Around the Big Ten (Hockey): Big Ten Championship

Story posted March 22, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Anthony Desher

What a wild ride it has been for the Big Ten. A roller coaster that started several months ago has finally reached its end.

The Michigan Wolverines traveled to Minnesota for a chance to repeat as champions.

The battle between two electric offenses would start and in less than 10 minutes, Logan Cooley set up Brody Lamb to get the barn rocking early on. That would be all the scoring after the first period, but there was still plenty of hockey left to be played.

Michigan plays a very fast game with an offense that can strike at any time and that’s exactly what the Wolverines did. Rutger McGroarty scored just over three minutes into the second period, and 34 seconds later, he would score yet again to give the Wolverines the advantage.

Minnesota has a ton of high-end talent, and that has helped the Golden Gophers win 26 games this year. When your team is led by Logan Cooley, you know you’re never out of it. Cooley knotted up the game halfway through the second period, keeping the hope of a title alive.

In the third period, Rhett Pitlick dangled in and out and in between the legs of a Michigan defender for an incredible goal and the lead, but it was only a matter of time before Seamus Casey tied the game back up for Michigan.

Late in the game, everything was on the line, it felt like the next goal would be the deciding factor and possible game-winner. That would exactly be the case when Dylan Duke put one past Justen Close.

Michigan locked it down for the rest of the game and the yard sale of gloves and helmets would rain down as the Wolverines celebrated another Big Ten title with their 4-3 win.

Now, we turn our attention to the NCAA tournament where there are multiple Big Ten teams ready to go on a run. No. 1 Minnesota holds the first seed in the Fargo region, No. 2 Michigan and Penn State will be calling Allentown home for the weekend and Ohio State will be making its appearance in Bridgeport.

Minnesota will be met by Canisius, Penn State will have a tough task against a defensively sound Michigan Tech team, the Wolverines will face off against Colgate and Ohio State will have to slow down a hot Harvard offense.

All these teams will certainly have their hands full, but there’s a chance we might see more Big Ten matchups in the coming rounds. If Penn State and Michigan both win, they’ll have a date with each other in the second round of the regionals.

Who will win? Who will be the first to go home? These matchups will certainly be a spectacle in their own way.

Anthony Desher is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email acd5698@psu.edu.