and 2016 before falling to Yale and North Dakota, respectively.
• Up front the Bobcats are led by a trio of upperclassmen: Oliver Chau (13g, 20a) and captain Wyatt Bongiovanni (15g, 18a) who has 33 points while Ethan de Jong has 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points. Sophomore speedster Ty Smilanic, who played at Yost in the 2019-20 season with the USNTDP, has 13 goals with 9 assists for 22 points.
• Senior defenseman Zach Metsa leads the team in assists (27) and points (36) while sitting in second with 105 shots on goal. Metsa also leads the nation in plus/minus at +38. The alternate captain isn't the only offensive contributor on the back end -- in the regional semi against St. Cloud, four of the five goals scored came from Quinnipiac defensemen. Jayden Lee, one of Friday's goal-scorers, leads with 42 blocked shots.
• Quinnipiac's standout is netminder Yaniv Perets. He has claimed ECAC Player and Goalie of the Year awards. Perets, also a finalist for the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Awards, enters at 22-5-2 with 11 shutouts, a .945 save percentage and 1.07 goals-against average. Notre Dame transfer Dylan St. Cyr backs up Perets.
UP NEXT
(if win) Thursday, April 7 -- vs. Denver/Minnesota Duluth (Boston, Mass.), Time TBD
