Michigan hockey: Seamus Casey good to go, 'the pass,' and more

ANN ARBOR — Michigan is Frozen Four bound — again — and head coach Brandon Naurato has a good feeling heading into a Thurs., April 11 game with Boston College. The Wolverines are playing with great confidence and have rallied around each other, an extremely tight-knit group after wins over North Dakota and Michigan State in the regional.

They got an added boost early this week when they learned defenseman Seamus Casey would return after missing most of the Michigan State game with an undisclosed injury.

“One hundred percent,” Naurato said when asked if Casey would be good to go for the Frozen Four. “One hundred percent.

“He’s going to be good. It’s huge. I’m super proud of the ‘D’ corps, everyone in general for stepping up with him out. Obviously, he’s a a huge part of our team, and to get him back is exciting.”

Casey, a first-team All-Big Ten selection, isn’t the only one who was banged up against the Spartans. Speedy Michigan junior forward Dylan Duke injured his hand, Naurato noted, but not only played through it, but also provided two third period goals to beat the Spartans.

“He got banged up a little bit on his hand. He’s fine now, but I don’t even think he could shoot a puck that game and he scored two goals, which is unbelievable,” Naurato said. “He’s just a warrior, like we talk about before every big game he plays. He has an impact, and not just on the score sheet. He’s just a winner … plays winning hockey.”

As have the rest of the Wolverines over the last month or so. They’ve always known they had it in them, Naurato said, but his Michigan players have been skating with more confidence and just executing better the last month of the season. They were thrilled with their draw for the regional and couldn’t wait for another shot at the Spartans after losing four straight to their rivals, and they made the most of it.

“We’ve always been a good team,” Naurato said. “The record wouldn’t indicate that with the injuries and not getting things done in the third period, whether you’re up or down a goal. But it’s just the belief in there, how close they are that they believe they can do it. And now they feel like there’s no way it doesn’t happen.

“So when they go out [now], they’re just making it work. It’s the confidence within the group and the leadership.”

It’s gotten Michigan to yet another Frozen Four, and to a man, they all seemed excited about facing No. 1 overall seed Boston College. It may well be a “be careful what you wish for” scenario, but there’s no question they’re headed to Minneapolis-St. Paul on a mission.

‘The Pass’ — Michigan forward Frank Nazar’s play won’t soon be forgotten

Michigan had just taken a 3-2 lead in the third period against the Spartans when sophomore Frank Nazar took a pass and exploded over the MSU blue line with the puck. He spotted Gavin Brindley breaking in to his right and did what came naturally — and that just happened to be one of the plays of the year in college hockey.

Nazar hesitated, brought the puck back and sent it between his legs for a wide-open Brindley to bury only 12 seconds after Duke’s goal, making it 4-2. All he was thinking, Nazar said, was that they had a 2-goal lead and were likely Frozen Four bound with Brindley’s marker. He admitted he knew it was a bigger deal when his phone started blowing up in the postgame, and it hasn’t stopped since.

Captain Jacob Truscott was on the bench and was so stunned he couldn’t react, he said, dropping his water bottle in disbelief at what he’d seen.

“I just caught the end of it. That’s what he does,” Naurato said. “He’s a gamebreaker and it was the right play, too. It wasn’t a fancy move. The lane wasn’t there on his backhand.

“But for him to do that on that stage … we see it all the time, but it’s super impressive. That seems like the type of play that it’s loose, and that’s when you’re playing some of your best hockey. Whenever you can play free, it’s that kind of a sign of where the team is right now heading into the biggest stage there is.”