The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
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50 THE WOLVERINE ❱ MAY 2026 BY CLAYTON SAYFIE A year ago, head coach Brandon Naurato vowed that he would never again miss the NCAA Tourna- ment. The Wolverines didn't just take a big jump forward, though. It was a massive leap, going 31-8-1 with a Big Ten Tournament title and No. 1 overall seed in the NCAAs for the third time in program history. The Maize and Blue ripped through the first two rounds of the tournament, beating Bentley (5-1) and Minnesota Duluth (4-3), which made a late come- back that created third-period drama. Naurato earned his third Frozen Four berth in four seasons, and Michigan has now made 29 appearances, the most in college hockey. The culture reset — with so many new players on the roster — paid off. "The reason for that is guys accept- ing roles," Naurato explained. "Usually when you say that, that means I'm a point guy, now I have to play more of a third-, fourth-line role. Every night we go by, we don't know which line is going to be our first line, second line. We have been rolling four lines all year. Different guys have taken different roles on the penalty kill versus the power play. "... Everyone is trying to find value as an individual. Everybody is rooting for each other." Making the Frozen Four was a huge accomplishment. But, given the incred- ible season and the program's rich his- tory, the Maize and Blue wanted more, even if there's a high degree of satis- faction from the achievements of the season. "These guys have changed the pro- ❱ MICHIGAN HOCKEY Magical Season Ends In Familiar, Abrupt Fashion Senior captain T.J. Hughes earned first-team All-America honors and led U-M to a Big Ten Tournament championship and the Frozen Four this season. Michigan fell, 4-3 in double-overtime, to eventual champion Denver, finishing with a 31-8-1 overall record. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY