ALLENTOWN, Penn. – Michigan hockey advanced to a second-straight Frozen Four on Sunday with an overtime victory against Penn State.
The Wolverines, coming off an 11-1 drubbing of Colgate in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, went into the third period of Sunday’s game without a goal, trailing Big Ten rival Penn State 1-0.
But the nation’s leading scorer, Adam Fantilli, finally broke through about 12 minutes into the third, slipping one past Liam Souliere to tie the game. Fantilli is a finalist for college hockey’s version of the Heisman Trophy, the Hobey Baker -- fans can still vote for him here.
After eight tense, scoreless minutes to end the third, Mackie Samoskevich scored less than a minute into overtime to send Michigan to Tampa Bay, where it will face fellow No. 1 seed Quinnipiac.
The game winner from Mackie Samoskevich
— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) March 27, 2023
pic.twitter.com/maDJ0cJIPT
Erik Portillo was excellent in goal for Michigan, saving 31 of 32 shots. Souliere made 41 saves for the Nittany Lions.
Last season, the Wolverines lost to eventual national champion Denver in the semifinal game in Boston. They’re hoping for a better outcome in their nation-leading 27th trip to the Frozen Four.
No. 1 seed Minnesota and No. 2 seed Boston will play for the right to play the winner of Michigan and Quinnipiac in the championship game. Puck will drop at 5 p.m. April 6 for that game, with Michigan following at 8:30 p.m.
