For the first time since 2019, the Michigan hockey team has failed to qualify for the NCAA tournament. With the team having a down year, and many Big 10 teams hitting their stride, Michigan just missed the cut on playing for their fourth straight Frozen Four appearance.
The miss isn't to the same magnitude of other sports; the tournament size now rivals that of the 12 team college football playoffs, and fields 16 teams, coming from the six conference champions and 10 at large bids. With NCAA baseball and softball tournaments fielding 64 teams, and basketball fielding 68 teams, hockey operates at a much smaller level, making the margin for error that much slimmer.
The Wolverines, coached by Brandon Naurato, finished fourth out of seven Big Ten teams during the regular season, behind Ohio State, Minnesota, and Michigan State, and were ranked #17 in the country. However, they got swept in the first round of the Big Ten tournament by fifth-seeded Penn State, putting their tournament hopes in jeopardy. Once #12 Quinnipiac lost in the Eastern College Athletic Conference semifinals to Cornell, Michigan's hopes for an at-large bid disappeared.
Representing the Big 10 in the NCAA Tournament include Michigan State as a 1-seed, Minnesota as a 2-seed, Ohio State as a 3-seed, and Penn State sneaking in as a 4-seed. Had a few close games gone the other way, the Wolverines would be gearing up to continue their season later this week. However, the team ultimately finishes the season 18-15-3, and will look to rebound next year.