Michigan
Notre Dame
Michigan to Host Notre Dame in B1G Quarterfinal Series at Yost
3/6/2024 5:09:00 PM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 2024 postseason gets underway this weekend as the No. 14-ranked and No. 4-seeded University of Michigan ice hockey team (18-13-3) hosts No. 5 seed Notre Dame (15-17-2) in the Big Ten Quarterfinals best-of-three series at Yost Ice Arena this Friday through Sunday (March 8-10). Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday (March 8) and Saturday's (March 9) games, as well as Sunday (March 10), if necessary.
Notes
• Michigan went 3-1 against Notre Dame during the regular season, including a series sweep two weeks ago at Yost. All-time, the Wolverines hold an 88-70-6 record in the series, but have met just one time in the 10-year history of the Big Ten Tournament, March, 20, 2002, when the Wolverines topped the Irish 2-1 at Yost in the semifinals.
• The is Michigan's first time being the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament.
• Michigan players holding Big Ten Tournament records in a number of categories including: points in a game (five, JT Compher); points in a tournament (11, Adam Fantilli); goals in a game (four, Kyle Connor and Tony Calderone); goals in a tournament (seven, Fantilli), assists in a game (five, Compher) and assists in a tournament (seven, Compher and Gavin Brindley), assists in a career (10, Luke Hughes), save percentage in a tournament (1.000, Strauss Mann), wins in a tournament (four, Erik Portillo) and wins in a career (eight, Portillo).
• Seamus Casey was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week on Tuesday (March 5) after scoring the overtime game-winning goal on Saturday (March 2) at Minnesota. It was his second goal of the game and his first career game winner. Casey opening the scoring with a power-play goal and had the primary assist on Michigan's fourth goal before delivering the game winner. Casey is ranked third in the nation in defenseman scoring, averaging 1.11 points per game.
• Steven Holtz was named one of the Top 50 Most Interesting Athletes of 2024 by the50Athletes.com. He was a unanimous selection by the committee, which heard his story about his medical ordeal from last season. » Read more
• Six players, including Casey, are averaging more than a point per game. Rutger McGroarty leads the way with 45 points (1.55 ppg), followed by Brindley with 46 (1.39), Dylan Duke with 41 (1.21), T.J. Hughes with 40 (1.18), Casey with 38 (1.11) and Frank Nazar III with 36 (1.06). They make up the top six scorers in all of the Big Ten.
• The Wolverines power play continues to sit first in the nation, converting on 35.2 percent of its chances. The team has scored on 44 of 125 opportunities, with Hughes leading the way with 21 power-play points. Duke has the most power-play goals with 10.
• The U-M penalty kill is at 83.3 percent for the second half of the season, allowing just nine power-play goals, compared to the first half when it went 74.6 percent and allowed 17 power-play goals. Five players have scored short-handed goals, with Duke collecting two.
