win. And because of its success
thus far in this campaign, the
rankings rewarded Wisconsin,
which received six votes in last
weekend’s USCHO’s poll.
Wisconsin is led by new coach
Tony Granato, who played for
the Badgers and later in the
NHL, in which he scored 30+
goals four times. Before arriving
in Madison, Granato worked as
an assistant for the Detroit Red
Wings.
Wisconsin will play against
No. 6 Denver, a team that ranks
seventh in goals allowed with
just two per game. As such an
offensive-minded
team,
the
Badgers could be challenged
if Jurusik and the defense
continue to struggle as they
did two weeks ago when they
allowed nine goals in two games
to Boston College.
Penn State (No. 19)
Penn
State
brings
back
forward David Goodwin, who
finished third in the conference
with 27 assists, and forward
Andrew Sturtz, who scored 18
goals last season.
Thus far, the two have picked
up right where they left off,
with Goodwin notching three
assists
through
five
games
and Sturtz netting four goals.
The
Nittany
Lions,
though,
will need to replace netminder
Eamon McAdam, who finished
second in the Big Ten in save
percentage with a .913 clip and
averaged 28.7 saves per game.
Thus far, Penn State has turned
to freshman Peyton Jones, who
ranks fourth in the conference
with a .916 save percentage and
has earned wins in all three of
his completed games to anchor
the net.
The Nittany Lions entered the
USCHO rankings for the first
time this season at the No. 19 slot
after impressive wins over No. 7
Notre Dame and St. Lawrence.
Penn State finished third in the
Big Ten last season and split
the season’s series with both
Minnesota and Ohio State. It
looks to be trending upward this
year, but it will be interesting to
see how the Nittany Lions fare
once conference play begins.
Michigan State
The
Spartans
lost
their
top scorer from last season,
MacKenzie MacEachern, who
signed a contract with the St.
Louis Blues. Also departed is
netminder Jake Hildebrand —
who gave Michigan problems in
the past — and forward Michael
Ferrantino. They return junior
forward and captain Joe Cox,
who finished last year with 23
points.
Michigan State is clearly in
rebuilding mode with 10 new
freshmen entering its system.
For now, though, the cellar seems
likely in such a competitive
conference and a schedule that
has seen the Spartans begin
the year 0-4 after facing No.
3 Denver and surging Lake
Superior State.
Its games will not get any
easier. The Spartans face off
against top-ranked North Dakota
in Grand Forks next month and
begin conference play with a
series against No. 12 Minnesota
in East Lansing.
In its four games, Michigan
State has struggled offensively,
scoring just six goals while
allowing 18. Its power play is
nearly nonexistent with just two
goals on 28 attempts, and its
penalty killing isn’t much better.
The Spartans rank 52nd overall
in that category. A bright spot is
defenseman Zach Osburn, who
leads Michigan State in shots
and points with 16 and two,
respectively.
This season could be even
worse than last year for the
Spartans, when they finished
10-23-4, good for fifth in the
conference.
Tuesday, October 25, 2016 // FACEOFF 2016
7B
Roster breakdown: ‘M’ trying to
replace CCM line, other losses
Already
five
games
into
the 2016-17 season, the No. 11
Michigan hockey team has a
lot to break down. The team
features 11 freshmen in addition
to 17 returning players, which
has made much of the season a
learning curve so far.
After the Wolverines lost some
of their top scorers last season
— including Kyle Connor, Tyler
Motte and JT Compher — the
team is looking to replenish some
of the offensive initiative it lost
last year.
And while Michigan has yet
to solidify lines and a starting
goaltender, it’s clear from the
Wolverines’ first five games that
they have been attempting to fill
this void. With a few individual
freshmen
standing
out
early
on and many returning players
assisting in the 3-1-1 record,
Michigan’s
roster
showcases
plenty of potential.
Goaltenders
Even after five games, it’s
still unclear which player is
going to be saddled with the
full-time responsibility of being
the starting goaltender for the
Wolverines.
Three of the four goaltenders
listed on Michigan’s roster have
seen game time this year, and all
three have looked solid in front of
the net.
Returning
senior
Zach
Nagelvoort
recorded
a
.929
and .906 save percentage his
freshman and sophomore years,
respectively. His junior year,
however he only played in 11
games after Steve Racine claimed
the job. This year, he’s in the
running to take the job back.
Nagelvoort has only guarded
the
net
twice
this
season,
one of which was in the first
period of the exhibition against
Windsor, where he tallied seven
saves and recorded an assist.
The other was in the season
opener against Union, where
he recorded 36 saves. But even
though the game ended in a 4-3
loss, Nagelvoort looked solid in
front of the net and has the most
experience among the rest of the
goaltenders, which makes him
one of the strongest candidates
for the starting spot.
Freshman Jack LaFontaine
has quite noticeably made a
name for himself in the position
as well. He made his collegiate
debut during the third period of
the Windsor exhibition, where
he recorded 12 saves.
It wasn’t until the Wolverines’
first road match, however, that
LaFontaine truly put himself in
the running for the position. In a
close match against Ferris State,
LaFontaine saved 28 of 29 shots
for a 2-1 win over the Bulldogs.
He also saw game time in the
3-3 tie against Michigan Tech
on Saturday, when he collected
42 saves.
The final goaltender who has
seen action this season is Hayden
Lavigne. The freshman recorded
13 saves in the exhibition against
Windsor and 31 saves in both his
first collegiate debut in a shutout
against Union and in Michigan’s
4-3 win over the Huskies on
Friday.
All three goaltenders have
modest records behind them, and
it’s unclear which one will take
the position. They’ve all proven
they can handle being in between
the pipes — so far.
ZOEY HOLMSTROM/Daily
Senior goaltender Zach Nagelvoort is competing with Jack LaFontaine and Hayden Lavigne to win the starting job as a senior.
BY THE NUMBERS
Big Ten Hockey
114
Goals allowed by Wisconsin
goaltender Matt Jurusik last season
(most in the Big Ten)
+1.4
Ohio State’s goal differential so far
this season (the Buckeyes are 3-0-2
on the year)
1
Margin between first-place
Minnesota and Michigan in last year’s
final Big Ten standings
10-23-4
Michigan State’s record last year
before the Spartans lost their top
goal scorer and goaltender
LANEY BYLER
Daily Sports Writer
See ROSTER, Page 8B