The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/970722
MAKING A SPLASH Hockey head coach Mel Pearson (center, with water bottles) and his team celebrate a Frozen Four berth after a 6-3 victory over Boston Uni- versity in the NCAA Northeast Regional final March 25. Pearson's squad began its first year under the coach, a former long- time assistant under legendary leader Red Berenson, projected to finish sixth in the seven-team Big Ten after missing the NCAA Tournament last season. In its debut under Pearson, the team went 22-15-3 overall and 11- 10-3 in Big Ten play to finish third in the league. They were one of three teams from the conference to make the Frozen Four, reaching the NCAA semifinals for the first time since 2011 and finishing No. 4 in the national polls. It marked the school's 25th Frozen Four appearance, which is tied with Boston College for the most ever. It also made Pearson the first coach in the sport's history to pilot two different programs to the NCAA Hockey Championships in back-to-back years. PHOTO COURTESY MICHIGAN PHOTOGRAPHY