It's still OK for the Fighting Sioux to look upon Michigan with a touch of dread and wonderment, but only in respect to the Wolverines' golf games. While some of the Michigan players are on the fairways of their favorite Ann Arbor course today, it will be Boston University that will face North Dakota for the national title at the Bradley Center. True enough, but that is not what Parker wanted to hear as he was trying to prepare the Terriers for a national championship game against a 30-victory opponent. It's not like the guys are still celebrating. Yesterday is a canceled check.
Tomorrow is a promissory note.
The real battle will be on the ice, where a clash of disparate styles should give the sellout crowd its money's worth. Boston University shocked Michigan by aggressively checking the Wolverines into Lake Michigan and clogging the neutral zone to an extent that they got off a season-low 20 shots. The Terriers were also terrific on the penalty kill, shutting down all five Michigan attempts. The Terriers may try to pound away on North Dakota, but only if they can catch the Sioux. One of the most swift and clever teams in all of college hockey, North Dakota excels at cycling the puck down low and beating defenders out of the corners.