The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497536
MAY 2023 ❱ THE WOLVERINE 31 BY CHRIS BALAS M ichigan hockey coach Bran- don Naurato had the interim tag removed from his title and was made permanent before the Wolverines traveled to Tampa for the Frozen Four, and deservedly so. He led the nation's youngest team to a Big Ten Tournament title with a win at Minnesota, the nation's No. 1 team, and one of four No. 1 seeds in the NCAA Tournament. The Wolverines then won the Allentown Regional in front of a par- tisan Penn State crowd, advancing to the Frozen Four with a 2-1 overtime victory over PSU after having dispatched Col- gate 11-1 two days earlier. There, however, the magic came to an end, as it has many times in the last few decades in the national semifinals. Eight times Michigan has made the Frozen Four since 1998, the last time the pro- gram won the national title. The Wolver- ines have advanced to the title game only once since then, falling to Minnesota- Duluth 3-2 in overtime in 2011. This year in the semifinals, the Wol- verines came out tentatively against Quinnipiac in the first period before gaining control in the second, but three softer goals against and three dreaded goalposts on the other end were indica- tions it wasn't meant to be. The Bobcats beat the Wolverines 5-2 with three third- period goals (including an empty netter) and went on to beat Minnesota, 3-2 in overtime, to claim the national title two days later. Junior goaltender Erik Portillo was fantastic at times to help keep the Wol- verines in the game. At the same time, he gave up two goals that were banked off his back when he was out of position and a softy from the right circle that made it 4-2 Quinnipiac late in the third period. The two ricochets weren't exactly sur- ICED AGAIN Michigan's Outstanding Season Ends With 5-2 Loss To Quinnipiac In The Frozen Four Michigan's season ended in the Frozen Four for the second year in a row. U-M fell 5-2 to eventual champion Quinnipiac. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY