ANN ARBOR, Mich. — The total No. 1 seed and top-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey staff (30-7-1) will take on No. 6-ranked and second-seeded Minnesota Duluth (24-14-1) on Sunday (March 29) within the NCAA Albany Regional Final at MVP Arena. Puck drop is about for five:30 p.m. on ESPN.
• Michigan and Minnesota Duluth will meet for the forty fourth time in program historical past and simply the second time in NCAA Tournament play. The Bulldogs claimed the earlier postseason matchup within the 2011 nationwide championship sport, whereas the Wolverines maintain a 24-18-1 edge within the all-time sequence.
• The Wolverines are aiming to safe a berth in this system’s NCAA-leading twenty ninth Frozen Four. Sunday’s contest marks Michigan’s 94th all-time NCAA Tournament sport, the place it owns a 60-33 report, together with a 19-5 mark in regional semifinal contests.
• U-M superior with a 5-1 win over Atlantic Hockey champion Bentley in Friday’s regional semifinal. (*6*) led the way in which with a aim and two assists, whereas Garrett Schifsky and Jayden Perron every recorded two-point efforts. In internet, Jack Ivankovic turned apart 24 of 25 photographs.
• Minnesota Duluth earned its spot with a 3-1 win over Penn State on Friday. Goaltender Adam Gajan made 29 saves, whereas NCHC Player of the Year Max Plante posted two factors and leads the staff with 51. Zam Plante (47 factors) and Jayson Shaugabay (42) add to the Bulldogs’ offensive depth.
• Special groups may play a pivotal function, because the nation’s high two power-play models sq. off. Michigan leads the nation at 31.1 p.c, adopted by Duluth at 29.7 p.c. Will Horcoff has a team-best 11 power-play targets for the Wolverines, whereas Zam Plante leads the Bulldogs with 10.
• Hobey Baker finalist and Big Ten Player of the Year, Hughes now has 56 factors on the season. In addition to being the NCAA’s lively profession scoring chief, Hughes has probably the most factors (10) and assists (8) in NCAA Tournament motion amongst skaters within the area. He has racked up 178 factors over 154 video games to crack the highest 20 of this system’s all-time scoring checklist. He additionally enters Sunday’s sport with the second-most factors within the nation amid back-to-back three-point outings, whereas on a seven-game level streak.
• Michigan’s top-ranked offense options 9 gamers with double-digit aim totals for the primary time because the 2015-16 season and probably the most since 11 gamers reached that mark in 1994-95.
• Hughes and Michael Hage type the nation’s highest-scoring duo with 107 mixed factors, whereas the addition of Jayden Perron provides Michigan the highest trio within the nation with 146 factors.
• Since the vacation break, Michigan leads the nation with a .806 successful proportion, going 14-3-1 and posting the biggest win enchancment within the nation this season at +12.
