Michigan
Minnesota Duluth
U-M to Face No. 6 Minnesota Duluth with Frozen Four Berth on Line
3/28/2026 1:19:00 PM | Ice Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The overall No. 1 seed and top-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team (30-7-1) will take on No. 6-ranked and second-seeded Minnesota Duluth (24-14-1) on Sunday (March 29) in the NCAA Albany Regional Final at MVP Arena. Puck drop is set for 5:30 p.m. on ESPN.
• Michigan and Minnesota Duluth will meet for the 44th time in program history and just the second time in NCAA Tournament play. The Bulldogs claimed the previous postseason matchup in the 2011 national championship game, while the Wolverines hold a 24-18-1 edge in the all-time series.
• The Wolverines are aiming to secure a berth in the program's NCAA-leading 29th Frozen Four. Sunday's contest marks Michigan's 94th all-time NCAA Tournament game, where it owns a 60-33 record, including a 19-5 mark in regional semifinal contests.
• U-M advanced with a 5-1 win over Atlantic Hockey champion Bentley in Friday's regional semifinal. T.J. Hughes led the way with a goal and two assists, while Garrett Schifsky and Jayden Perron each recorded two-point efforts. In net, Jack Ivankovic turned aside 24 of 25 shots.
•Minnesota Duluth earned its spot with a 3-1 win over Penn State on Friday. Goaltender Adam Gajan made 29 saves, while NCHC Player of the Year Max Plante posted two points and leads the team with 51. Zam Plante (47 points) and Jayson Shaugabay (42) add to the Bulldogs' offensive depth.
• Special teams could play a pivotal role, as the nation's top two power-play units square off. Michigan leads the country at 31.1 percent, followed by Duluth at 29.7 percent. Will Horcoff has a team-best 11 power-play goals for the Wolverines, while Zam Plante leads the Bulldogs with 10.
• Hobey Baker finalist and Big Ten Player of the Year, Hughes now has 56 points on the season. In addition to being the NCAA's active career scoring leader, Hughes has the most points (10) and assists (8) in NCAA Tournament action among skaters in the field. He has racked up 178 points over 154 games to crack the top 20 of the program's all-time scoring list. He also enters Sunday's game with the second-most points in the nation amid back-to-back three-point outings, while on a seven-game point streak.
• Michigan's top-ranked offense features nine players with double-digit goal totals for the first time since the 2015-16 season and the most since 11 players reached that mark in 1994-95.
• Hughes and Michael Hage form the nation's highest-scoring duo with 107 combined points, while the addition of Jayden Perron gives Michigan the top trio in the country with 146 points.
• Since the holiday break, Michigan leads the nation with a .806 winning percentage, going 14-3-1 and posting the largest win improvement in the country this season at +12.
