Naurato: 'teams that play together' most likely to win near end of season
For the second season in a row, the Michigan hockey team is in the Frozen Four. It's the program's 27th Frozen Four appearance, which is the most of any team in the NCAA.
This year, Michigan enters the pinnacle of college hockey with a new man in charge — Brandon Naurato. Although it's Naurato's first year in complete control of the program, the 38-year-old is no stranger to the Frozen Four.
Naurato played four seasons at Michigan (2005-09), and he went to the Frozen Four as a junior with the Wolverines in 2008. Michigan lost to Notre Dame in overtime that year, but the experience of playing in win-or-go-home games is helping Naurato — and Michigan — immensely now in 2023.
He was also on last year's staff under former head coach Mel Pearson. Of course, Michigan made it to the Frozen Four yet again, this time suffering another overtime loss, this time to Denver.
This will be Naurato's third go-around at the Frozen Four, and even players who have been in Ann Arbor for at least two seasons have experienced the thrill of the event before. For one of the more talented teams in college hockey, experience is key.
However, it's not talent that wins late in the season, says Naurato. It's togetherness.
"One thing I told the guys at the beginning of the year and I think it rings true is that 'it's not the most talented teams that win at the end. It's the teams that play together and it's the teams that are closest,'" Naurato said.
And Naurato clarified: his team is tight.
"They're super, super tight... I think the confidence comes from how tight the group is," Naurato said.
Michigan's tightness won't be on display at the Frozen Four until next week, April 6. The extended break is something Naurato says is beneficial for the players, but he's ready to compete whenever.
"I'm okay with a week off. I'm okay playing right away," Naurato said. "I think it allows guys to rest up a little bit, recover the body, and then just get the feel back. Like, we'll probably focus on a lot of tactics and just overall skill development this week. And then we'll get back into the normal routine."
"I want these guys to continue to feel good," he said. "I want them to enjoy coming to the rink every day, feel like they're getting better and just having fun with being with their teammates. So that would probably be the plan going into the break."
Michigan's ultimate goal is to win the national championship, and if it beats Quinnipiac on April 6, it will have its first shot since 2011 of winning a national title. Naurato hopes the tough Big Ten schedule has prepared his team for the competitive Frozen Four atmosphere next weekend.
"I think that the Big Ten is so deep this year from 1 through 7 that it's prepared teams like us and Minnesota to play in tough games every night," Naurato said. "And they're going to get even tougher through the Frozen Four, but you hope through some experience of success and failure throughout the regular season and playoffs that we've experienced enough to be ready to do something going into this event."
Michigan is set to take on Quinnipiac next Thursday, April 6 at 8:30 p.m. from Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla. Should the Wolverines win, they will take on either Minnesota or Boston University for a chance at the program's 10th national title, and its first since 1998.
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