The Quinnipiac Bobcats will play in the Frozen Four for the first time since 2016 on Thursday, April 6 in Amalie Arena, Tampa. The Stanley Cup was awarded in the same arena on June 26, 2022. A National Champion will also be crowned in the same rink within the same 12 months. 

Quinnipiac will face the Michigan Wolverines, the team who ended their 2022 campaign in the NCAA Allentown Regional on March 27, 2022. 

To the History Books!

The Hamden Heavyweights and Michigan Wolverine Machine have faced off five times with Michigan winning every game. The Big Ten menace and ECAC juggernaut only met on five dates ranging from 2003 to 2005 before meeting 17 years later.

 Half of the players in the upcoming game were not in kindergarten yet prior to the 2022 matchup and this Frozen Four matchup. 

All those games were played away, and the only neutral site was the Allentown regional. 

The Bobcats had not lost a game by more than two goals in the first four contests on the two back-to-back weekends (October 17th/18th 2003, and October 7th/8th 2005).

In 2022, the Bobcats surrendered four goals in the first period upon a comeback lead by Jayden Lee, Wyatt Bon Giovanni, and Desi Burgart putting the Bobcats within one goal of a spectacular comeback. 

That was followed by a controversial coaching decision. Yaniv Perets was pulled with four minutes remaining in the game, and Michigan scored two empty net goals on what became an infamous blunder. 

All That Power: 

Michigan’s 2023 crusade saw the program remain a force of nature. Posting a 26-11-3 record, the team narrowly escaped the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten quarterfinal series and defeated Ohio State and Minnesota winning the conference championship for a second season in a row. 

The Wolverines then obliterated the Colgate Raiders in the first Allentown regional and won in a “one goal will win this game” regional final against a formidable Penn State off an NHL-level release from Mackie Samoskevich. 

Quinnipiac’s buzzworthy run saw the Bobcats take home the Belpot in Ireland, the CT Ice Tournament Championship, their third Cleary Cup, and a fabled semi-final exit in Lake Placid ECAC Tournament to “The Mitton Miracle.” 

The 2022 off-season saw departures that left significant holes in the Bobcats’ roster. 

From all accounts, a building year was the expectation. They blew the roof off that. The emergence of “The York Hill Boys,” “The Sherbrooke Boys,” and Jake Johnson as well as carbon copy seasons from Zack Metsa, Ethan de Jong, Lee, and company have set the Bobcats up to not just build for the future but go on a National Championship run. 

Goalies Are Crazy:

Yaniv Perets doesn’t have one sensational painting. He has the keys to the museum. A mural-esque year saw Perets take home the ECAC Goaltender of the Year award, finish as a top 10 Hobey Baker Award finalist, and break the ECAC and Quinnipiac shutout record. 

His tournament play has seen him save five shots on goal, and times that by nine for how many he faced in Lake Placid against Colgate. After another crushing defeat in the land of the Miracle, Perets allowed one goal in the Bridgeport Regional en route to Tampa. 

Erik Portillo played in the Big Ten gauntlet this season. His numbers have taken a toll in a consequence of this fact. His goals-against average has rocketed up by .83, the wrong side of another goal per game. In five fewer starts, he has allowed 22 more goals. 

Alas, Portillo has backstopped the Wolverines to back-to-back Big 10 conference championships, his two championships as an individual are tied with the next two teams’ totals. The championship started in 2014 and there have been 9 tournaments (the 2020 pandemic canceled).

For a measuring stick, he surrendered three goals to Ohio State in the tournament who the Bobcats defeated in the regional final allowing a single goal. 

In the regional tournament, the native of Sweden allowed just two goals in total. Experience is on his side, winning the Big Ten tournament in 2022 and advancing to the Frozen Four, and freshly winning the conference on March 18. 

Could End in Burning Flames or Paradise:

They never go out of “style.” The Bobcats’ and Wolverines’ identity is a culture each program lives and breathes every day. 

Rand Pecknold consistently discusses the team’s buy-in. The Bobcats thrive on a full-team defense. The catch this season, they can convert on a strong power play, year in and year out the team’s heel. They scored 37 power-play goals, the most in their conference. Their power play percentage is good for 15th in the nation. Their penalty kill ranks fourth in the nation, scoring offense third in the nation (3.95 GPG) and team defense has only allowed 60 goals in 39 games. Defense turns into offense. Create space, create time, and score. When need be, shut the lights out on the opponent. 

As for the newly appointed head coach Brandon Nauruto, it’s about skill. The team lost Owen Power and Matty Beniers to the National Hockey League, but sophomores and juniors committed to staying rather than going to their show and it’s paying off. They’ll beat you with their skating ability, precision, and speed. Get in the zone, set up a triangle, and tic-tac-back of the net. Physicality limits the Wolverines’ ability to out-skill their opponents. Multiple sources emphasized how it was a breath of relief for Michigan to exit non-conference play. The Big Ten thrives on the skill, finesse, and graceful hockey, and in that regard, the Wolverines outclass their opponents. Possess, wheel, and strike.

Terriers vs Gophers: 

Keep an eye out for the forecast. The National Championship WILL feature a team from each of Thursday’s games. 

The Boston University Terriers face off against the Minnesota Golden Gophers. Based on the redirect surrounding this matchup, it seems Minnesota is favored. 

Minnesota lost the Big Ten Championship to Michigan for the second year in a row. In the Fargo regional they were almost upset by Canisius but exploded in the third period to win 9-2 and won the regional over St. Cloud to clinch a berth in Tampa. 

Boston University won the Hockey East in overtime in a victory over Merrimack. They advanced to the Frozen Four by defeating Western Michigan and Quinnipiac’s ECAC rival, the Cornell Big Red. 

The Best Around:

QU Bobcats:

RW Collin Graf – (20G, 36A, 56 PTS): Last season at Union he posted 22 points in total. I’m not sure a player has made a jump this significant since the transfer portal’s inception in 2018. 

GLK Yaniv Perets – (32-4-3, .932 SV%, 1.46 GAA): The Bobcats backbone’s numbers say it all. Perets will be the factor for the yellow and navy. 

Michigan Wolverines:

C Adam Fantilli – (29G, 35A, 64 PTS): The consensus 2023 No. two NHL Entry Level Draft pick skates for the Wolverines. An intense motor, an edge in physicality, and skating that project to be better than the generational Conor Bedard. Fantilli possesses tools that work at full speed with power-forward techniques or in small areas. 

D Luke Hughes – (10G, 37A, 47 PTS): Top-end skating ability like his brother Quinn Hughes but with a larger wingspan, a play-driving defenseman. Mobile, and poised, the No. four NHL Entry Draft selection in 2021.

Minnesota Golden Gophers:

LW Matthew Knies – (21G, 20A, 41 PTS): A powerful forward with great size and skill. The Maple Leaf’s draft pick and Hobey Baker finalist has a unique style of physicality and finesse. 

RW Jimmy Snuggerud – (21 G, 29A, 50 PTS) A pure sniper. Finds the soft spots in a defensive scheme to get open for pass reception. His game has been compared to Brandon Saad. Not to mention, the first-round draft selection of the St. Louis Blues. 

Boston University Terriers:

DEF Lane Hudson – (15G, 33A, 48 PTS) The 2022 NHL Entry Draft selection 62 at 19 years old led the Hockey East conference in scoring and was sixth in the nation and first defenseman. 

FWD Matt Brown – (16G, 30A, 46 PTS) From Tenafly high school in North Jersey to 13th in the nation in scoring, Matt Brown transferred from Umass Lowell and continues to defy the odds.

The Frozen Four contest between Michigan and Quinnipiac takes place Thursday, April 6, at 8:30 p.m. in Amalie Arena in Tampa Bay, Florida. Who advances to the Frozen Four?