Week #4 Hockey Release

Photo courtesy of Notre Dame Athletics

OFFICIAL RELEASE

• Big Ten Hockey closes October with 13 games this weekend, all involving nonconference opponents. No. 20/rv Wisconsin heads to the Rockies for a showdown against consensus No. 1 and defending NCAA champion Denver. No. 4/4 Michigan State travels to Buffalo to take on Canisius of Atlantic Hockey. Fresh off a sweep of Minnesota Duluth, No. 5/5 Minnesota plays a home-and-home series with Twin Cities rival St. Thomas with Saturday’s game slated for the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul. No. 17/17 Notre Dame continues a six-game homestand by hosting Long Island. Rv/No. 20 Penn State encounters St. Lawrence of ECAC Hockey while No. 19/17 Ohio State meets in-state foe Bowling Green in a home-and-home set. No. 10/11 Michigan is home for an exhibition versus the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP).

• Big Ten teams own a 16-7-2 record against nonconference opponents, a .680 winning percentage that ranks tops among the NCAA’s six conferences. Last year, the Big Ten posted the best nonconference record in the country, compiling a .731 winning percentage (54-18-6).

• The emergence of Ohio State in the Top 20 this week places seven Big Ten teams in the national polls. Five Big Ten schools are listed in both polls while Penn State and Wisconsin are on the cusp joining that club. 

• Big Ten play began last week with Ohio State sweeping Wisconsin in Madison with a pair of 2-1 decisions. It was a case of déjà vu for the Badgers, who as a No. 2 seed, were upset by No. 7 seed Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals last spring. OSU forward Max Montes scored game-winning goals both nights to earn the Big Ten First Star of the Week Award while netminder Logan Terness stopped 37 of 38 shots on Friday to garner Big Ten Third Star honors. OSU Head Coach Steve Rohlik earned his 200th career win on Saturday and continues to lead all coaches with 107 wins in conference play.

• Minnesota’s offense is clicking in the early stages of the season, producing 20 goals in four games. The Gophers are tied for second in scoring offense nationally, averaging 5.00 goals per game. Minnesota is applying pressure to the tune of 42.5 shots on goal per game as six players are averaging a point-or-better per game after two weeks of action. Bob Motzko’s squad is one of the youngest in the country with an average age of 21.3 years.

• Less than a month into the season and second-year forward Garrett Schifsky has already netted three short-handed goals for Michigan. Michigan’s State’s Daniel Russell is also off to a fast start, having tallied an NCAA-best three game-winning goals in four games.

• Tickets for The Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series are on sale at Cubs.com/BigTenHockey.