Around the Big Ten: Week 11 (Hockey)
After a weekend in which only two series were played, there were supposed to be four series this upcoming weekend until a positive COVID test within the Penn State program postponed its series against Ohio State. As Penn State gets into a COVID situation, eighth-ranked Michigan is currently scheduled to play for the first time since a COVID shutdown of its own.
The Wolverines will return to the ice with a tough test as they take on the Wisconsin Badgers. Wisconsin is coming off of an upset sweep over a Minnesota team that was ranked second in the country. The sweep propelled the Badgers to first place in the conference, taking a one-point lead over the Golden Gophers. Cole Caufield scored three goals in the series, which was one more than the Gophers put up in the two games combined. The Badgers moved up inside the top 10 after the series and are now seventh in the country.
Those same Golden Gophers will look to rebound this weekend as they take on Notre Dame. The sweep ended what was a four-game winning streak and knocked the team down to No. 5 in the country. As for the Fighting Irish, they’re coming off an impressive sweep over Ohio State. Similar to the Wisconsin series, the Irish dominated both games, outscoring the Buckeyes 14-1. Nick Leivermann led the team with three goals in the series.
The Buckeyes won’t get the chance to rebound this weekend, as COVID problems within the Penn State program will postpone this series. Both teams are close in the standings at this point of the season, as the Nittany Lions are in fifth place while the Buckeyes are four points behind in sixth. The Buckeyes are on a five-game losing streak, while the Nittany Lions have won two of their last three. We’ll see how long this shutdown lasts for the Nittany Lions and whether or not they’ll be able to play against Arizona State next weekend.
The final series of the weekend will slide into the start of the workweek and will see the Michigan State Spartans take on the Arizona State Sun Devils. Both teams have struggled recently but both were given last weekend off. The Spartans sit in last place in the Big Ten, and the last time they played, they were swept by Wisconsin. The Spartans only scored one goal in the series while allowing 10. As for the Sun Devils, they haven’t played since Jan. 22 like Michigan, and in their last series, they got destroyed by Minnesota. The Golden Gophers scored 10 goals in each game during the series. These recent results set up a chance for both teams to turn things around against each other. For Michigan State, it’s a chance to end a skid where it’s only won one of the last six. As for Arizona State, it’s a chance to end a four-game losing streak.
Logan Bourandas is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email lxb5412@psu.edu.
