The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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44 THE WOLVERINE ❱ JUNE/JULY 2024 BY CHRIS BALAS F or the third year in a row, Michigan made the Frozen Four. This time, though, the Wolverines entered as a sig- nificant underdog in facing No. 1 over- all seed Boston College. The Eagles took advantage of their opportunities and got great goaltending to blank U-M, 4-0. Michigan entered the contest in St. Paul, Minn., with confidence after knocking off a No. 2 seed in North Da- kota and a No. 1 in Michigan State, and it came out firing against the Eagles. The Wolverines carried play in the early go- ing and had a shot hit a post within the first minute. Regardless, the Eagles still scored first. A risky pinch at the blue line led to a two-on-one the other way, and Will Smith buried a shot past Michigan goaltender Jake Barczewski only 1:20 in to make it 1-0 on the Eagles' first shot. The Wolverines got a power-play op- portunity at 15:55 of the second and con- trolled the zone for much of the two min- utes but couldn't score. A few chances went just wide, and Eagles goaltender Jacob Fowler stymied a four-on-two on another opportunity after they killed the penalty. The Wolverines also had several shots blocked, and Fowler was able to see most of the shots directed at him. "We had a game plan going in. We knew Fowler was a great goalie," forward Rutger McGroarty said. "And kudos to him; he had a great game. But I don't think we took away his eyes enough. … I just don't feel like we made it hard enough tonight." Michigan got another power-play op- portunity on a tripping call deep in the Boston College zone, but a tripping call on Dylan Duke ended the man advan- tage only 26 seconds in. The Eagles scored off Michigan de- fenseman Ethan Edwards' skate in front to put the Wolverines in a 2-0 hole. It quickly became 3-0 when Cutter Gauthier scored on a breakaway seconds later following an unforced Michigan turnover, and the Wolverines were in serious trouble. Michigan came out flying in the third period and peppered the net in the first 45 seconds, but Fowler was up to the task. Gabe Perreault scored unassisted on a wraparound to make it 4-0 and all but end the Wolverines' chances. Michigan ended the season with a 23- 15-3 record. Denver, meanwhile, beat Boston College in the national cham- pionship game, 2-1, to capture the pro- gram's 10th NCAA title, moving past U-M (nine) for the overall lead. ❏ With All-Americans Gavin Brindley (center) and Rutger McGroarty (2), Michigan made the NCAA Frozen Four for the third straight season but fell 4-0 to No. 1-seeded Boston College on April 11. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY ❱ MICHIGAN HOCKEY Wolverines Frozen Out Again — Players Deciding On Their Futures NHL DRAFTEES MAKING DECISIONS ON THEIR FUTURES The Michigan hockey team will have a differ- ent look in 2024-25, with some guys choosing to chase their NHL dreams, others coming back for another year. Here's how it looks as of May 6: RETURNING • Jacob Truscott, Sr., D: The senior captain will return for a graduate year at U-M after notching 2 goals and 14 assists last season. • Rutger McGroarty, So., F: McGroarty, the Winnipeg Jets' first-round selection (14th over- all) in 2022, earned first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-America honors after notching 16 goals and 36 assists last year. • TJ Hughes, So., F: Hughes returns after an honorable mention All-Big Ten season in which he scored 19 goals and added 29 assists. DEPARTING • Frank Nazar III, So., F: The Chicago Black- hawks signed Nazar to a three-year entry- level contract through the 2025-26 season at $925,0000 on April 13. He made his NHL debut the next day in the Blackhawks' final home game of the season at the United Center, becoming the 115th Michigan Wolverine to play in the NHL, and scored his first NHL goal on his first shot on goal. • Dylan Duke, Jr., F: Duke signed with the Tampa Bay Lightning April 15. The three-year entry-level contract will begin with the 2024-25 season, and he reported to the Syracuse Crunch for the remainder of the current season. • Gavin Brindley, So., F: A first-team All-Amer- ican and the Big Ten Player of the Year, Brindley signed with the Columbus Blue Jackets April 15, a three-year entry-level contract. He played in the Jackets' season finale, a 6-3 win over Caro- lina April 17, and logged 12:20 of ice time. • Seamus Casey, So., D: The first-team All- American was still deciding as of early May whether to join the New Jersey Devils or return. "If I was a betting man, I'd say he's turning pro," Devils president of hockey operations and general manager Tom Fitzgerald told reporters in April. "We're going to give him all the time he needs." On May 6, Casey opted to go pro, signing a three-year entry-level contract with the Devils. Casey finished third in the nation among de- fensemen in scoring (1.13 points per game), with 7 goals and 38 assists in 40 games. — Chris Balas