COULD THE UNPREDICTABLE WOLVERINES GO ON AN UNEXPECTED RUN IN THE NCAA TOURNAMENT?

The Michigan Wolverines are back in the NCAA Tournament and are pursuing their third straight Frozen Four appearance. The only thing standing between them and this reality — and hopefully more — is the hardest path of any of the 16 teams in the tournament.

First up, Michigan has to face former teammate Keaton Pehrson and North Dakota in the opening round before potentially facing the Western Michigan/Michigan State winner. If the Wolverines can win this region of death, they will likely face either defending national champion Quinnipiac or the top overall seed, Boston College, in the Frozen Four.

If Michigan makes it to its first national title game since 2011, it could be a 2022 rematch against Denver in a matchup that would once again personify the Spider-Man meme. The path to Michigan’s first national title since 1998 is treacherous and seems highly unlikely the Wolverines could make it through the four games unscathed.

However, this team has been unpredictable all season, and what better way to capitalize on its penchant for the dramatic than by delivering high drama on the biggest stage in the sport? Here are three reasons why the Wolverines can make a run at that elusive national championship.

Power Play Proficiency/ Surging Penalty-Kill

Under head coach Brandon Naurato, Michigan’s power play has gone from good to great. This season, the Wolverines lead the country converting at a 35.3 percent clip, six percentage points higher than the second-best team (Boston College). This six-point margin is the same margin that separates the No. 2 and No. 15 teams in the country.

If the Wolverines can get on the attack, it’s only a matter of time until this unit strikes. However, solely relying on this strategy to generate offense in the postseason is a dangerous game. Two years ago in the Frozen Four, Michigan was upset by Denver, 3-2, in overtime and its power play unit never saw the ice.

In these high-pressure, single-elimination games, officials are more likely to swallow the whistle compared to a regular season game in November. If a tight game is called, this could be to the Wolverines’ benefit and for the first time in years, shouldn’t have as much to fear on the defensive end when killing penalties either.

On the season, the Wolverines are below-average on the penalty-kill, stopping 78.5 percent of all power plays, but over the last two weeks, in the two most important games of the season, the Wolverines have killed off a perfect 100 percent of power play opportunities.

With a more connected attack and a willingness to block shots from all four defenders, Michigan’s unit is peaking at the right time. Speaking of…

Peaking at the right time

The entire team is peaking at the right time! Despite falling to Michigan State in overtime last weekend, the Wolverines are playing their best hockey of the season at the most important time.

Offensively, the Wolverines have finally been able to balance their four lines.

The rise of freshman Garrett Schifsky into the top line has allowed Frank Nazar to excel with the second unit and let T.J. Hughes bring some playmaking and shot-creation to the third line. This new-found depth has invigorated the fourth line, especially to resemble former Michigan “grind lines” of recent history. Whatever Kienan Draper lacks in pure skill, he more than compensates with effort and tenacity.

Defensively, the most impressive part about the forwards has been their reinvigorated commitment to back-checking. This concerted effort has helped neutralize transition and breakaway opportunities and ease the blue liners’ responsibilities.

With the help of the forwards, the team and the defenders are playing more connected and assignment-sound hockey. In the middle of the season, players would make mistakes like dominoes trying to overcompensate turning a small problem into a goal-scoring problem. Now, the team is mitigating any mistakes and not compounding them with overcorrections.

One mistake that was the norm earlier in the year was zone exits. Michigan routinely struggled to exit the puck turning 15 seconds of opponent-zone time into more than a minute. Now, these mistakes have become the exception. Although they do reemerge occasionally, they are no longer the new normal.

Experience

Last season, this team was incredibly young in the NCAA Tournament and more or less flying by the seat of their pants. Gavin Brindley, Rutger McGroarty, Frank Nazar, T.J. Hughes, Seamus Casey, Luca Fantilli and Kienan Draper were all freshmen. Dylan Duke, Mark Estapa and Ethan Edwards were mildly experienced sophomores.

This season — coupled with the experience of transfers and players such as Marshall Warren, a healthy Jacob Truscott, Philippe, Lapointe, Steven Holtz, Jake Barczewski, and Tyler Duke — the Wolverines fully understand the magnitude and stakes at hand. This team only has four players without tournament experience (Schifsky, Nick Moldenhauer, Tanner Rowe and Josh Eernisse) and there is no way to replicate this level of familiarity.

The loss to the Spartans last weekend set off alarm bells to some, but I think it helped reinforce the fragility of what is on the line. One bouncing puck, one moment of lapsed concentration, and this season and this team could come to an end. But on the other hand, one bouncing puck, one power play opportunity, and the unpredictable Wolverines could unexpectedly become National Champions.

2024-03-28T20:10:59Z dg43tfdfdgfd