Michigan faces North Dakota as quest for 3rd straight Frozen Four commences

Michigan hockey will begin its quest for a third straight Frozen Four appearance on Friday night. The third-seeded Wolverines will face the No. 2 seed North Dakota Fighting Hawks at 8:30 p.m. EST on Friday night; the game will air on ESPNU.

This will be the toughest path to the Frozen Four that Michigan has seen in the past three seasons. The last two years, Michigan earned a No. 1 seed and advanced to the national semifinal before being knocked out in the first round of the Frozen Four.

In 2022 and 2023, the Wolverines cruised through their first-round matchups by a combined score of 16-4 in wins over American International (2022) and Colgate (2023).

Two seasons ago, Michigan built off its win over American International with a 7-4 win over Quinnipiac to advance to the Frozen Four.

Last season, though, after beating Colgate 11-1 in the first round, the Wolverines barely skated past Big Ten foe Penn State, 2-1 in overtime, in the second round.

This season, Michigan enters as a No. 3 seed and will undoubtedly have a tougher path to the Frozen Four.

The Wolverines will open with a game against No. 2 seed North Dakota, which enters Friday night's matchup with an overall record of 26-11-2.

North Dakota, which comes from the NCHC (National Collegiate Hockey Conference), is making its 35th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history.

Meanwhile, Michigan is making its 41st appearance in the NCAA Tournament and will be looking for its 28th Frozen Four appearance.

The winner of Friday night's contest between Michigan and North Dakota will face either Michigan State or Western Michigan in the second round. Many big-time college hockey fans would enjoy seeing a rematch of the Big Ten Tournament championship game between the Wolverines and Spartans.

Michigan State got the best of Michigan on Saturday, March 23, in a 5-4 overtime thriller at Munn Ice Arena. A rematch would certainly be best for television ratings and growth of the game, but both teams will need to advance past the first round.

Michigan State takes on Western Michigan at 5 p.m. on Friday night.

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