The final two spots in the 2023 NCAA Men's Division I Frozen Four have been claimed by second-ranked Michigan and No. 3 Quinnipiac. Both schools won their regional finals on Sunday to advance to the national semifinals in Florida early next month.
Michigan outlasted Big Ten rival Penn State, 2-1, as Mackie Samoskevich scored 52 seconds into overtime before a sold-out crowd of 8,375 in Allentown, Pa. Hobey Baker Award finalist Adam Fantilli tied the game with less than eight minutes remaining in regulation for the Wolverines, after No. 11 Penn State took a late second-period lead on a power-play tally by Connor MacEachern. Liam Souliere finished with 41 saves for the Nittany Lions, while Erik Portillo made 31 stops for Michigan, which advanced to its second straight Frozen Four and record 27th all-time.
Quinnipiac advanced to its third Frozen Four ever, and first since 2016 (also in Tampa), by besting Ohio State, 4-1, in Bridgeport, Conn. After the eighth-ranked Buckeyes took an early lead, the Bobcats responded with four unanswered goals, with Skyler Brind'Amour notching the game-winner and Christophe Fillion posting a goal and an assist. Hobey Baker Award finalist Yaniv Perets made 34 saves for Quinnipiac, which blanked OSU on four power plays.
Michigan and Quinnipiac will meet in the late NCAA semifinal at Amalie Arena in Tampa around 8:30 p.m. ET on April 6, a rematch of last year's Allentown regional final that was won by the Wolverines. The first semifinal at 5 p.m. ET that afternoon will feature old foes Boston University and Minnesota, with the two semifinal winners advancing to the national title game at 8 p.m. two nights later. All three games are scheduled to be televised on ESPN2.
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