The Big Ten has three of the top four teams in the USCHO rankings, and this weekend they all hit the ice.
Badgers Host Feisty Buckeyes
Top-ranked Wisconsin survived its first weekend at the top, taking five points against then-No. 18 Minnesota on the road. The Badgers showed they can win in different ways; hey earned the extra shootout point in the first game and shut out the Gophers 6-0 in the second contest.
Wisconsin returns home to welcome an Ohio State squad that has already taken down a top-ranked opponent. The Buckeyes take the ice for the first time since their Oct. 31–Nov. 1 showdown with Michigan. In that opening game, Ohio State knocked off the then-No. 1 Wolverines 5-2 behind a three-goal third period, following it up with an overtime battle the next night.
The Badgers’ high-powered attack that averages 4.5 goals per game — fifth-best in the NCAA — will need to keep producing. But against a Buckeye offense that put up that same 4.5 mark in its series against Michigan, goaltender Daniel Hauser, who has surrendered just two goals through four starts alongside a pair of shutouts, will be tested early and often.
Catch both games (Friday at 8 p.m. ET, Saturday at 7 p.m. ET) on B1G+. Friday’s game will also be available on YouTube as the B1G+ Free Friday game.
Wolverines Welcome Nittany Lions
After a week off, No. 2 Michigan is back at Yost Arena to face Penn State Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. ET on B1G+).
On offense, the Wolverines remain the gold standard in college hockey, leading the nation averaging 5.11 goals per game. Driving that is the Hockey Commissioners Association National Forward of the Month in Jayden Perron, who is tied for the national lead with 10 goals along with 19 points in nine games. The two-time Big Ten First Star of the Week will be the center of attention for the Nittany Lions.
While Penn State stumbled out of the gate in Big Ten play, creating chances hasn't been the issue. Penn State unleashed 78 shots on goal over two games against Notre Dame, and they will bring that same net-front traffic to Ann Arbor. That puts the spotlight on Michigan netminder Jack Ivankovic—who opened the campaign with eight consecutive appearances posting a .900+ save percentage — to anchor the defense against a shot-heavy assault.
Irish Stun Spartans in Opening Game
No. 4 Michigan State had to wait long enough to start its Big Ten campaign, and that got underway on Thursday night in South Bend against a Notre Dame team coming off a sweep over Penn State. But, it was the Irish who took the first game, with Sammy Nelson’s overtime goal giving Notre Dame a 3-2 win.
The Spartans took the lead twice behind two goals from Shane Vansaghi — going up 1-0 early in the second period and 2-1 midway through the third — but the Irish answered both times. Nelson tied it at 1-1 just over a minute after Michigan State's opener off a feed from his brother Danny, and Pano Fimis buried a rebound to pull Notre Dame even at 2-2 with 9:01 left in regulation.
Once the game reached 3-on-3 overtime, Nelson circled the zone and fired home his second goal just 21 seconds into the extra frame to snap Michigan State’s 10-game winning streak in the series. Freshman goaltender Patrick Quinlan stopped 33 shots in the victory for Notre Dame. Read more.
The teams return to the ice tonight for the second game of the series (7 p.m on Peacock).
Check out the full schedule.