The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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APRIL 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 7 U-M captured its third Big Ten Tournament title in program history on March 18 with a 4-3 victory over Minnesota in Minneapolis, winning the conference crown for the second year in a row. All three Big Ten Tourna- ment titles in school history have come against the Gophers (2016, 2022 and 2023). Minnesota took an early 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Wolverines fired back with a pair of goals in the second from freshman forward Rutger McGroarty to take a 2-1 advantage before the Gophers tied the score half- way through the second period. A Minnesota goal from Rhett Pitlick two minutes into the third period made the score 3-2. From there, U-M took control. Third-period goals from freshman defense- man Seamus Casey and sophomore forward Dylan Duke helped the Wol- verines take a 4-3 lead with 11:46 remaining, and they never looked back. Freshman forward Adam Fantilli had an assist in the game, which helped him set a Big Ten Tournament scoring record with 11 total points. He was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player. "It feels great," Michigan interim coach Brandon Naurato said after the game, via The Michigan Daily. "That's a really, really good team over there and an unreal atmosphere this year and last year. You really have to earn it." U-M's Big Ten Tournament run included a series sweep over Wisconsin (6-5 in OT, 7-4) on March 3-4, followed by a 7-3 win over Ohio State on March 11. — Anthony Broome ❱ HOCKEY CLAIMS SECOND STRAIGHT BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP