Week 3 Hockey Release
Photo courtesy of Michigan State Athletics
• Big Ten Hockey schools will continue to test their mettle against nonconference opponents this week with all seven teams taking to the ice, starting Thursday evening. No. 3/4 Michigan State will take on No. 1/1 Boston University in a battle of top 4 teams. Three other series feature top 25 showdowns: No. 13/14 Minnesota travels to No. 8/8 North Dakota, No. 16/15 Ohio State visits No. 12/12 Connecticut and No. 17/17 Wisconsin plays host to No. 20/19 Minnesota State. No. 4/3 Michigan returns home to face Robert Morris and No. 6/6 Penn State welcomes LIU to Hockey Valley. Notre Dame makes its home debut with a pair of games against St. Lawrence. The Big Ten owns the best inter-conference record in the country, posting a .675 win percentage (13-6-1) against the other five leagues and independent teams.
• Following a first-round exit in the Big Ten Tournament last year, Michigan is off to a strong start in October, having outscored opponents, 26-3. The Wolverines lead the country in scoring, producing goals at a 6.50 per-game clip. Coach Brandon Naurato’s group has played lock-down defense as well, allowing less than a goal per game (0.75) behind freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic. The three goals allowed is the fewest to the start of a season since the 1925-26 campaign. Michigan isn’t the only school lighting up the scoreboard. Wisconsin stands fourth nationally with a 5.00 goals-per game average and Penn State ranks fifth with a 4.75 norm. PSU’s JJ Wiebusch owns an NCAA-best six goals on the year while teammate Charlie Cerrato paces the country in assists (8) and points (11).
• The 2025-26 Big Ten Hockey television schedule features a record-31 games to be aired on the Big Ten Network, FS1 and the FOX Sports App. The schedule includes eight doubleheaders, highlighted by the Michigan State-Penn State outdoor game at Beaver Stadium on Jan. 31. The next BTN telecast will be Oct. 23 when Michigan hosts Western Michigan. All games that do not appear on BTN, with the exception of Notre Dame’s home games on Peacock, will be available on B1G+ , BTN’s subscription service for 2,700 more events, archives of classic games and original content.
• A pair of Nittany Lions were among the first five players named to the United States Collegiate Select team, which will compete at the Spengler Cup, Dec.26-31. Penn State junior Aiden Fink will be joined by teammate Mac Gadowsky on the first-ever collegiate select team to appear in the 102-year-old tournament. PSU Head Coach Guy Gadowsky will direct the 25-member team that will be unveiled in the coming weeks. The College Selects will draw talent from the six conferences, regardless of nationality.
• Minnesota sophomores Brodie Ziemer and Leo Gruba were featured in the September issue of USA Hockey Magazine, offering their insights on balancing hockey and their studies. Link to article (pages 36-38):
https://tinyurl.com/bdh8k59k