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.

