This will be the third meeting in as many years between the two conference foes in the postseason.
The Michigan Wolverines are two wins away from their third consecutive Big Ten Tournament title. After sweeping Notre Dame in the quarterfinals last weekend, the Wolverines moved up to No. 10 in the Pairwise rankings, and — barring any unpredictable chaos — should be locks to make the NCAA Tournament regardless of what happens on Saturday.
However, this team isn’t focused on “should bes” or at-large berths. The Wolverines want to enter as Big Ten Tournament Champions for the third-straight year, and to do so they must first conquer a team they are all too familiar with.
In the last two Big Ten Tournaments, Michigan has toppled the Golden Gophers in the Championship Game in Minneapolis; more recently, the teams split their final regular season series one game apiece in Minneapolis just two weeks ago.
When Michigan head coach Brandon Naurato was asked on Inside Michigan Hockey whether or not this level of familiarity was a good or bad thing, Naurato answered confidently, “I think it’s good when a team hasn’t seen your best.”
Michigan’s head man used the word “best,” but a more accurate phrase would be “most consistent.” The Wolverines have shown glimpses of their best throughout the year, but have still not shaken their knack for unnecessary drama due to untimely mental lapses and mistakes.
Even in the sweep over Notre Dame last weekend, Michigan relented a 2-1 lead in both games and trailed by as much as two goals in the first contest. To beat Minnesota on Saturday, the Wolverines are going to have to showcase their most consistent and disciplined performance to date.
Keys to victory
1. Stay out of the penalty box. In the first game against Minnesota two weeks ago, the teams were tied in the second period before the Wolverines took three consecutive penalties — two of which were on Seamus Casey. Michigan’s penalty kill has been excellent in the second half of the season, but without Casey on the ice for the first two kills, the Wolverines looked mediocre in thwarting the man advantage and were defeated by the third power play. Minnesota is too talented of a team to help out with self-inflicted wounds.
2. Stop Jaxon Nelson. This one might come from a personal place because, in reality, he is probably the fourth-best Gopher (at best), but he is an absolute Wolverine wrecker. In the last series, Nelson scored enjoyed a six-point weekend (5G, 1A), including a night-one hat trick. Nelson is blossoming into an elite instinctual goal scorer who can easily turn a meandering loose puck into a goal. If Michigan wants to hold off the Gophers’ inevitable third-period surge, locating Nelson is paramount to success.
3. Spread Minnesota out. The Gophers’ defensive strategy is simple but effective: dedicate all resources to clogging the slot and force everything outside. To counter this, the Wolverines will need to create some chaos around the net. Look for Michigan to fire more shots from the point to open up rebound and scramble opportunities that can quickly get Minnesota out of position.
If Michigan wins, the Wolverines will play the winner of Michigan State /Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship. If the Buckeyes continue their Cinderella run, Michigan will host Ohio State at Yost next weekend for the conference crown; otherwise, the Wolverines will be headed to Munn.
Big Ten Semifinals
When: Saturday, March 16, 9:00 p.m. ET
Where: 3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis, MN
How to watch: Big Ten Network
How to listen: WXYT 1270 AM