Around The Big Ten Hockey: Feb. 23

Story posted February 23, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Nolan Wick

Big Ten regular-season hockey is coming to a close. This was the second to last weekend of hockey until the Big Ten tournament, so enjoy it while it lasts. Here’s a review of what happened.

No. 4 Minnesota Disappoints Penn State

No. 4 Minnesota swept Penn State over the weekend in Happy Valley. The Golden Gophers took care of business in Game 1 with a 3-1 victory with one goal from Rhett Pitlick and two from Jack Perbix. Penn State’s lone goal of the evening came from Ryan Kirwan. The Nittany Lions never had a lead and had problems getting past Justen Close, who has posted a .924 save percentage this season.

The second game was a much more exciting story. Penn State jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, with two of those goals being just seconds apart. Kirwan scored his second goal of the series, his 11th of the season. Kirwan’s 11 goals ranks third on the team trailing Kevin Wall and Connor MacEachern.

Minnesota didn’t roll over quietly. The Golden Gophers scored three in the second period, with the Nittany Lions getting one back from Xander Lamppa. Trailing by one goal heading into the third period Minnesota scored three goals to capture a 6-4 victory.

No. 2 Michigan Sweeps No. 12 Ohio State

Michigan easily took care of business against arch-rival Ohio State at Yost Ice Arena this past weekend. The Buckeyes opened the scoring however, Michigan scored three unanswered. Ohio State fought back with two unanswered goals tying the contest at three. The Wolverines scored two goals in the final seven minutes capturing a 5-3 victory.

Game 2 went much better for Michigan. The Wolverines scored one goal in each period to defeat the Buckeyes, 3-0. Luke Hughes found twine three times in the series.

The Wolverines dismantled a very formidable opponent in Ohio State, which is why they’re now ranked second in all of college hockey.

No. 9 Notre Dame Squeezes By Michigan State

What’s not surprising is that Notre Dame swept this series. What is surprising, however, is that the opening contest was only a 2-1 victory for the Fighting Irish.

Michigan State got out to a 1-0 lead in the first period, thanks to an Erik Middendorf power-play goal. However, Hunter Strand and Landon Slaggert each scored a goal to beat the Spartans in a comeback victory for Notre Dame.

In game two, Notre Dame looked and played much better. The Fighting Irish cruised to a 3-0 lead before giving up one goal to the Spartans. Notre Dame scored one more goal, but then Middendorf scored his second goal of the series. It would end 4-2 for Notre Dame, completing the series sweep on the road.

Nolan Wick is a first-year student majoring in journalism. To contact him, email nhw5046@psu.edu.