Five of the six New England teams that qualified for the NCAA tournament had their seasons end in opening-round games. Only Quinnipiac moved through to the second round.
But more than one win wasn’t in the cards for the Bobcats, who, like American International, ran into the buzzsaw that is Michigan, which beat AIC 5-3 on Friday and Quinnipiac 7-4 on Sunday in Allentown, Pa.
The Wolverines team with a record seven first-round draft picks and four of the top five from 2021 — including No. 1 overall pick Owen Power on defense and the likes of Matty Beniers (Hingham, Mass.) and Bruins prospect Johnny Beecher up front — will join Minnesota, Minnesota State and Denver at the Frozen Four in Boston. Harvard, Northeastern, UMass and UMass Lowell were the other New England schools who could not escape the first round.
“I think when you fast forward the tape in five or seven years, you may be looking at one of the greatest college hockey teams ever assembled,” AIC coach Eric Lang said of Michigan.
