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Michigan football has finally ended its winning streak. Now it's ice hockey's turn.

story April 11, 2024
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ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Michigan hockey team is a bit of an underdog here in the Frozen Four.

Three of the last four remaining college hockey teams are number one. Then there's Brandon Naurato's group, which had a losing record in the Big Ten as recently as last month before things got hot at the right time.

When the Wolverines take the ice against Boston College on Thursday (8:30 EST, ESPN2) at the Xcel Energy Center to play for a spot in the national championship game, their chances are much better than those of the coach who represents both with ice hockey surprise and the twin cities.

Herb Brooks, the leader of the U.S. Miracle on Ice team that defeated the USSR at the 1980 Winter Olympics, is a St. Paul native, and a statue in his honor stands less than a quarter-mile from the Minnesota Wild arena removed .

BACK TO BUSINESS: UM Hockey enters the Frozen Four for the third straight season with “nothing to lose” but a point to prove

Call it fate or inspiration, Michigan is doing everything in its power to end the Frozen Four's slide, which at this point has seen three straight losses and a 1-7 record since winning the national championship a quarter-century ago recorded in the round.

“I think it's cool when people kind of doubt you,” said defenseman Marshall Warren, a transfer from BC, when asked about the parallels. “Adversity, in a sense, creates champions. I think we've been through some adversity all year, so it's cool to prove people wrong and I think we'll continue to do that.”

To the outsider, the stars seem to align in more ways than one.

Not only does UM play as a team with “nothing to lose” in the Miracle City and against the program it last defeated to win a national title, Boston College, but its last national championship was in April 1998.

That was three months after Michigan's football team won its last Rose Bowl in 1997, securing a share of the national title; A streak that was broken just over three months ago in Pasadena, California. The UM hockey team watched that game together, a 27-20 OT instant classic, and shared on Wednesday some of the lessons they learned from the national championship football team that they hope to carry over to the ice.

“I just remember the Alabama game, the semifinals, the momentum swings were crazy in that game,” fourth player Philippe Lapointe said. “I remember (Naurato) coming in afterward and saying, ‘See those swings? That’s how it is in the tournament,’ and we know that, we’ve been here two years in a row.”

“That’s what it’s all about, controlling those emotions through swing swings and staying balanced.”

Naurato later explained that new UM football head coach Sherrone Moore asked if he could meet with the team to share some of the lessons he learned last season. There was no magic potion or secret sauce he could reveal that would guarantee success, instead Naurato called it “simple stuff, but something that counts.”

“Just a business approach,” the UM hockey coach explained the message. “We are here all year round like any other road trip. We're not happy walking around town here. We have a job to do and we’re ready to get it done.”

It won't be easy as BC (33-5-1) is the top seed in the standings, has won 14 games in a row and two of its losses have come to the other two teams (Boston U and Denver) in the Frozen Four.

The Eagles have the No. 2 offense (4.59 goals per game) thanks to Will Smith, Ryan Leonard and Gabe Perrault, the top lineup in the country, the No. 4 defense (2.23) and the best penalty killing unit in the country (89.3%). . TU-M was the nation's best power play all season (29.9% conversions).

But as Jacob Truscott said Wednesday, the game isn't just about talent, otherwise UM probably would have won it all the last two seasons.

But these one-off tournaments are about capitalizing on the moments and not coming up short when it matters, which UM found difficult in this round.

“The biggest thing (the football players) have talked to us about, and we have it in the locker room, is that swagger,” Truscott said. “I believe it’s the closest teams that win championships.”

Naurato told the Free Press that not only did UM display the 1998 national championship in its locker room all season, but members of that team also returned to campus to talk to current players. He also has a secret weapon that will be revealed about 24 hours before his team takes the ice: a video montage of members of the last title team to serve as inspiration.

“It’s my job to make sure everything stays here,” Naurato said, pointing to his head. “But I will show the video to the team tonight. I mean, seeing these grown men, 25 years later, and you can tell it still means just as much to them. It's all about this.”

“But no doubt you see (the parallel to this season) and think about the similarities.”

Contact Tony Garcia: [email protected]. Follow him at @realtonygarcia.

Next up: Eagles

Match: Michigan (23-14-3-0) vs. Boston College (33-5-1), national semifinals.

Allusion: 8:30 p.m. April 11; Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, Minnesota.

TV/Radio: ESPN; WTKA-AM (1050).

On the game: The winner will face the winner of Denver-Boston U in the national championship game on April 13.

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