The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 55 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE F resh off winning the Big Ten Tour- nament final over Minnesota, it was a tale of two games for Michigan hockey during its weekend at the Allentown Re- gional. Still, the Wolverines did enough to make the Frozen Four for the second straight year and 27th time overall — an NCAA record. The only other programs with 20 or more berths are Boston Col- lege (25), Boston University (24), Min- nesota (24) and North Dakota (22). The Wolverines, seeded No. 3 over- all, have the nation's top scoring of- fense with 4.22 goals per game, and that prowess was on full display against Col- gate in the regional semifinal. Michi- gan put up 11 goals — the most in an NCAA Tournament game since 1961 and the most ever in a regional game — to Colgate's 1, with 16 of 19 U-M skaters recording at least 1 point. Seven had multiple points, including freshman forward Rutger McGroarty's hat trick. Sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes scored once and added 4 assists. The March 26 regional final game against host Penn State, the second seed in the region behind U-M, was very much a grinder, but it ended abruptly, and in elation for those in winged hel- mets. Just 52 seconds into overtime, sophomore forward Mackie Samoskev- ich sniped a wrist shot past Penn State goalie Liam Souliere, who had stopped 41 of the previous 42 shots on goal. Michigan trailed 1-0 after a goal by PSU late in the second period, but freshman forward Adam Fantilli pro- vided the equalizer midway through the third stanza. Despite having only 1 goal through three periods, even with having four power plays, Fantilli and his team were confident heading into the extra session. "When we play the way we can play, there's no team in the country that can play with us — and we're going to prove that next period," Fantilli said to the ESPN2 broadcast team. All told in the two games, junior goal- tender Erik Portillo notched 51 saves on 53 shots. Michigan will face Quinnipiac, the No. 2 overall seed, in the Frozen Four April 6 in Tampa, Fla., with the winner to face either No. 1 overall seed Minne- sota or Boston University. Interim head coach Brandon Naurato is the second Michigan coach in history to reach the Frozen Four in his first sea- son at the helm, joining his predecessor, Mel Pearson, who did so in 2018. ADAM FANTILLI A FINALIST FOR HOBEY BAKER AWARD Freshman forward Adam Fantilli has the chance to become Michigan's third- ever Hobey Baker Memorial Award winner. He's one of 10 finalists for the honor that's presented to the nation's top player. The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, Fan- tilli leads the nation with 64 points in 35 games — and is second with 29 goals and fifth with 35 assists. His average of 1.83 points per game is better than recent Hobey Baker Award winners Andy Miele (1.82), Jack Eichel (1.78), Cole Caufield (1.68), Adam Gaudette (1.58), Kevin Por- ter (1.47), Jack Connolly (1.46) and Jimmy Vesey (1.39). He's done that against 25 ranked opponents in 35 games, scoring 17 goals and 24 assists for 41 points in those tilts (1.64 average). The winner is set to be announced March 30. Brendan Morrison (1997) and Kevin Porter (2008) are Michigan's two Hobey Baker winners. Fantilli's nomina- tion marks the 25th time a Wolverine has been named a finalist. Fantilli and sophomore defenseman Luke Hughes were named first-team All-Big Ten. Fantilli also earned Big Ten Freshman of the Year and Big Ten Tour- nament Most Outstanding Player honors. Sophomore forward Mackie Samoskev- ich earned second-team all-conference honors, while freshman forwards Gavin Brindley and T.J. Hughes were awarded honorable mention nods. Defenseman Seamus Casey landed on the Big Ten All- Freshman Team along with Fantilli. ❏ ❱ MICHIGAN HOCKEY Wolverines Are Bound For The Frozen Four, Once Again Freshman phenom Adam Fantilli (arms raised) scored the game-tying goal in the NCAA regional victory against Penn State. A finalist for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, he leads the nation in scoring with 64 points in 35 games — and is second with 29 goals and fifth with 35 assists. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY