Michigan hockey hasn’t peaked yet — a good sign for Frozen Four?

The word has been out on Mel Pearson’s Michigan hockey team for a while now. With four of the top five NHL draft picks, outstanding goaltending and hunger to win it all, the Wolverines entered the NCAA Tournament with one goal in mind. 

RELATED: Frozen Four bound: Michigan hockey holds off Quinnipiac, wins 7-4

In short — they’re not sneaking up on anyone, and they have the target on their winged helmets. 

“Michigan is loaded,” Denver coach David Carle said Tuesday. “Obviously, everyone’s known that for the past eight to 12 months, and it will be a great challenge to try and slow them down.”

Quinnipiac, the quarterfinal opponent, found that out the hard way. The nation’s leading defensive team (1.26 goals against per game), the Bobcats gave up four goals in two periods before the Wolverines got a bit lax in the third period. 

If there’s an area to shore up, Pearson said Tuesday, that’s it. The Michigan coach and his team had to sweat it out when Quinnipiac scored three quick goals in the third period and seemed on the brink of tying it before U-M answered with an empty net goal with 3:37 remaining. 

“Quinnipiac pushed hard. We totally got away from our game and found a way to hang in there and win that game and get to Boston, so we’re excited to get to Boston,” Pearson said. “Obviously, there’s been a lot said, written about our team this year with the players we have. You just have to earn your way there.”

If they don’t win it this year, some have said, they might never. It’s been since 1998 that the Wolverines won their last title, and this group is absolutely loaded. 

But that group didn’t enter as the favorite. Marty Turco had an outstanding postseason, and the Wolverines found a way. The formula is the same for any team this time of year, Pearson said, no matter how talented. 

“You need to be good — you have to have good players, good coaches, good staff — and you have to be lucky,” Pearson said. “Even when you play some of your best games, you’re not always going to win. A goalie can make a difference in a game and what not. So many factors go into it.”

But having players come back who might have gone pro — and most certainly will next year — also helps.

“We just have to make the most of it when those players are here,” Pearson said … “There’s no ‘curse’ on our program. It’s hard to win.”

Michigan still has another gear 

That’s why great teams like Ohio State, Boston U. and Boston College and Clarkson didn’t even make the field this year, he noted. The number of teams that could have won it this year … well, it was a long list. 

But we’re down to four, and three of them are No. 1 seeds in Michigan, Minnesota State and Denver. The other is Minnesota, the team that beat U-M for the regular season Big Ten title. 

Erik Portillo has been huge for the Wolverines, and he will need to be again in the Frozen Four. The offense, though, is what’s likely going to make the difference for Michigan, as it did in the regional. 

“You look at [Quinnipiac’s defensive numbers], and they’re scary. You wonder how you’re going to score,” Pearson said. “But we have guys who get to the net and know how to put it in the net. That’s really important this time of year.

“We’ve got guys that can score. There are different things you can do to try to make people scorers, but we have natural scorers — things that we can’t teach them.”

They haven’t been at their best through two games, Pearson said. They’ve got two weeks to prepare, and they’ll need to be even better to beat the Pioneers. 

“I don’t think we created many grade A [opportunities] that we normally do on average,” Pearson said. “Even though we had some breakaways and some out-numbered rushes. But … we have guys who can finish.”

Denver is a more than formidable foe

They’ll need them all against the tournament’s No. 3 overall seed. Denver beat UMass Lowell, 3-2, and Minnesota Duluth, 2-1, in the West regional finals.

“I’m really impressed with their team,” Pearson said. “They’ve got a nice blend of skill, older guys, younger guys. They know what it takes to win. 

“They’ve got a lot of winning under David Carle there. He’s done a fabulous job, he and his staff.”

Denver won only 10 games a year ago in failing to make the NCAA Tournament, but they’re 29-9-1 this season. They turned it around quickly, led by junior forward and Hobey Baker Award finalist Bobby Brink. 

Carle knows the challenge his team faces and understands it’s much more formidable.

“They’re dynamic,” Carle said. “You don’t have to look very far to find really good hockey players in their lineup. … It’s a very different style from the teams that we played last weekend. 

“That will be our job as coaches, our leadership group, and our players to get prepared.”

Likewise, Pearson will need to get the best out of his elite group to win the Wolverines’ first title since 1998. Michigan has been to plenty of Frozen Fours since, but hasn’t finished the job.

“We can’t change the past,” Pearson said. “But we have something to say about the future.”

Starting next Thursday at 5:00 in Boston.