As stated last week, Michigan would have likely had to have swept last weekend (and the MSU series) to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. The sweep at Hockey Valley all but surely knocks the Maize and Blue out of the at-large bid, meaning the only way to extend the season for the first time in 3 seasons will be to win the B1G tournament.
Both games were not televised last week, so I can't comment too much on what went wrong for the Wolverines, but from my understanding, it was pretty much everything. Defense was apparently atrocious Friday night, and offense was non-existent with exception to JT Compher who is heating up down the stretch. Good for him, but as a team, they're still a little late to the party...again.
What does it all mean?
At this point, I don't even know. Michigan went 1-3 against Penn State this year, making them an abysmal 3-6 against the Nittany Lions in B1G play. That's a tough pill to swallow. I think the only way Michigan makes the big dance this year is to win the B1G tournament, something that I don't have a lot of confidence they can do. I've yet to explore the scenario of them having to play a play-in game before they reach the semis (I doubt the extra game would help them in any fashion, considering they'd have to lose to MSU as well).
What's the likelihood of Michigan making the tournament? Not good. Since we've missed the last two years, I've come down from the "THE STREAK WILL NEVER END" mentality, and I've become more of a realist. The truth is, our defense isn't good enough to carry us to the tournament. We're too inconsistent and it's hurt us all year. Another bitter truth, this team doesn't deserve to go to the tournament. There, I said it. They've squandered every lead they've had, they didn't run away with the B1G title like they should have, they CANNOT win on the road. This team is bad outside of the friendly confines of Yost. I wish like hell they could make it, I really do. Everyone knows that once you make the tourney, anything can happen (Holy Cross, Air Force, RIT, etc.). The reality is, this team will not make the tournament. 97% certainty in that statement. I hope they can prove me wrong, but this could have catastrophic effects on what happens this off season.
As always, Go Blue.
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