Tuesday, October 25, 2016 // FACEOFF 2016
6B
Big Ten Breakdown: Minnesota, Ohio
State provide strongest competition
After losing nearly two thirds
of its scoring to graduation
and
the
NHL,
the
No.
13
Michigan hockey team will face
difficulties in repeating as Big
Ten
champions.
Minnesota,
Wisconsin and Ohio State each
enter the season with lineups
heavy on experience, and nearly
every contending team returns a
top-five Big Ten scorer.
It will be challenging for the
young and raw Wolverines to
compete in a conference with four
ranked teams. The Daily broke
down the Big Ten in 2016, teams
listed in order of predicted finish.
Minnesota (No. 12)
The Golden Gophers won last
year’s Big Ten season title by
only one point over second-place
Michigan. Returning from that
winning team are forward Justin
Kloos, who tallied 43 points —
the most of anyone not named
Kyle Connor, JT Compher or
Tyler Motte — and Leon Bristedt,
who scored 20 goals, the most of
any player who returned to the
Big Ten this season. In the net,
Minnesota
returns
freshman
standout Eric Schierhorn, who
played the most games and
minutes in the crease of any
goaltender in the conference
last season. Both Kloos and
Schierhorn earned unanimous
All-Big Ten preseason watch list
selections, while Bristedt also
received a spot on the list.
With
so
much
preseason
promise, the Golden Gophers
have disappointed so far, opening
this year 2-2 with two losses
to then-No. 14 St. Cloud State
last weekend. Minnesota will
face top-ranked North Dakota,
No. 18 St. Lawrence and No. 9
Minnesota State to finish up
their extremely challenging non-
conference slate.
The Golden Gophers begin
conference play with a series
against Ohio State at home.
This series will pit two between
the teams projected to lead the
Big Ten, and could determine
whether the Golden Gophers
will defend their season title or
fall prey to the just as deep and
experienced Buckeyes.
Ohio State (No. 15)
Through
three
weeks
of
hockey, the Buckeyes remain
the Big Ten’s only undefeated
team. Ohio State returns two
top offensive players from last
season: forward Nick Schilkey,
who scored 19 goals, and David
Gust, who earned 36 points, good
for ninth in the Big Ten. Standout
sophomore wing Mason Jobst is
also back in Columbus after a first
year in which he bagged 19 goals.
Schilkey has already tabbed four
goals and two assists to lead the
Buckeyes in their first few games
this season. Both Schilkey and
Jobst were named to the All-Big
Ten Preseason watch list along
with defenseman Josh Healey,
who has garnered four assists in
five games.
Ohio State opened its season
with an impressive 3-2 victory
over Denver and defeated Air
Force and Miami (OH), two
teams that earned votes in this
week’s USCHO’s rankings. The
Buckeyes success stems from
their 10th-ranked defense, which
has allowed just 2.20 goals per
game and their equally potent
offensive attack that averages
3.60 goals.
The series with Minnesota
will prove to be one of the
more important sets of games
in conference play this year. In
theory, it could show whether the
Golden Gophers or the Buckeyes
have the early edge in the season
standings and send a message to
their fellow conference members
as to which is the team to beat.
Wisconsin
Last
season,
the
Badgers
finished dead last in the Big
Ten, accumulating just three
wins in conference play and
earning eight total victories. This
season, though, Wisconsin seems
primed for a rebound, splitting
its first two series with Northern
Michigan and No. 8 Boston
College. The Badgers return their
top two offensive leaders from
last season, forwards Luke Kunin
— drafted by the Minnesota
Wild — and Grant Besse, Kunin
earned a unanimous All-Big Ten
Preseason watch list selection
by scoring 19 goals in last year’s
campaign, and Besse tallied 22
assists. Also returning on the
offensive front is Seamus Malone,
who finished last season with 21
assists and, through four games
thus far, currently ranks second
in the Big Ten in total points
with six. Freshman standout
Matt Jurusik mans the crease for
Wisconsin, and the Badgers hope
he will improve upon last year’s
performance in which he allowed
114 goals, the most of any Big Ten
netminder.
Through
just
two
series,
Wisconsin
has
shown
tremendous improvement from
last season, when it took seven
games for the Badgers to earn a
Twelfth-ranked Golden Gophers, 15th-ranked Buckeyes are only conference teams besides Michigan in top 15
AVI SHOLKOFF
Daily Sports Writer
JAMES COLLER/Daily
The Michigan hockey team won its first Big Ten Tournament title last year, but the Wolverines must overcome Ohio State and Minnesota to repeat this year.