1° Below Freezing: Quick Hits In B1G Hockey

Streak Stops: It was an impressive run but it was bound to end sometime. The University of Minnesota women's hockey team was handed its first loss since 2012 on Sunday. After a 6-1 route of North Dakota on Saturday, the Gophers fell 3-2 at home thanks to three first-period goals from North Dakota. The loss ended an NCAA-record win streak of 62 consecutive games. Minnesota's last loss was also to North Dakota on Feb. 17, 2012. Gopher head coach Brad Frost tweeted the following the game Sunday:

"Thank you to all of the coaches, media, fans, alums and supporters of women's hockey for the humbling congrats on the streak. It was an incredible run. To go 639 days without a loss and 62 games was truly remarkable and special. I am so proud of our current players, staff and the three teams of former players who were all part of this streak. We will never forget being involved with it. 

"The game has grown and we are very proud of that. We will learn from tonight and continue with out ultimate goals for the season. Thanks again everyone -- Brad."

During the streak, the Gophers out-scored their opponents 311-60 and out-shot them 2,343-1,421.

Still On Top: One loss didn't hinder the Gopher women's team in the slightest, maintaining the No. 1 spot in the USCHO women's and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine women's college polls. The ladies' counterpart, the Minnesota men's team, is also still holding the No. 1 ranking in both polls for the fifth straight week. Also holding their own in the rankings was Michigan in at No. 5 in both polls and Wisconsin at No. 12 in both, too. Ohio State earned 63 votes in USCHO.com's polls and 3 votes with USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine but didn't break into either.

Ohio State Solid: I came across more than a few people, blogs and articles touting the Buckeyes to be stellar this year, some even predicting them to win the Big Ten. Like I'm sure plenty of you (outside of OSU fans) are doing right now, I shook my head and laughed -- thinking it couldn't be true. Well, I have to admit Ohio State has impressed me so far in this early season and the emergence of some dominate forwards has me now slightly seeing the possibility -- though not 100% clearly. Tanner Fritz and Ryan Dzingel are proving to be the real deal and have helped the Buckeyes to five-straight wins and a 6-1 homestand. They get a real test Nov. 29 with their first peek at Big Ten competition though against a familiar foe in Michigan. Looking forward to that B1G spotlight of the week.

Penn State: PSU made an effort in the weekend's second game against UMass- Lowell, bringing the game within 1 of the ranked River Hawks after a 4-0 rousing the night before. I hate to be the bearer of bad news for Nittany Lion loyals but the schedule is only going to get tougher. Penn State faces Boston College, Wisconsin and Minnesota in coming weeks, will be interesting to see how they fare then with some steady competition.

Where We're Ranking Up: Probably not surprising, the Big Ten isn't overwhelmingly dominating across teh nation. Still Big Ten teams are making a presence known on plenty of fronts.

• Minnesota's Sam Warning in No. 5 in the nation in scoring with 17 points (5 G, 12 A) in 10 games played. Warning is also 4th in the country for assists.

• Ohio State's Ryan Dzingel's 14 points in 12 games put him at No. 19 in the nation for scoring. The Buckeyes' Tanner Fritz is No. 16 in assists with 9.

• Michigan's Zach Nagelvort is the Big Ten's best statistical goalie, coming in at No. 6. The freshman has a .94 save percentage and a 1.7089 goals against average through 7 games played.

• The Gopher offense ranks second in the nation behind Hockey East foe Boston College. Minnesota is averaging 4.20 goals per game. Their defense is fourth with 1.9 goals against average so far this season. Ohio State's offense is ranked 10th (3.58 g/gp) and Michigan's defense is tied for seventh ( 2.00 ga/gp).

• The Wolverines have the nation's fourth best powerplay so far this season going 11-for-40 and converting on 27.5%..

• Penn State's penalty kill unit is the best from the Big Ten coming in at No. 18. They are 45-for-53 (84.9%) on the man down so far this season. But the Nittany Lions also rank third across Division I teams for penalty minutes, averaging 19.33 minutes per game in the sin bin.

1° Below Freezing: Quick Hits In B1G Hockey

Another week in the books for our Big Ten teams and one that saw many teams have success. Ohio State, Minnesota and Michigan players earn Big Ten Three Stars and for a change we don't totally disagree. Outside of that, in case you missed any of the weekend's action, here are our quick hits from around the league.

Go, Go, Gophers: For the second straight week Minnesota sits atop both major college hockey polls (USCHO.com and USA Today/ USA Hockey Magazine) after posting a 5-0-1 record so far this season. I've said it before and I'll say it again, the depth the Gophers have this year is unreal. Once again, 10 different players put up first-period points in Sunday's 6-1 rout of Boston College. Don Lucia said it after Minnesota's first game of the season:

"I think we're deeper than we've ever been. Last year I thought we were a little thin on some lines...We won't have one or two guys getting all the points, it will be more spread out. I think you'll see that all year."

While the scoring is spread out, junior Sam Warning is leading the team and the NCAA with a six-game point streak. Warning has 12 total points (5g, 7a) this season to tie him for first in scoring across the league.

Another streak worth mentioning is the six-game win streak Warning and the boys in maroon and gold are on. It's the Gophers best start since the 2008-09 season where the first loss didn't come until Nov. 22. But Minnesota will have its work cut out with a weekend off before a tough November schedule with familiar foes awaits (Notre Dame, Mankato, UMD and Wisconsin).

Ohio State Brings Out The Brooms: That's a sweep, the Buckeyes (3-3-0) earned their first wins of the season against a winless Robert Morris this past weekend. Ohio State continued the streak with a win Tuesday over Bowling Green. A cherry on top was junior forward Nick Oddo being named Big Ten's First Star of the Week for his three-point weekend (the only Big Ten player to do so this weekend). Oddo's line with Travis Statchuk and Matt Johnson combined for three goals and eight points. Things finally look like they might start to be clicking for the young Buckeye squad.

Michigan Holds Steady: A split against solid contenders with their first loss coming at the hands of UMass-Lowell, the Wolverines (4-1-1) stay in the No. 4 spot for both polls. Nothing to shutter at U-M faithful, the squad still looks great. In net Zach Nagelvoort (Big Ten's Third Star of the Week) looks comfortable, stopping an impressive 34 shots in Saturday's loss. Tyler Motte is leading the offense without hesitation. The defensive corps for the Wolverines are equally as impressive, ranking sixth in the nation with a 1.83 goals against average. Michigan has also held opponents to two goals or less in five of the six games this season. A weekend against Michigan Tech should be an easy test for Michigan.

Penn State Keeping Pace: The Nittany Lions are still looking good despite a recent 5-2 loss to Vermont. PSU is able to keep up with most of its opponents so far this season. Head Coach Guy Gadowsky told GoPSUSports.com that "I've learned this team has a lot more to learn." And with each game offers another learning experience for the DI newbies. I am liking the looks of Tommy Olyczk and Taylor Holmstrom as well as Nate Jensen and some of the younger defensemen. Time will tell for Penn State.

Spartans Sputter: First-win-monkey is off Michigan State's back. A rally from behind to topple ranked Boston University 3-1 looked promising but for the most part things are still a little sloppy looking for MSU. A Friday-Sunday series with American International might boost moral if they can pull it together.

Wisconsin Ready to Step Up?: A weekend off, the Badgers should be ready to roar back with a weekend against Lake Superior at the Kohl Center. They have so many of the pieces in place for a great season but are slumping similar to last year. Anxious to see how November treats them.

1° Below Freezing: Quick Hits In B1G Hockey

By Jessi Pierce

Minnesota Women's team wins NCAA championship and 41 straight wins -- Remember this year's hype over the Miami Heat's win streak and the Chicago Blackhawks point streak? Well the Gopher women's hockey team shattered that value of impressiveness by winning back-to-back national championships this past weekend, capping off a perfect 41-0 season. The women beat Boston University at home and extended their win streak to 49 games. In doing so, the Gophers became the first Division I hockey team — men’s or women’s — to complete an undefeated NCAA championship season since the Cornell men’s team went 29-0 in 1970. Leave it to women to get the job done right...Congrats ladies!

Woah, Wisconsin -- At the end of November, I had all but counted Wisconsin out from a winning record, let alone a WCHA Final Five appearance. It might have been the Gopher fan in me, championing for them to fail; shame on me. Not only did the Badgers prove me wrong, they captured the WCHA conference tournament with a 3-2 win over Colorado College. Wisconsin has done a complete 180 and again look to be a potential national contender.

Two Big Ten teams make NCAA tourny -- Minnesota and Wisconsin are expected to be two of the most dominate programs in the Big Ten conference next year (no surprise) and both teams got the nod for the NCAA tournament, kicking off this weekend. The Gophers earned the No. 1 seed in the western regional taking place in Grand Rapids, Mich., and Wisconsin the No. 4 in the Northeast regional in New Hampshire. Despite Michigan making the CCHA tournament championship (falling to Notre Dame), they missed the cut along with Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State. Minnesota plays at 2 p.m. on Friday against Yale (on ESPNU) and Wisconsin squares off against No. 1 UMass-Lowell at 4:30 p.m. on Friday (on ESPN3).

Don Lucia named 2014 U.S. World Junior coach -- Minnesota head coach Don Lucia adds a boost to his coaching resume, announced as the the 2014 head coach of the U.S. World Junior Championship team. Lucia will be joined behind the bench by Greg Brown, Boston College
associate head coach; Bob Motzko, head coach at St. Cloud State; David Lassonde, assistant coach at the University of Denver, and Dan Muse, assistant coach at Yale University, will serve as a video coach.

Follow Jessi Pierce on Twitter at @jessi_pierce

1° Below Freezing: Quick Hits In B1G Hockey

By Jessi Pierce

Happy New Year folks. For most of our Big Ten teams, 2013 means not just a new year, but hope for a turnaround on the season at its halfway point. Here's what's happening with our favorite teams and players.

° U-S-A! U-S-A! — In case you weren't awake at 4 a.m. this morning to check in on the World Junior Championship tournament rivalry match-up between Team USA and Canada in Ufa, Germany, well, you missed quite a lot. University of Wisconsin stud and the U.S. National Junior Team's Captain, Jake McCabe notched two past USA's hockey foes in a 5-1 romping to advance the red, white and blue to the gold medal game on Saturday. Team USA's roster boasts not only McCabe, but includes Jacob Trouba (University of Michigan) and Mike Reilly (University of Minnesota) representing Big Ten teams. Here is what United States of Hockey's Chris Peters had to say about each of their play in the big win Thursday morning.

"Jake McCabe — Team USA’s captain was named the player of the game and he deserves it. A force at both ends of the ice, his two goals in the first period set the tone for the game and allowed the U.S. to take control. Both goals were aided by net-front presence and screens, but McCabe’s shot was on the money on both occasions. Those were two high-pressure goals and the captain delivered. McCabe as also terrific in his own end, shutting down opposing forwards and aiding the transition with good up-ice passing."

"Jacob Trouba — Trouba brought some physicality, but he also showed off the skill that has made him the tournament’s top-scoring defender. He very well could end up as the directorate award winner for the tournament’s best defenseman with the way he’s played. Trouba has been the most consistent guy from start to finish for the Americans and has affected the game at both ends of the ice. His development over the last two years has been something else."

"Mike Reilly — Reilly deserves a lot of credit for his role on Team USA’s first goal. He helped spark the transition to get players down ice and then earned an assist by getting the puck near the net and following the play. He’s an offensively gifted player and he has been able to show that a lot more the last three games."

I couldn't agree more with Peters' assessment on not only those three players, but all of Team USA's performance throughout the tournament and this morning; especially goaltender John Gibson who shut down the Canadians in all three periods of play. Take a peek at some of the highlights and see for yourself.

° Gophers back on top — After completely handling former USCHO No. 1 and defending national champions, Boston College in the Mariucci Classic last Sunday with an 8-1 score, the Minnesota Gophers find themselves in the No. 1 spot before heading into arguably a much tougher second half of the season. Upcoming contests with Notre Dame, North Dakota, Denver and St. Cloud State among other teams will be a test for the maroon and gold, but after witnessing the depth of each line this past weekend, I see Minnesota holding tight to that top spot for a few weeks yet. Interesting note, Minnesota is the only Big Ten team to be ranked in this week's USCHO poll. More on that below. 

° Michigan's Treais suspended one game — In another holiday tournament, Michigan and Michigan State battled it out in the CCHA's Great Lakes Invitational third place game, possibly a bit too physical. Wolverines captain and senior forward A.J. Treais was handed a one game suspension following Michigan's win over the Spartans for what the CCHA said was Treais' contact to MSU's Matt DeBlouw's head. Here is what the CCHA said in an official release:

"Senior forward A.J. Treais of the University of Michigan has been suspended for one (1) game. The action was taken by the league after a review of an incident that occurred near the 17:28 mark of the third period in a game against Michigan State and resulted in the player receiving major and game misconduct penalties for Contact to the Head."

The suspension will cause Treais to miss Michigan's next regular season game against Bowling Green on Jan. 8 but will be eligible to play against the NTDP in exhibition Friday. One game isn't all that bad — and to be honest neither was the hit, definitely not intentional head to head contact — but the Wolverines need all they can to pick themselves up heading into the second half of their schedule.

° Big Ten struggles continue — Not only do the Gophers garner the No. 1 spot in the nation, but Minnesota is the only Big Ten team above .500 this regular season with a 13-3-3 record overall. Ohio State holds a 7-8-5 record, Penn State is at 8-9, Michigan is holding a 7-10-2 record, Michigan State going 5-11-3 and Wisconsin rounding out the pack with a grim 4-7-5 record.

Time still remains in the season to turn some things around for all the teams, but it doesn't exactly speak well for the Big Ten hockey conference. For more on the break down, check out Roman Augustoviz column in the Star Tribune.

1° Below Freezing: Quick Hits In B1G Hockey

By Jessi Pierce

Each week, we at B1G Ice Hockey will bring you our weekly check-in with Big Ten teams, starting with teams on the hot streak and ending with teams that seem to be ice cold. Enjoy.

° Gophers stay hot — After pulling out three of four points at Mariucci against neighbor Wisconsin and a clean sweep at Vermont, Minnesota seems to keep the wins coming, remaining unbeaten in its past six contests. The only Big Ten team to be ranked in the top 20 in either national college hockey poll this week, — ranked third in both the USCHO and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine — the Gophers 9-2-2 record stands apart from the B1G pack, too.

A scoring prowess up front, a solid blue line defense and even better goaltending, Minnesota fans are feeling like they once again hold the state's, and nation's, "Pride on Ice." But the Gophers will be tested this weekend when Nebraska-Omaha comes to town with the same six-game winning streak. Even more similarities, the Maverick's leading scorer Ryan Walters is tied for fifth in the WCHA in scoring with Minnesota's Erik Haula at 16 points a piece. Omaha also boasts a big sweep over the University of Minnesota-Duluth and is without a loss the entire month of November.

Minnesota will have to take control early and shouldn't expect a cake walk this weekend.

Puck drops Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.

° Buckeyes holding their own —I have been fairly impressed with Ohio State's play so far this season.   A young squad, they are holding their own, tied for second in the CCHA with Notre Dame and Ferris State. Holding a 5-4-3 record, the Buckeyes boasted early season wins over Minnesota-Duluth, Bowling Green and a sweep at home against Northern Michigan.  Sophomore Tanner Fritz is leading the offensive charge for the team with 11 points through 12 games. Between the pipes senior Brady Hjelle is leading the CCHA with a mere three goals allowed this season and a .62 goals against average. Hjelle was also named the CCHA Goaltender of the Week for the second time this season following the Buckeyes split with Lake Superior last weekend.

Ohio State hits the road to East Lansing, Mich., this weekend for a Big Ten match-up and current CCHA rival series with Michigan State. The Spartans have had their own struggles establishing consistency this season (more on that below) but tend to have the upperhand over Ohio State as all-time history shows with the Buckeyes recording 26-84-8 against the Spartans. In the last 30 match-ups however, the series is even at 14-14-2.

It's anyones game this weekend.

Puck drops Friday at 8:05 p.m. ET and 6:05 p.m. ET on Saturday.

° Penn State on the upswing — To be honest, it seems Penn State still hasn't gotten the credit they deserve. It's a big leap from ACHA to NCAA but this is a squad that is holding its own against some of the big boys. Point proven by keeping with No. 7 Union on the road last weekend, the nation's leading offense. Remember, Union was in the Frozen Four last year and is a remarkably good program. Sure Penn State lost, first 2-0 on Friday and managed to get on the board Saturday with a 4-1 loss. But they played with Union each period right to the end.

Another big rebound night came when Air Force put up 5 against them Nov. 9  (in a game where even Air Force head coach Frank Serratore said that Penn State deserved to win) and the Nittany Lions turned that score around for a 5-1 win on Saturday.

The thing that I enjoy about this team is they know they are the underdogs and they welcome the challenge. Scheduled games in the second half of the season against future Big Ten foes Michigan State and Wisconsin will be another true test but for the most part, despite the 6-5-0 record, I think PSU is one of the stronger teams right now in the conference.

Up next for the Nittany Lions is a visit from ACHA's Arizona State.

Puck drops at 7:30 p.m. ET both Friday and Saturday.

° Michigan struggles — Typically a dominant force in the CCHA and expected to be a top powerhouse in the Big Ten next year, Michigan can't seem to find their footing yet this season. With a roster stocked with the NHL draft picks, the Wolverines should be doing better than their 5-7-1 record shows.

A.J. Treais, Mac Bennett, Alex Guptill and Jacob Trouba are all putting up the points (46 between the four of them) but lazy third periods and finishing the game seems to have Michigan working against itself. Some of the top CCHA opponents are behind them for now (split with Miami, split with Michigan State and a recent sweep by Notre Dame) but if Michigan doesn't get the wheels clicking soon, it's going to be a tough road ahead.

Coming off a schedule that had a win at Yost against Bowling Green on Nov. 21 followed by a loss to No. 13 Cornell at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 24, the Wolverines head to Big Rapids, Mich., for a series this weekend with Ferris State.

Kyle Bonis is the go-to guy for Ferris State. If the Wolverines can shut him down and limit the amount of shots he puts on net, they should be able to pull out the sweep and start their climb back up the CCHA.

Puck drops Friday and Saturday at 7:05 p.m. ET.

° Spartans still middle of the pack — Michigan State has yet to face some of its toughest opponents and even some worthy ones defeated the Spartans already this year. A record of 4-6-2 on the season so far, the Spartans have typically been known as a middle of the pack team, and remain to be. A big CCHA (and ego) win over Michigan is the team's only notable win so far and a rally for a 2-2 tie with Miami was another big point. But ultimately it's a team that has yet to impress me.

The offense is inconsistant and, like its foe Michigan, has yet to get everything working together. According to Neil Koepke with MSUSpartans.com "In 12 games this season, MSU has scored two or fewer goals in seven contests."

Heading into Ohio State will be another big test for the Spartans and should be a great series matchup, with Friday's game televised on the Big Ten Network.

° Wisconsin woes continue — The only more inconsistent team and one that has scored less than Michigan State is Wisconsin. While of course my inner Gopher smiles slyly at putting the Badgers at the bottom, even loyal fans are questioning whether this is rock bottom for Wisconsin, who is just 1-7-2 this season.

As Andy Johnson, Badger writer for Bucky's 5th Quarter tweeted: "UW's record now stands at 1-7-2. They've scored more than two goals only once. I'd say this is rock bottom but we go to Denver next week."

It seems like there will be no time for the Badgers to come up from air after dropping their last weekend  games at Minnesota. Ineligible Nic Kerdiles will be able to return to the lineup for this coming weekend against the Pioneers, but is that the only spark that Wisconsin so desperately needs? We will see.

Puck drops at 9 p.m. CT Friday and 8 p.m. CT Saturday.

B1G Rankings

1. Minnesota

2. Ohio State

3. Penn State

4. Michigan 

5. Michigan State

6. Wisconsin