Friday, October 20, 2017 // FACEOFF 2017
8B
polls. With four members of
the Golden Gopher squad on
the Big Ten Preseason Watch
List,
Minnesota’s
team
is
undoubtedly talented.
Forward Tyler Sheehy returns
this season as a captain after a
ground-shattering performance
last season. Sheehy was named
a First Team All-American and
won the Big Ten Player of the
Year award. With his experience,
paired with McManus’ high-
energy start to the season, the
Gophers have a well-rounded
squad eager to make a statement
on the national scale.
Ohio State
The
Buckeyes
(1-1,
1-1-2)
wasted no time in starting Big
Ten play, facing off against
Wisconsin and adding a win and
a loss to their record.
Despite falling early in the
NCAA Tournament last season
– a tournament it had not made
since 2009 – Ohio State returns
15 upperclassmen, bolstering its
proficient offense and effective
power play.
Last season, the Buckeyes’
31.6
percent
power-play
conversion rate ranked highest
in the NCAA, and their 3.92
goals per game ranked third.
All-American and First Team
All-Big
Ten
forward
Mason
Jobst and forward Matthew
Weiss headline the Ohio State
offense.
No. 11 Penn State
The
reigning
Big
Ten
Tournament champion Nittany
Lions (1-1, 2-2) entered the
season ranked 10th, and were
picked to finish fourth in the
conference. Most notably, they
were also tapped to finish fourth
last season and ended up beating
out the rest of the pool for a Big
Ten Tournament title.
Goaltender Peyton Jones and
forward Denis Smirnov, both
named to the Big Ten Preseason
Watch List, lead Penn State.
Jones already flaunts 95 saves
this season and Smirnov leads
the team with three goals.
With most of the Nittany
Lion squad returning from its
tournament championship run
last season, it is looking to bring
a new hard-nosed mentality to
the ice to redeem itself after
an NCAA Tournament loss to
eventual
national
champion
Denver.
No. 5 Notre Dame
The Fighting Irish (2-1) are
stepping onto the Big Ten stage,
ready to upset the ebbs and
flows that make up a regular Big
Ten season. Already predicted to
finish second in the conference,
Notre Dame is looking to put its
team depth to work to make a
statement for the future.
With seven seniors returning,
including Big Ten Preseason
Watch List defenseman Jordan
Gross, the Fighting Irish are
taking a top-down approach that
will involve all members of an
assorted and dangerous squad.
Forwards Jake Evans and
Andrew Oglevie join Gross on
the same list, whose prowess
was put on display in Notre
Dame’s
opening
two
wins
over Alabama-Huntsville. The
Fighting Irish debut in the Big
Ten on Nov. 3rd.
Michigan State
Much like the triumphant
return of Michigan coach Mel
Pearson, the Spartans’ prodigal
son
in
coach
Danton
Cole
returns for his first season as the
Michigan State head coach. Cole
won a national championship
with the Spartans in 1986 while
a player on the team.
Under
new
management,
Michigan State has a lot to
prove but has a chip on its
shoulder. Predicted to finish
last in the Big Ten and sporting
19 underclassmen – the fourth
youngest roster in the nation
– the Spartans will most likely
have trouble with some of the
other more experienced teams
in the conference.
Last season, Michigan State
averaged
3.83
goals
against
and 2.40 goals for, which pale
in comparison to those same
statistics for other members of
the Big Ten. In order to compete
at a level worthy of a high
ranking in the Big Ten, Cole will
have to instill new values and
reorganize the team’s structure.
SAM MOUSIGIAN/Daily
Sophomore forward Will Lockwood finished the 2016 season as Michigan’s team MVP with 20 points, and he will be looked to again to drive Michigan’s offensive success in a conference loaded with talent.
BIG TEN
From Page 7B