Friday, October 19, 2018 // FACEOFF 2018
6B 

Big Ten Breakdown: Entire conference hoping to maintain 
success of last season, when three teams made Frozen Four

When the No. 11 Michigan 
hockey team starts Big Ten 
play against Notre Dame three 
weeks from now, it will have a 
chance at redemption. In last 
year’s Frozen Four semifinal, 
a last-second Fighting Irish 
goal ended the Wolverines’ 
tournament 
run 
and 
their 
surprisingly successful season. 
But with Notre Dame ranked as 
the No. 2 team in the country, 
that chance at redemption may 
be a tall order for Michigan.
After 
the 
opening 
series 
against 
the 
Fighting 
Irish, 
the Wolverines’ Big Ten slate 
doesn’t get any easier. Three 
of last year’s four Frozen 
Four teams came from the 
conference — the Wolverines, 
Ohio State and Notre Dame.
And the Big Ten is poised to 
be a talent-filled conference 
again throughout the 2018-19 
season. Six of the seven teams 
are currently ranked inside the 
top 15 in the USCHO poll, with 
four teams in the top 10.
With 
that 
much 
talent 
in a single conference, the 
competition will be intense 
from now until March. The 
Daily takes a look at each of the 
teams in the Big Ten.

No. 1 Ohio State

After reaching the Frozen 
Four for the first 
time in 20 years 
last season, the 
Buckeyes 
(2-0) 
are 
set 
for 
a 
similarly strong 
year.
They returned 
75 
percent 
of 
their 
scoring, 
led by forwards 
Mason 
Jobst, 
Tanner 
Laczynski and Dakota Joshua. 
Jobst is the NCAA’s active-
leading scorer, having notched 
128 points — 52 of them goals 
— in his three years in an Ohio 
State sweater.
Last year’s Buckeye defense 
had 
the 
top 
penalty-kill 

percentage 
in 
the 
nation, 
preventing 
their 
opponents 
from scoring on .894 percent 
of their chances, and ranked 
third in goals allowed per game 
with 2.1. With just two goals 
allowed through the first two 
games, the Ohio State defense 
— headlined by 
Wyatt 
Ege 
— 
appears 
poised 
for another year 
of 
high-level 
performances.

No. 2 Notre 
Dame

In their first 
year in the Big 
Ten, the Fighting 
Irish (1-0-1) made quite the 
impression on the rest of the 
conference. They lost just six 
conference 
games, 
winning 
the regular season title by 
eight points, and defeated the 
Buckeyes in overtime for their 
first Big Ten championship.

After losing the National 
Championship to Minnesota-
Duluth, Notre Dame surely 
has motivation to reach the 
pinnacle this year. And with 
the return of the Big Ten Player 
of the Year and a top-10 Hobey 
Baker finalist in goaltender 
Cale 
Morris, 
the 
Fighting 
Irish’s defense shouldn’t have 
much to worry about.
At forward, Notre Dame 
has been led by Cal Burke and 
Bobby Nardella in the first 
two games. Burke’s three goals 
in the third period against 
Mercyhurst 
allowed 
the 
Fighting Irish to rally and tie 
the game at six goals before 
earning a shootout victory.

No. 7 Minnesota

The Golden Gophers (1-0-
1) opened the 2018-19 season 
with 
a 
series 
against 
the 
team that kept them from 
the NCAA Tournament last 
season, 
Minnesota-Duluth. 

The Bulldogs edged Minnesota 
by just 0.001 points in the 
Pairwise rankings, leaving the 
Golden Gophers on the outside 
looking in.
Minnesota has a new head 
coach, Bob Motzko, which sets 
up some uncertainty in the 
early going of the 
year. The Golden 
Gophers 
have 
two 
talented 
goaltenders 
to 
choose from in 
Mat Robson, who 
was 
named 
to 
the watch list for 
the Mike Richter 
award, and Eric 
Schierhorn, who 
was 
Big 
Ten 
Goaltender of the Year two 
years ago.
On offense, Minnesota will 
have to replace forward Casey 
Mittlestadt, who departed for 
the Buffalo Sabres. Forwards 
Brannon McManus and Sampo 
Ranta have emerged as the 

leading scorers thus far, but 
time will tell if they can 
replace Mittlestadt’s 30-point 
performance from last season.

No. 10 Penn State

After making their second-
straight 
NCAA 
Tournament 
last season, the 
Nittany 
Lions 
(2-0) are seeking 
to 
improve 
on 
their 
Midwest 
regional loss to 
Denver and make 
it farther in the 
postseason.
But 
with 
the 
loss 
of 
one of their top forwards, 
Andrew Sturtz, and a pair of 
talented defensemen in Trevor 
Hamilton 
and 
Erik 
Autio, 
Penn State will need to find 
replacements — and quickly — 
for those key players. Forwards 

ALEC COHEN/Daily
The Michigan hockey team will have to play five teams in the Big Ten that are currently ranked in the top 15 of the USCHO.com rankings.

BAILEY JOHNSON
Daily Sports Writer

Ohio State looks to top the conference thanks to returns of Jobst, Laczynski and Joshua

See BIG TEN, Page 7B

The Buckeyes 
(2-0) are set 
for a similarly 
strong year.

Minnesota will 
have to replace 
forward Casey 
Mittlestadt

