Friday, October 19, 2018 // FACEOFF 2018
7B
See ROSTER, Page 8B
BY THE NUMBERS
Big Ten Hockey
75 %
Ohio State returned 75 percent of its production from last season’s Frozen
Four team.
128
Ohio State forward Mason Jobst is the active leader in career points in the
NCAA
8
Notre Dame won the regular season Big Ten Championship by eight points
last season
.001
Minnesota missed out on the NCAA Tournament last season by .001 points,
falling just short of Minnesota-Duluth in the Pairwise rankings.
Brandon Biro and Nate Sucese
have so far looked the part
of replacements to Sturtz’s
production with four points
each in two games.
On
the
penalty
kill
in
the opening series against
Clarkston, the Nittany Lions
allowed just two power-play
goals in five chances. Penn
State’s power play, on the
other hand, has scored on 50
percent of its opportunities.
No. 15 Wisconsin
The
Badgers
(2-0)
are
in rebound mode after last
season’s loss to Michigan in
the Big Ten Tournament and
their
subsequent
missing
of the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin lost six straight
conference games to finish
the 2017-18 season, including
the two losses in the Big Ten
Tournament.
After
sweeping
Boston
College to open the season,
Wisconsin
jumped
from
unranked to No. 15 in the
USCHO poll. Goaltender Jack
Berry
had
a
rollercoaster
weekend,
as
he
shut
out
the Eagles in one game and
allowed five goals on 28 shots
in the other.
The Badgers’ offense seems
to have found its rhythm,
scoring 10 goals across the
two games. Forward Tarek
Baker paces the team with
four points on the season, and
forward Wyatt Kalnuk — a
unanimous preseason All-Big
Ten selection — has added
three points of his own.
Michigan State
After finishing last in the
Big Ten for the third straight
season in 2017-18, with just six
conference wins, the Spartans
(1-1) are in the most trouble of
any Big Ten team. Michigan
State was once again picked
to fall to the bottom of the
heap in the 2018-19 preseason
poll, so improvement may be
minimal.
Last season, the Spartans
managed to score just 91 goals
— the worst scoring offense
in the Big Ten. Forward Taro
Hirose is expected to help
increase that tally after being
one of six unanimous All-Big
Ten
preseason
selections.
With three points in just
the first two games, Hirose
should
help
the
Michigan
State offense find its rhythm.
Beyond the top line of
Hirose, Mitchell Lewandoski
and
Patrick
Khodorenko,
offensive
depth
and
experience is a question for
the Spartans, who have just
three seniors on the roster.
Through one game and two
exhibitions this season, the
No. 11 Michigan hockey team
(0-1) has been enigmatic. The
expectations are high coming
off a Frozen Four appearance
last
spring.
However,
the
Wolverines dropped two of
their first three games and
have been outscored, 12-15.
The
team
welcomes
10
freshmen
and
returns
17
letter winners. Where the
newcomers will fit in with
the returning skaters and how
they will fill the void left by
the departed skaters remains
to be seen.
The high-scoring top line
of
Dexter
Dancs,
Cooper
Marody and Tony Calderone
is no more. The trio combined
for 122 of the team’s 363
points last season — over
one-third
of
Michigan’s
offensive
production.
Now,
the Wolverines will have to
search for a new source of fuel
for scoring the puck in the
2018-2019 season.
In
what
has
been
a
disappointing
start
by
Michigan hockey standards,
the team is searching for
consistency
on
the
roster.
The return of several key
players such as sophomore
Quinn Hughes, senior Joseph
Cecconi
and
junior
Will
Lockwood figure to uphold the
framework of a powerhouse
that the team reestablished in
the second half of last season.
The early struggles thus far
are shaking the foundations
of the powerhouse. However,
the potential on the roster
cannot be overlooked as the
Wolverines begin their quest
for another deep tournament
run.
The Daily breaks down the
2018-2019 roster.
Goaltenders
Hayden Lavigne is likely to
get the nod as the starter given
his status as the only non-
freshman goaltender on the
roster. The junior recorded
a .908 save percentage last
season with a record of 18-11.
However, in his two starts
this season he has struggled,
allowing at least five goals in
each contest. In his second
start, against the U.S. National
Team Development Program,
he was pulled in the second
period in favor of freshman
Straus Mann.
Mann looked solid in relief
of Lavigne, allowing one goal
in the subsequent 38 minutes
of the contest. His first and
only start against Waterloo
got off to a rough start after
allowing a goal on a bouncing
puck from center ice. Since
that moment, however, he has
shown flashes of brilliance
in the crease. The two will
likely split time in the crease
with Lavigne getting the edge
based on prior experience
and his performances in last
season’s games.
Freshman Jack Leavy has
not yet made his debut but
is an imposing figure in the
net with a 6-foot-5 frame. It
is unclear how much playing
time he will receive, but at the
very least, he adds depth to the
roster as the third goaltender.
Defenders
Last season’s top defensive
ALEC COHEN/Daily
Sophomore defenseman Quinn Hughes returned this season and is the backbone of Michigan’s talented blue line.
JORGE CAZARES
Daily Sports Writer
Roster Breakdown: Michigan with
a lot to replace, but talent to do so
Talented freshmen and the returns of the likes of Lockwood,
Hughes, Slaker and Norris give the Wolverines some hope
BIG TEN
From Page 6B