100% total redemption

CLICK HERE for Game Recap from Kristy McNeil and other pertinent information and HERE for current Pairwise Rankings.

What just happened (TL;DR): Michigan just bounced Michigan State in their first ever NCAA Tournament meeting, sealing the Wolverines THIRD STRAIGHT Frozen Four appearance. After an unlucky bounce in an evenly played first period, Ethan Edwards tied the game at one via an odd man rush in the second. Heading into the third period, all tied at one, Michigan re-upped their best third period of the season by beating Trey Augustine FOUR times in the final 14 minutes. Dylan Duke earned Most Outstanding Player of the Regional on the back of his game-winning and game-sealing goals to go with his earlier assist. Jake Barczewski was also absolutely nails once again. Oh, and Frank Nazar had the Assist of the Year. See below!

FINAL CORSI NUMBERS (www.collegehockeynews.com)

Forward Notes.

-Michigan and Michigan State played a very even game through two periods with Michigan probably getting more dangerous chances overall. Michigan would get some looks with their top six, but Trey Augustine was there pretty much every time. Finally, the Wolverines started finished their chances in the third period. This is where it felt like Michigan just had better scorers and finishers. While State has depth and attacks in waves, it was once again Michigan’s individual efforts that sent them to St. Paul.

-Dylan Duke had himself a weekend. After tallying twice against North Dakota, Dylan added a couple more goals on Sunday night. He gave Michigan the lead on a phenomenal individual play flying down the boards, swooping above the crease, and beating Augustine to the far post. He later added to it with a power play deflection that put the cherry on top of the sundae for the Wolverines. He’s really starting to have a flair for the dramatic getting some really clutch goals in the career in Maize and Blue.

-Speaking of flair, Frank Nazar lead a 2v1 rush into the Spartan end, pulled the puck back between his legs, and hit Gavin Brindley on the tape to double Michigan’s lead to 4-2 with 7:06 to go in the game. Words do not do this pass justice. Go find it on Twitter (@Nastyisland, I posted it). I’ve seen goals scored this way (hello Kent Johnson and Brendan Brisson), but I’m not sure I’ve ever seen an assist like that. He also had a double dangle going through two Spartans, but his chance was fired wide of Augustine in the second period.

-Gavin Brindley finished Nazar’s ridiculous pass and assisted on Dylan Duke’s tip. Brindley has had his lines jumbled, played up top on the power play, and was given a phantom penalty early in the game. It was a weird weekend for him, I thought. Regardless, he forechecked well and wreaked havoc in both games.

-Philippe Lapointe was having a nice game until he took maybe the worst penalty of the season. He was called for boarding in the offensive zone with 10:35 left in the game. That just cannot happen. He’s a fourth year player, wearing a letter. His team is up a goal, half a period from the Frozen Four. The PK breaks down, and MSU pulls even. Thankfully, his teammates bailed him out and scored three more times. If not, it could have been a long trip back to Ann Arbor.

Defense Notes.

-Seamus Casey was scratched for the biggest game of the season. That just sucks so bad for him. On the ice, though, Michigan did actually manage very well. The biggest thing is losing what he bring is a major loss. It also spreads around minutes and responsibilities. Steve Holtz and Luca Fantilli both had to take on more. For the second game in a row, they both did very well. Over the course of the season, they have been points of concern on Michigan’s blue line. They were not against North Dakota, and each backed up that performance with another solid one against Michigan State. Major props to each of them.

-With no Seamus Casey, Ethan Edwards put in a very Casey-esque performance. Another blueliner who has been up and down this season was very up again. He finished the 3v2 rush by getting into the slot and burying his chance, tying the game. Edwards also sprung Nazar on his 2v1 and eventual insane pass. Ethan was credited with an assist on Duke’s final goal of the evening, as well. That’s a 1-2-3. If you really squint, maybe you can kinda see 26 instead of 73.

-Marshall Warren might have been the best defenseman on the ice for the Wolverines…again. He’s really starting to stack games. Without Casey, he was another Wolverine that was going to be relied upon for more. Marshall was solid in his own zone, skating well, and moving the puck. He also used his size and thickness well again. It was very apropos for Jacob Truscott to find him for his goal, breaking the 1-1 deadlock with a tally from inside the dot. They’d struggled together throughout the season at times, but on a Sunday night outside of St. Louis, they combined for a crucial goal.

Formation/Nomenclature Notes: OSU would line up their TE as a deep H-back which I called “F” so this is “Pistol F Wk,” meaning the slot receiver (H), is opposite the side the TE is on.

Substitution Notes: Barrett came in for Ross on a few passing downs, probably to get a little more speed out there. Snap counts.

Lexicon Note: I also started tracking “WRDIS,” which stands for Wide Receivers Doing Insane Shit, because OSU’s three dudes were making incredible plays against coverage that would have beaten anything less. This is an acronym, pronounced like “whirr diss,” because I had to break it out so many times that it was cumbersome to read it as an initialism. Hopefully it becomes a thing in offensive UFRs as BROYLES WINNER JOSH GATTIS’s wards get to the part of their careers where they can grow full beards. For now it’s an OSU receiver thing with enough exasperation in it that you’re forgiven if you start pronouncing the ‘h’ sound with the ‘w’.

[After THE JUMP: Domination punctuated by many opportunities to practice saying “WRDIS” with an ‘h’.]

[Eric Upchurch]