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

