Michigan Hockey Notebook: After Falling To Ohio State, U-M Waits For NCAAs
Michigan fell to Ohio State on Saturday night for the fifth time this season, losing 3-2 in overtime at Nationwide Arena in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
The loss ends U-M's regular season and leaves the Wolverines hoping for an NCAA Tournament bid, which should come when the bracket is released on Sunday, March 18.
No. 11 Michigan (20-14-3) got two goals from junior forward Cooper Marody, who leads the Big Ten in scoring with 46 points, but it wasn't enough, as OSU scored in the first minute of overtime to steal the win.
Ohio State scored first, taking a 1-0 lead into the first intermission. The Buckeyes entered play 16-0-3 when scoring first and 14-0 when leading after one period.
Michigan freshman defenseman Quinn Hughes had a number of strong chances, including a breakaway that was stopped and shot that went off the post in the first period. Hughes, who finished the game with two assists, is expected to be a top 10 pick in this year's NHL Draft.
No. 6 Ohio State will now face No. 5 Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind. for the Big Ten Championship, which takes place on Saturday.
The Wolverines had an incredible turnaround in year one under coach Mel Pearson. Picked to finished sixth in the conference at the beginning of the year, Michigan finished third and won seven more games than a year ago, when U-M went 13-19-3.
Michigan currently is tied for No. 10 in the PairWise rankings, which is what the NCAA selection committee uses to choose and place teams. The top 16 teams make the field, with the six conference tournament winners being automatic qualifiers. Pearson told The Wolverine earlier this season that he'd feel comfortable being No. 12 or higher.
Sitting at No. 10 essentially makes his team a lock, but we will know for sure when the tournament bracket is released on Sunday.
A No. 2 or No. 3 seed is possible, but a No. 3 seed looks more likely after losing to the Buckeyes. The Big Ten is expected to have five of its seven teams in the tournament, those five being Notre Dame, Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Minnesota.
Regionals will take place on March 23-25 in Bridgeport, Conn., Sioux Falls, S.D., Worcester, Mass. and Allentown, Pa.
The Frozen Four and National Championship Game will be played in Saint Paul, Minn. on April 5 and 7.
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