DETROIT, Mich. - Senior captain Tommy Cross had one goal and one assist in rallying Boston College from an early 2-0 deficit to tie the score, but Michigan junior A.J. Treais broke the tie on an odd-man rush with 4:21 left in the second period to lift the Wolverines past the third-ranked Eagles, 4-2, in the opening round of the Great Lakes Invitational before 15,091 fans at Joe Louis Arena.
Michigan advances to the championship game where it will face Michigan State, a 3-1 winner over Michigan Tech in Thursday's first semifinal, on Friday, Dec. 30 at 7:30 p.m.
The Eagles and Huskies will square off in consolation game tomorrow at 4 p.m. It will mark the first meeting between BC and Michigan Tech since 1988.
Michigan jumped out to an early lead netting its first of two first-period goals just 1:32 into the contest. David Wohlberg beat BC freshman goalie Brian Billett (25 saves) in a 2-on-1 situation for his eighth of the season.
Sophomore Luke Moffatt doubled the Wolverines lead while skating with a two-man advantage at 16:50 and Michigan led by that score after the opening stanza.
Cross broke through for BC at 6:50 of a second period in which the Eagles tallied an 11-5 advantage in shots. He then assisted on Paul Carey's game-tying goal on the power play at 11:42. Senior alternate captain Barry Almeida and freshman Destry Straight each assisted on Cross' goal while sophomore Kevin Hayes and Cross set up Carey's score.
Michigan added an empty-net score with 14.7 seconds left on the clock for the 4-2 final.
Senior goaltender Shawn Hunwick recorded 23 saves for the victors. He improves to 10-7-3 while BC's Billett falls to 3-2-0.
The Wolverines outshot the Eagles, 29-25.
Team Records: Boston College - 12-7-0; Michigan - 10-8-3
Game Notes: BC hit two pipes in the game. Junior Pat Mullane broke in alone on Hunwick and wrung a wrist shot off the left post in the first period and freshman forward Johnny Gaudreau flung a wrist shot past Hunwick and off the outside of right post at 11:28 of the second period ... After the teams opened the game with 13:21 of penalty-free hockey, BC was whistled for three penalties before the end of the first period ... Cross notched his second multiple-point effort of the season.