Through the legs, across the crease and into the net.
You’ve probably already seen it all over Twitter and ESPN — the ‘Michigan 2.0.’
Sophomore forward Frank Nazar III has been circulating around social media these past few days for his highlight-reel assist on sophomore forward Gavin Brindley’s goal, self-titled as the ‘Michigan 2.0.’ Nazar and Brindley put the Michigan hockey team up two goals against Michigan State en route to punching its ticket to the Frozen Four.
From upsetting North Dakota on Friday in a third-period push to defeating the Spartans in their biggest rivalry game of the season, the Wolverines certainly enjoyed St. Louis — especially Nazar.
“Frank’s a game-breaker, he made a game-breaking play,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said Sunday. “That’s what he does.”
While the ‘Michigan 2.0’ will likely be Nazar’s legacy from this stretch, his entire postseason push has been notable.
In the Big Ten Championship last weekend, Nazar put the Wolverines on the board early, scoring at the net front 58 seconds into the first period. And in the third period, he tipped a slapshot from junior forward Dylan Duke, providing Michigan the game-tying goal that sent the Championship game into overtime.
Although the Wolverines ultimately succumbed in overtime, Nazar’s bookend goals gave them a footing in that game. The same can be said for this past weekend’s NCAA Regionals. But this time, Michigan won both games — largely due to Nazar.
In Friday’s matchup against the Fighting Hawks, Nazar once again tallied the first goal of the night for the Wolverines. Down 1-0 early into the second period, senior defenseman Steven Holtz shot the puck down toward the net, with two Michigan skaters in the crease waiting to tip the pass. However, instead of landing in the crease, the puck ricocheted directly to Nazar, who scored a top-shelf goal from the red line.
“It definitely gave us a little bit of hope,” Nazar said Friday. “It started to get a lot of other guys going. … Being able to put that in the net gives some hope and momentum to our side to be able to go and know we could win that game.”
But Nazar’s true claim to fame is his assist in Michigan’s victory over Michigan State. If you type his name into Google, the first thing that comes up now is ‘Frank Nazar pass.’ And for good reason.
The Spartans have proved themselves to be a strong retaliation team this season. When Duke gave the Wolverines a 3-2 lead with eight minutes left in the game, Nazar and Brindley rode the momentum. They didn’t let Michigan State come back this time.
Merely 12 seconds after Duke’s goal, Nazar picked up the puck at the blue line and skated down the left wing as Brindley skated alongside him on the right. With Nazar sandwiched between two Michigan State skaters, instead of sending the puck forward, he slipped it back through his legs. With the puck — and his stick — between his legs, Nazar passed to an unmarked Brindley, who slammed a one-timer into the back of the net.
“I’ve done it a few times but it’s never worked out,” Nazar said. “The goalie always made the save, so I was really excited to see Gavin bury that one.”
When the pair played for the U.S. National Training and Development Program, Nazar tried the pass to Brindley, and while the ‘through the legs’ part was successful, Brindley fanned on the pass. Nazar also successfully completed the pass against the Spartans last year, but the goal came up short. But this time, right when his team needed it most, it landed perfectly on his stick.
“That was pretty ridiculous,” Brindley said. “He gave me one of those a while ago when we were playing together and I fanned on it, so I made sure it wouldn’t happen again. I mean, he was unbelievable this whole weekend, against North Dakota and today, and I was just lucky enough to bury it.”
Back in September, when Nazar scored two goals in the first game of the season, Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said postgame that Nazar was ‘getting his swagger back.’
But after Nazar coined his own play this weekend, it’s clear his swagger had barely cracked the surface back then. Now, his swagger is surging at just the right time.