More good news  Just out via U-M media relations, Michigan football will tie this year’s Spring game to a fundraiser for the new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital.  Great stuff: Football and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital Partner for Spring Game Fund Raiser Beam Family of Brighton, Mich., Provides “Matching Gift” Incentive ANN ARBOR – University of Michigan football coach Rich Rodriguez announced today (March 23) a unique partnership between the Wolverines’ program and C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital for the annual spring game slated for Saturday, April 17, at 1 p.m. The spring game is a free public event, but U-M football and Mott are partnering in a fund raiser to assist in the building of the new C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital scheduled to open in Fall 2012. “Our players and staff, as well as Rita and the coaches’ wives, feel a great connection with Mott Children’s Hospital,” said Rodriguez. “This partnership is an extension of our long-standing relationship with Mott and provides us with another avenue to assist with their cause of helping children.” “We are thrilled for the opportunity to partner with the U-M football team and Coach Rodriguez to benefit the patients at U-M Mott Children’s Hospital,” said Pat Warner, Chief Administrative Officer for C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital and Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital. “The annual spring game is always…

In a surprise if you follow the hockey nerds, Michigan will be headed out Fort Wayne and will face Bemidji State at 7:30pm in the first round of the 2010 NCAA hockey tournament.   Tickets, Tickets, Tickets?  Click here or and pick to the StubHub banner on the right toolbar.  You can also go crazy and reserve your Frozen Four tickets here. Here’s a Michigan fan’s Bracket: Here’s a .pdf of the U-M NCAA bracket if you need it or you can grab the jpeg here. For those looking for a clean, non-Michigan inspired NCAA bracket, check it here from ncaa.com.

  WOOOOOOOOOO!  And it goes on and on and on, on & on Photo: ccha.com We’ll know in a couple hours where this wild run goes from here, but it appears as though Shawn Hunwick and the Wolverines will be slotted at the number 12 seed overall and headed to Worcester.   What a run and what an incredible feeling for Michigan fans.  With the final ratings out there it looks like Michigan will be slotted as the number 12 overall seed and face North Dakota. College Hockey News has a very nice breakdown of their projections: Midwest (Fort Wayne) 1. Miami vs. 16. Alabama-Huntsville 8. Bemidji State vs. 9. Yale East (Albany) 2. Denver vs. 15. RIT 7. Cornell vs. 10. Northern Michigan West (St. Paul) 3. Wisconsin vs. 14. Vermont 6. St. Cloud State vs. 11. New Hampshire Northeast (Worcester) 4. Boston College vs. 13. Alaska 5. North Dakota vs. 12. Michigan Seedings explained here as well; the only question for CHN is whether Denver or Wisconsin will head to St. Paul: The committee’s procedure is to take the seedings (shown above), order them 1-16, then bracket them in serpentine order. In other words, 1-16-8-9 in one bracket … 2-15-7-10 in another … 3-14-6-11 … and 4-13-5-12. That gives us the groups you see above. Consequently, Wisconsin — just…

  Yeeees! Lynch after U-M goes up 5-1  Photo: me   photo: CCHA.com  Damn we needed this one and we got it.   Kind of last minute I made it down to the Joe for the big one versus CCHA powerhouse Miami, OH and it was worth it.  The 5-2 win puts Red and crew on the brink of a NCAA tourney bid.   A win in the finals over Northern Michigan will do it, and every unit is fully engaged right now and firing.  Michigan really outworked Miami, who obviously have less incentive here as their tourney bid was sealed up weeks ago. Here’s an example of Michigan feeling it.  Check out these stills Lynch’s 2nd goal to put Michigan up 5-1 in the third period: In still (1), the puck slides across to Lynch who’s got mucho real estate for a shot.  He could have merely flicked it or pushed it to the right side of the net and probably would have lit the lamp.  Earlier this season Lynch goes right and the puck ends up in the glove.  But he didn’t tonight.   Rolling in at a high clip he actually settled for a split second and instead (2) slid the puck under the goalie glove and into the left side of the net.  (3) Horn sounds, crowd erupts, Lynch…

Somewhat exciting news today that Michigan and Notre Dame will square off under the lights of the Big House in 2011 so…it’s the right time to take a look back at the first time U-M lined ‘em up at night.  

I missed this from the official Michigan press release on the Notre Dame night game, hat tip to to mgoblog’s user Firstbase for pointing it out: The series between Michigan and Notre Dame will remain unchanged through 2017. Michigan and Notre Dame will take two years off, the 2018 and 2019 seasons, to play home-and-home series with other schools before resuming the non-conference rivalry in 2020. That’s new.  When the contract was signed back in 2007 it was firm for every year until 2031.  That just changed. I emailed Dave Ablauf in media relations and he confirmed that this was indeed, “added during current discussions between the two schools.” What we don’t know of course what Michigan intends to do with its open slot (2019), but here’s to hoping it’s a home-and-home against a biggie.  LSU?  Texas?  We’ll see.

Via U-M Media Relations, the official release, issued this afternoon.  One item not mentioned: Parking opens at 8am?  It’s a marathon not a sprint people!   Pace yourselves Wolverine tailgaters: U-M and ND to Play Historic ‘Big House’ Night Game in 2011 ANN ARBOR — University of Michigan Athletic Director Dave Brandon announced today (March 18) a historic night football game at Michigan Stadium between the two rivals on Sept. 10, 2011. It will be the first-ever primetime game played at home in the history of Michigan football. This will be the first meeting between the Wolverines and Irish in primetime since a 1990 match-up of top five teams in South Bend. ESPN or ESPN2 will broadcast the game nationally starting at 8 p.m. Eastern time. “This will be an unprecedented game day atmosphere that our fans have not experienced at Michigan Stadium,” said Brandon. “It’s a great opportunity to showcase our program, University and Ann Arbor to a primetime viewing audience. This also adds a new chapter to the storied rivalry between our two great programs.” “Our players have always enjoyed playing night games and I think it’s something that our fans will truly enjoy and embrace,” said Michigan head coach Rich Rodriguez. “I expect the atmosphere will be electric for this match-up at the Big House.” U-M played three…

Tomorrow Jim Rome takes his show to town – Motown that is, where he’ll broadcast his national show from 12-3 in studio on WDFN 1130AM, then he’ll meet fans over at Northville Downs later that afternoon.  Via WDFN’s website: WDFN is inviting all of our listeners to Northville Downs on March 19th at 12p for the start of the first Friday of the Tourney. Drew Sharp + Tom "Killer" Kowalski will be broadcasting LIVE from 3p-6p. Northville Downs will have live harness racing, multiple TV’s and most importantly $2 drafts all day long! It’s Friday, and we’ve got horse racing, college basketball, $2 beers, CCHA tickets, Sharp & Killer, and oh yeah, JIM ROME! So make sure you leave work early and join us March 19th in our very own Jim Rome Jungle at Northville Downs. Sadly I don’t think we’ll see Rome take any laps around the Northville track harness-style, or any other way for that matter.  But he will be there along with Detroit’s finest 25-45 year-old chugging $2 drafts.