DETROIT — For the second time in three seasons, the Michigan hockey team’s season will come down to a conference championship game.
In 2013, the Wolverines fell to Notre Dame in the CCHA title game, dashing their hopes of playing in the NCAA Tournament. Prior to that season, Michigan hadn’t missed out on the NCAA Tournament in 22 years.
Fast-forward two years, and Michigan sits in a similar position. After beating Michigan State, 4-1, in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals Friday, the Wolverines (12-8 Big Ten, 22-14 overall) will face No. 10 Minnesota in the conference championship game.
The stakes couldn’t be higher for either team. The winner of Saturday’s contest will advance to the NCAA Tournament. The loser will pack its bags, head home and wait until next season to try to advance to the tournament once again.
A loss to the Golden Gophers (12-5-3, 22-12-3) on Saturday would mean that the Wolverines’ streak of missing the NCAA Tournament would move to three.
More notably, Michigan hasn’t had a tournament drought greater than three years since 1990 — a year Wilson Phillips’ hit, “Hold On,” sat atop the billboard chart, and a year when the “Bad Boys” won the Detroit Pistons an NBA Championship.
Unfortunately for the Wolverines, breaking that streak won’t come easy. Michigan and Minnesota split the four games they played this season, with each team sweeping the other at home.
Back in January, the Wolverines swept the Gophers in Ann Arbor, winning the series by a combined score of 11-8.
However, Minnesota swept Michigan in February by a combined score of 8-2. And that latter series has left a bitter taste in the Wolverines’ mouths.
“Any time we play Minnesota we get pretty pumped up,” said sophomore forward Alex Kile. “It’s arguably the two best teams in the Big Ten, and I think tomorrow you’re going to see who’s the best.”
Added junior forward Boo Nieves: “It’s a bitter feeling playing a team that beat you the last time you saw them. We got them on NHL ice, and we got momentum in our favor right now.”
Nieves is referring to Minnesota’s home rink, which has an Olympic-size ice sheet — 200 feet by 100 feet — whereas Yost Ice Arena has an NHL-sized ice sheet, which is just 200 feet by 85 feet.
Of course, the ice sheet wasn’t the sole reason Minnesota swept Michigan at home, but it’s reassuring for the Wolverines knowing that Saturday’s championship game will be played on an NHL ice surface.
Still, Michigan coach Red Berenson reiterated that just playing on a NHL ice sheet will not win them the game.
“(Minnesota’s) defense jumps up and they move the puck really well,” Berenson said. “Their forwards are as skilled as ours, and so are their ‘D’. Their ‘D’ might be the best D-corps in the Big Ten, and their goalie Wilcox was Player of the Year last year, so he’s as good as anybody. He didn’t start off good this year, but he finished up really good. So you saw him against Ohio State today, and he can win a game by himself.”
Michigan will look to junior netminder Steve Racine, who has now played two solid games in a row, to help carry the Wolverines in the title game. Luckily for the Wolverines, Racine has played his best hockey of the year in the Joe Louis Arena.
“Joe Louis is like home ice for us,” said senior forward Zach Hyman.
For the Wolverines, Saturday will mark another chance for Michigan to display dominance over an equally historic hockey program.
“Growing up you always hear ‘Minnesota’s this, Minnesota’s that,’ ” said freshman defenseman Cutler Martin after Michigan’s 4-3 overtime win on Jan. 9. “Well, we’re from Michigan and Michigan’s pretty dang good, right? So I was really happy to beat Minnesota. It’s one of those teams that’s always on your bucket list.”
Saturday, Martin and his teammates will have another chance to show why Michigan shouldn’t be an afterthought to Minnesota. And this time, a championship is on the line.