On Thursday night, the Boston University men's hockey team begins its final push toward a national championship. The Eagles will face the Michigan Wolverines, another blue bloodline in college hockey, with the winner advancing to Saturday's 2024 National Championship Game.
Who: #10 Michigan Wolverines (23-14-3) vs #1 Boston College Eagles (33-5-1)
where: Xcel Energy Center, St. Paul, MN
when: Thursday, April 11, 2024 8:30 PM ET (7:30 PM CT)
How to watch: Thursday's semifinal game will be broadcast and streamed on ESPN2
How to follow: Check in and follow the game live on Twitter. @bc interrupted
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Photo by Nick Wosika/Icon Sportswire, Getty Images
The University of Michigan has taken an unexpected path toward Frozen 4 in 2024, but college hockey fans of the past few years shouldn't be too surprised to see them here. The Wolverines are making their third straight Frozen Four appearance (under their second head coach) and are returning much of the same talent that got them this far previously. This Michigan team has experience winning big games, demonstrated by its ability to pull off tough wins against No. 6 North Dakota State and No. 4 Michigan State in the NCAA Regionals. .
Despite losing Hobey Baker winner Adam Fantilli to the NHL last offseason, Michigan's offense remains hot. They rank third in the nation in goals per game and fifth in shots allowed per game. But instead of being led by a stud Hobey Baker winner like last season, Michigan is finding scoring from a two-headed monster in forwards Dylan Duke and Gavin Brindley. The two have improved tremendously this season in Fantilli's absence, finishing first and second on the Big Ten scoring list. Boston College's defense will be preparing for the top players as Duke scored two goals in a 4-3 win over North Dakota State and also had two goals in a 5-2 win over Michigan State. It becomes. However, any number of these Wolverines players could be active on offense, so Eagles goaltender Jacob Fowler may be able to do the job for him.
Michigan State's defense hasn't been all that impressive this season, with goaltender Jake Barczewski alone unable to lead the team to many wins. UM ranks in the middle of the pack in both goals against average and shots allowed per game. Their defense has also been exposed in some big games, giving up five runs in the Big Ten Championship Game and often relying on their offense to outscore their opponents. They defeated Notre Dame 5-4 and 4-3 in the Big Ten quarterfinals, and allowed 11 points to Minnesota in the final weekend of the regular season. But with occasional bright spots, such as a 2-1 win over Minnesota in the Big Ten semifinals and a 5-2 rematch with Michigan State in the NCAA regional finals, this unit could be quite unpredictable. be.
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Photo by Richard T. Gagnon/Getty Images
Michigan's best defensive player was sophomore Seamus Casey, who led the team in assists and earned a spot on the All-Big Ten First Team this season. The Wolverines' defense is primarily led by senior captain Jacob Truscott, but Boston College fans may be more familiar with Truscott's linemate Marshall Warren. Warren spent four years at Boston College, where he was a team captain during his senior season, and now wears an “A” on his Michigan sweater. BC fans should already know that Marshall is a quality, goal-scoring defenseman and an even better leader. He has been a big scorer for the team this year, scoring in both games against No. 4 Michigan State in the postseason. Additionally, he may have unique insight into the Boston College team, which could give the Wolverines some advantage on the ice Thursday. Therefore, Eagles fans will definitely want to keep an eye on #77.
How is Boston University a good fit?
This could turn into a shootout if Boston College doesn't play carefully. Michigan's power play is the most effective in the nation, even more effective than BC's, while Boston College boasts the most effective penalty kill in the nation. Something has to be done on Thursday night, but BC has developed a bad habit of committing too many penalties this postseason. Against a lethal offensive line like UM, they can't afford to make mistakes like that. That's because even Quinnipiac was able to convert 2-of-4 power play chances against the Eagles in the regional game.
Other than that, it's a great matchup for Boston College. The Eagles have excelled this season with their top two lines being able to play with open ice and space, and there's no doubt the high-flying Michigan offense will give them plenty of space. Their struggles against Quinnipiac and Michigan Tech were primarily a result of the style of defense these two teams played with an aggressive forecheck and a lot of pressure in the neutral zone, which is a strength of the Michigan defense. It wasn't. BC is essentially betting on the success of its top two lines against Michigan's goalie and the success of the Michigan offense against Jacob Fowler. 10 times out of 10 I'd bet he's on the BC side.
betting odds
- Boston College has a -1.5 goals advantage (+124)
- Michigan trails by +1.5 goals (-160)
- The over/under for this game is 7 goals.
- Boston College (-175) is favored over Michigan (+135) on the money line
