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Wolverines removed from NCAA men's hockey tournament due to COVID protocols

Mel Pearson
Posted at 5:08 PM, Mar 26, 2021
and last updated 2021-03-26 17:08:14-04

The NCAA's Ice Hockey Committee and Medical Advisory Group announced Friday that the Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team is out of the NCAA Division I men's hockey tournament because of COVID protocols.

The Wolverines were a No. 2 seed and the No. 8 team in the country.

According to The Associated Press, Michigan was to play No. 9 Minnesota Duluth, but officials ruled the game a no-contest, and Duluth advanced to the next round.

"I'm devastated for these players," Michigan head coach Mel Pearson said in a statement. "These student-athletes have done a wonderful job all year of making sacrifices to get to this point of the year. It's unfortunate. I don't completely understand the final decision, but I have to respect it."

Michigan joins Notre Dame, who on Thursday had to also bow out of the tournament because of COVID protocols, the NCAA said in a press release.