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NCAA Hockey Tournament: Michigan vs. Notre Dame Preview

By Michael Moeller

Apr 9, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; A detailed view of the skate of Providence College Friars forward Nick Saracino (not pictured) before the start of the semifinal game against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in the men
Apr 9, 2015; Boston, MA, USA; A detailed view of the skate of Providence College Friars forward Nick Saracino (not pictured) before the start of the semifinal game against the Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks in the men /
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Michigan will face off against Notre Dame on Friday night in the NCAA Hockey Tournament. Here’s what you need to know about this matchup.

Michigan will get another shot at Notre Dame in a tournament setting today at 5:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU, only this time the Wolverines will be favored and it’ll take place on ice.

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The NCAA Hockey Championship kicked off yesterday on the 20th anniversary of the most recognizable goal in college hockey history: Mike Legg’s behind the net lacrosse goal.

Check out that goal:

Good omens abound. Michigan, after a few years in the relative wilderness, came back in a big way this year, going 24-7-5 while winning the Big Ten for the first time.

Oh yeah, and the team boasts three—yeah, three—of the ten finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. Add in a senior goalie with tournament experience, and you probably have the last best shot the program has to make a run at the championship before Red Berenson exits stage left.

Berenson’s squads of the past few years have fallen off a bit despite a robust program infrastructure, an all-timer of a coach, and elite talent. Shoddy defense, lackadaisical offense, and inconsistent effort have set every season since the Frozen Four appearance in 2011 adrift. The basketball team has been a frustratingly good analogue since 2014’s Elite Eight run.

Not so this year; if there were ever a team to convert non-hockey fans, it would be this one. The three leading point-getters in the country (Kyle Connor, JT Compher, and Tyler Motte, in order) anchor a dynamic, frenetic attack that has ripped through the second half of the season after an early season adjustment period.

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This is everything a Michigan hockey team should be: relentless, ruthless, effective, and a little chaotic. They’re a hell of a lot of fun to watch when everything is clicking (which it is right now).

Exciting stuff!

Tonight’s game shouldn’t be in doubt for too long, as Notre Dame is one of the lower seeds in the tournament and finished 19-10-7 in Hockey East. Michigan’s offensive attack should be enough to get the Irish on the ropes and then the Wolverines should be able to all but coast against an opponent that has lost five of its last six down the stretch while averaging a shade above two goals a game.

There are a lot of fun subplots here, though.

Before each team broke away from the CCHA (Notre Dame for Hockey East and Michigan for the Big Ten), they battled it out year in and year out, having met well over 100 times with Michigan holding an all-time advantage, though Notre Dame swept in the final year of the matchup.

The dormant rivalry reignites tonight and will continue for the foreseeable future considering the fact that Notre Dame announced this week that it’ll be joining the Big Ten next year. At least one Michigan team will get to play the Irish year in, year out.

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Add in the bad taste that all Michigan fans are sure to still have in their mouths after last week’s disappointing loss in the first round of the NCAA Basketball Tournament to Notre Dame, it should make for a high energy, emotional game.

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