Week 12 Hockey Release

Photo by Simon French /USCS

OFFICIAL RELEASE

• Big Ten Hockey drops the puck on a new year with six teams in action this weekend. No. 8/9 Penn State takes on RIT as the Nittany Lions look to replicate their strong second half from last year. PSU, which produced a 26-10-4 record in 2025, begins a five-game homestand on Sunday. Notre Dame faces a stiff test with a home-and-home series against No. 7/7 Western Michigan. Friday’s contest will stream on Peacock. Ohio State encounters in-state rival Bowling Green in the 193rd and 194th meetings between the schools. The Buckeyes are unbeaten in nine of the last 10 games (8-1-1) in the series. Three Big Ten teams return from the holiday break with exhibition contests. No. 1/1 Michigan faces the U.S. National Team Development Program Under-18 Team on Saturday and No. 3/3 Michigan State plays the USNTDP on Sunday. Minnesota travels to Bemidji State for an exhibition game on Friday. Wisconsin, which participated in the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off last weekend, is idle this week. 

• Michigan State defended its title at the Great Lakes Invitational with a 4-1 win over Michigan Tech Monday evening at Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. It was the Spartans’ 14th GLI championship, which ranks second only to Michigan’s 17 GLI titles. Charlie Stramel scored four goals, including two game-winners, to earn Most Valuable Player honors and was named Big Ten First Star of the Week. Goaltender Trey Augustine and freshman forward Anthony Romani were also named to the all-tournament team, earning Big Ten Second Star of the Week and Third Star of the Week honors respectively.

• The United States Collegiate Selects, which featured nine Big Ten players on its roster, lost to HC Davos, 6-3, in the championship game of the 97th Spengler Cup on Wednesday. The Selects finished with a 2-2 record, notching victories over HC Davos and HC Sparta Praha and winning their group stage. Coached by Penn State’s Guy Gadowsky, the all-stars became the first collegiate team to win at the Spengler Cup in 43 years as just the third NCAA participant in the prestigious event.

• Sixteen active Big Ten players and one future commitment are taking part in the 50th IIHF World Junior Championship, which is underway in Minnesota. The players are representing Canada (CAN), Sweden (SWE) and the United States (USA). Minnesota Head Coach Bob Motzko is coaching Team USA for the third time.

CAN (4)
MICH: F Michael Hage, G Jack Ivankovic; MSU: F Porter Martone; PSU: F Gavin McKenna

SWE (1)
MSU: F Eric Nilson

USA (12)
MICH: D Asher Barnett, F Will Horcoff, F Cole McKinney, D Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullern; MSU: F Ryker Lee, F Shane Vansaghi, D Chase Reid •; MINN: F LJ Mooney, F Brodie Ziemer; ND: G Nicholas Kempf; WIS: D Logan Hensler, D Luke Osburn     

• future commitment