Week 15 Hockey Release

• Big Ten schools close the month of January with three conference series, including a showdown between Top 10 programs in East Lansing, Mich. No. 8/7 Michigan State, coming off a split against in-state rival Michigan, will host No. 9/9 Minnesota, winners of five-straight. The teams met late November with both games going to overtime. Saturday’s game will be carried on the Big Ten Network. Coming off a bye week, No. 3/3 Wisconsin looks to reclaim first place in the standings when it travels to No. 14/15 Michigan, which has averaged 7.2 goals scored over its last five contests. Ohio State and Penn State clash for the first time this season as just 10 conference games remain for each side. Five games this weekend will be streamed on B1G+, Big Ten Network’s home for non-televised events and on-demand archives. No. 20/19 Notre Dame is idle this week after re-entering the Top 20 for the first time in six weeks.

• The New Year has produced two remarkable comeback wins for Big Ten schools. On Saturday, Michigan State trailed Michigan, 4-1, midway through the second period. The Spartans scored 22 seconds after a media timeout and three more times in the period to claim a lead it never relinquished. It marked MSU’s largest comeback ever on Wolverine ice. On Jan. 6 Penn State recorded the biggest comeback in its 12-year history with a 7-6 victory over Army in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions trailed 6-2 with seven minutes left in the second period before exploding for five goals over the next 17 minutes.

• Notre Dame graduate goaltender Ryan Bischel and Penn State junior forward Dylan Lugris have been named nominees for the 2024 Hockey Humanitarian Award, presented annually to college hockey’s finest citizen. Now in its 29th season, the award recognizes a student-athlete who makes significant contributions to their team and community through leadership in volunteerism. Bischeland Lugris are among a group of 18 nominees representing men’s and women’s hockey at the NCAA varsity level. Finalists for the award will be announced in February.

• The Big Ten is well represented in the NHL ranks with 88 former players having appeared in at least one game this season (see page 5), including Michigan products Kyle Connor (Winnipeg) and Quinn Hughes (Vancouver), who were chosen for the NHL All-Star Game. The Big Ten has produced an impressive group of NHL newcomers as four players — Brock Faber (Minnesota), Adam Fantilli (Columbus), Luke Hughes (New Jersey) and Logan Cooley (Arizona) — are ranked in the Top 10 in rookie scoring. In addition, Ohio State’s Mason Lohrei (Boston) made history when he became the first Louisiana native to appear in the NHL with his debut this season. The Big Ten also features 59 draft picks with Minnesota and Wisconsin leading the way with 13 prospects each (see page 6). A total of 15 Big Ten players were chosen in the 2023 NHL Draft.

• Fan balloting for the 2024 Hobey Baker Award begins Friday (Jan. 26) and continues through March 10. On-line voting can be accessed at https://hobeybaker.com/awards/vote-for-hobey/.