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

