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