Michigan hockey to face Minnesota in Big Ten Tournament Championship Game

Interim head coach Brandon Naurato and the Michigan hockey team skated past No. 3 seed Ohio State on Saturday night, as the team advanced to its second consecutive Big Ten Tournament Championship Game. The Wolverines will take on No. 1 seed Minnesota at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis next Saturday.

The Golden Gophers dominated Michigan State in the second semifinal matchup on Saturday night. Minnesota net minder, Justen Close — whose goals against average is below 2.00 — was fabulous in the 5-1 victory.

In last year's Big Ten Tournament Championship Game, the Wolverines defeated the Golden Gophers at Mariucci, 4-3 to secure the title.

It will be another rematch of the conference's two best teams once again this season, as the two surefire NCAA Tournament No. 1 seeds battle it out on an olympic-sized rink.

Minnesota bested Michigan in the season series, as the Gophers won three of the four matchups in the regular season.

Saturday's game will mark exactly one month since the Wolverines will have played a game away from Yost Ice Arena. It will be a raucous environment, but it will also be an opportunity for Michigan to prove it can hang with the nation's best teams.

The puck will drop at 8 p.m. next Saturday, and the game will air on Big Ten Network.

---

Discuss this article with our community on our premium message boards

Not a subscriber to Maize & Blue Review? Sign up today to gain access to all the latest Michigan intel M&BR has to offer

Follow our staff on Twitter: @JoshHenschke, @Berry_Seth14, @TrevorMcCue, @DennisFithian, @BrockHeilig, @JimScarcelli, @lucasreimink, @JaredHalus

Subscribe to our podcasts: Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and Spotify

Check out Maize & Blue Review's video content on YouTube

Follow Maize & Blue Review on social media: Facebook, Twitter, TikTok, and Instagram