Three things to know before Michigan hockey plays Quinnipiac for a Frozen Four berth
Set for its 85th NCAA Tournament game, Michigan Wolverines hockey is one win away from making its record 26th Frozen Four appearance.
Here are three things you need to know heading into the Sunday night tilt between the Wolverines and Bobcats.
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1. Basic facts on the matchup
The No. 1 overall seeded Maize and Blue are set to take on Quinnipiac Sunday evening at 6:30 p.m. ET in Allentown, Pa., with the game televised on ESPN2. They hold a 4-0 all-time series lead over the Bobcats, winning a series in each of 2003 and 2005. Quinnipiac, which is in the midst of its winningest season in program history at 32-6-3, has made two Frozen Fours, having reached the national title game in 2013 and 2016. They compete out of the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
Michigan knocked off American International College (AIC) in the first round to advance to the quarterfinals, winning by a score of 5-3. Meanwhile, Quinnipiac took down St. Cloud State, 5-4. The Bobcats played a tight one, but two early-third-period goals put them ahead 5-3. St. Cloud State found the back of the net late with an extra attacker.
2. The Bobcats have an elite goaltender
Quinnipiac goaltender Yaniv Perets made 30 saves in the win over St. Cloud State, setting a new career high. That’s just the latest great game in what has been a stellar season for the first-year college player out of Quebec. He has claimed ECAC Player and Goalie of the Year awards. Perets, also a finalist for the Hobey Baker and Mike Richter Awards, enters with a 22-5-2 record, 11 shutouts, a .945 save percentage and 1.07 goals-against average.
Quinnipiac didn’t play the level of competition as Michigan this season, but the Bobcats held their own against the toughest teams they faced — especially defensively. The Bobcats, who lead the nation with a 1.1 goals-against average on the season, allowed just six goals in six games against nationally-ranked competition.
The Bobcats also have the country’s top penalty kill, allowing opponents to score on just 8.2 percent of their power plays. Something has to give between that and Michigan, which scores 25.9 percent of the time while on the power play (fourth nationally).
3. Key stats for Quinnipiac’s offense
Quinnipiac has scored 135 goals on the season (fifth nationally), gets off 33.8 shots per contest (third) but scores on just 14.5 percent of its power plays (50th). Michigan, on the other hand, yields just 2.2 goals and 28.8 shots per clash.
The leaders at the forward spots are Oliver Chau (13 goals, 20 assists) and captain Wyatt Bongiovanni (15 goals, 18 assists), while Ethan de Jong has 11 goals and 20 assists for 31 points. Sophomore speedster Ty Smilanic has posted 13 goals with 9 assists for 22 points.
The Bobcats also get tremendous offensive production out of their defensemen, with senior Zach Metsa leading the team in assists (27) and points (36) and sitting in second with 105 shots on goal. Metsa’s plus-38 on-ice rating leads the nation. In the game against St. Cloud, four of the five goals scored came from Quinnipiac defensemen. Jayden Lee, one of Friday’s goal-scorers, leads with 42 blocked shots.
