BOSTON — Erik Portillo splayed in the crease, looking back as the puck bounced out of the net behind the Michigan goalie. Defenseman Luke Hughes thwacked his stick down on the crossbar, then snapped it in half on a second swing across the pipe.
Just like that, the Wolverines’ season, filled with national championship dreams thanks to one of the most talented rosters in program history, came to an abrupt and overwhelming end. The top-seeded team in the NCAA tournament could not survive Denver’s domination in a 3-2 overtime loss that eliminated U-M and extended its title drought to 24 years.