ALBANY, N.Y. — Michigan’s scoring depth has been one of its strengths all season, and it was on display again Friday night in a 5-1 win over Bentley in the first round of the NCAA regional.
Five different players scored for the Wolverines, including junior forward Ben Robertson, who netted his first goal of the season.
“It’s kind of been our story all year,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “Everyone’s providing the value as an individual, and it supports the team growth.”
Michigan (30-7-1), the tournament’s top overall seed, will face Minnesota Duluth in Sunday’s regional final (5:30 p.m.).
Robertson’s goal with 1.3 seconds left in the first period gave Michigan a 2-0 lead and dealt a major blow to Bentley’s hopes of pulling off an upset.
With time winding down, Robertson picked up the puck at the Falcons’ blue line and sent a shot toward the net that slipped past the glove of Bentley goaltender Lukas Swedin, who made 24 saves.
“That was a big goal for us,” said Michigan goalie Jack Ivankovic, who finished with 24 saves. “We were all pretty pumped for him. Any time you score a late goal in a period, it really gives you the momentum coming back to the dressing room.”
T.J. Hughes opened the scoring at 9:49 of the first period. After Jayden Perron stole the puck from a Bentley defender, he found Hughes in stride in the slot, where the Hobey Baker Award finalist beat Swedin five-hole for his 21st goal of the season.
“I loved our start,” Hughes said. “I thought we started off really strong. Guys were going and working. (We) were just trying to make them turn it over, and we got a bounce there.”
Nick Moldenhauer and Kason Muscutt scored just over two minutes apart in the second period to give the Wolverines a 4-0 lead after two periods. Garrett Schifsky added a third-period goal to make it 5-0.
Michigan moved within one win of its fourth Frozen Four appearance in the past five seasons and first since 2024.
Atlantic Hockey America champion Bentley (23-12-5) did not score until the final minute, when David Helledy spoiled Ivankovic’s shutout bid with a power-play goal at 19:33.
Bentley was hoping to recreate some of the magic from last year’s tournament opener, when it gave top-seeded Boston College a scare before falling 3-1.
“That’s a lethal group of players,” Bentley coach Andy Jones said about Michigan. “They take a small crack and they drive right through it. They were opportunistic tonight, hence the score. But I love our guys. I thought we competed to the bitter end.”