Quinnipiac University
Michigan
Quinnipiac, Michigan to Face Off in 2023 Frozen Four
4/3/2023 12:18:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
Thursday, April 6 | 8:30 PM EST | No. 2 Quinnipiac Bobcats (32-4-3, 20-2-0 ECAC Hockey) vs. No. 3 Michigan Wolverines (26-11-3, 12-10-2 Big Ten)
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HAMDEN, Conn. — The Frozen Four has arrived. Quinnipiac and Michigan will meet for the second consecutive NCAA Tournament on Thursday night, with the winner advancing to Saturday's National Championship Game at Amalie Arena in Tampa, Fla.
The Bobcats advanced out of the Bridgeport Regional, defeating Merrimack and Ohio State by a combined scoreline of 9-1 two weeks ago, while Michigan bounced Colgate 11-1 before an overtime victory over Penn State to advance past the Allentown Regional.
Quinnipiac is in its third Frozen Four in program history, advancing to both the 2013 and 2016 national title games in Pittsburgh and Tampa.
THREE'S A CROWD
Entering this year's NCAA Tournament action, only four Bobcats in Quinnipiac's history had recorded three points in an NCAA Tournament game, with the record being owned by Matthew Peca, who had four in the 2013 Regional Final against Union.
Sam Lipkin became the first Bobcat First Year to do it with a goal and two assists against Merrimack in the Regional Semifinal victory.
LOTS OF EXPERIENCE
Ethan de Jong leads a very experienced graduate class as they enter their final weekend as a member of the Bobcats. The North Vancouver native currently stands with 182 career games, tied with Larry Olimb for the most games for a single team in NCAA history.
It is also the most games by any active player, tied with Bowling Green's Taylor Schneider. The Bobcats have four of the Top 10 on the active games list, with Zach Metsa (6th - 175 GP), Jacob Nordqvist (8th - 174 GP) and Michael Lombardi (9th - 173 GP) also there.
TAMPA TRAVELS
The last time the Frozen Four was in Tampa, Fla.,: 2016. The last time the Quinnipiac Bobcats made the Frozen Four: 2016.
Quinnipiac advanced to Tampa via the East Regional, knocking off RIT and UMass Lowell in Albany before defeating Boston College in the national semifinals. North Dakota would get the best of them in the championship.
THE NATION'S BEST
Yaniv Perets enters the final weekend of the season ranked atop many statistical categories, leading the Bobcats to their third Frozen Four since 2013.
He currently leads the nation in winning percentage (.859), goals-against average (1.46) and shutouts (10) and is second nationally in save percentage (.932). He's .001 behind Devon Levi for first in that category.
WINNING IS EVERYTHING
The Bobcats are having one of the winningest seasons in program history during 2022-23, winning 32 games overall, tying the program's wins record, and 20 ECAC games, the most by any team in the league since the 1988-89 campaign.
Rand Pecknold's club hit 32 wins in its Frozen Four year of 2015-16, as well as last season's Regional Final appearance.
ELITE ETHAN
Entering this weekend's Frozen Four, de Jong leads all participants in points (143), goals (60), power play goals (18), shorthanded goals (3), game-winning goals (9) and games played (182).
For an inside look at the Bobcats' Frozen Four run, be sure to follow the team on social media @QU_MIH or go to gobobcats.com/mih.
