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Seven-goal second period boosts Michigan over Colgate in tournament opener

Michigan blasted Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Friday night, 11-1. The Wolverines rode the momentum of seven second-period goals into the second round of the NCAA Tournament, just one game away from a second consecutive Frozen Four appearance.

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Things started off awfully slowly for the No. 1 seed Wolverines. Colgate was skating right with Michigan for most of the first 25 minutes.

Nick Granowicz scored the Wolverines' lone goal through the first 25 minutes, and it looked like Michigan might be in for a tight battle that many of the other Big Ten teams had avoided thus far in the tournament.

However, starting at the 7:33 mark in the second period, and onslaught of Michigan goals came onto the Colgate Raiders. Eric Ciccolini got the second-period scoring started with a power-play goal.

Forty-five seconds later, Adam Fantilli beat the Colgate goaltender on an unassisted goal to put Michigan up by three. A few minutes went by before Frank Nazar III scored on assists from Jackson Hallum and Ethan Edwards.

Thirty seconds after Nazar III's goal, Mark Estapa joined the party as he scored one of his own. Less than a minute later, Rutger McGroarty scored his first of the game to put the Wolverines up, 6-0.

Gavin Brindley scored the next Michigan goal, and it was clear Michigan was superior over Colgate and U-M certainly deserved its No. 1 seed. Luke Hughes was the next goal scorer, and all of U-M's first eight goals were scored by a different Wolverine.

After Colgate finally got on the board early in the third period, Hughes became the first Wolverine with two goals on the night with 9:43 to play in the game. Sixteen seconds later, Dylan Duke notched his first goal of the game to give Michigan its first 10-goal outing of the season.

Shortly thereafter, McGroarty found the back of the net for the second time of the night, and it was a 10-goal lead for the Wolverines.

McGroarty's goal was the last of the game, and Michigan cruised to an 11-1 victory over the Raiders.

The Wolverines will now advance to the Allentown Regional Final against a familiar foe — the Penn State Nittany Lions. PSU easily handled Michigan Tech in its first-round matchup by a score of 8-0.

In four meetings with the Nittany Lions this season, Michigan is 3-1. The Big Ten matchup will commence on Sunday night at 6:30 p.m. and it will air on ESPN2.

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