What Does Friday's Announcement Mean for College Hockey?

College Hockey was on full display during the 2017 National Hockey League Entry Draft in Chicago, but not only for the players selected (a total of 60 -- 18 from Big Ten schools).

On Friday, just a few hours prior to the first round of the draft, the NHL, NHLPA and a number of college hockey representatives gathered for an announcement "special to college hockey."

Tourney Talk: Thoughts Heading Into Big Ten Tournament

By Miles McQuinn

What a wild finish to the Big Ten Conference regular season. All six teams are set to make their journey to Joe Louis Arena with the hopes of not only a conference title, but the chance to play for an NCAA title as well. Unfortunately, it looks like the Big Ten will only have one, maybe two representatives in the big dance this year. Regardless, here's my thoughts on each team as an exciting weekend in the motor city quickly approaches.

Does The Shootout Format Win Or Lose?

By Jessi Pierce

Julie "the Cat" Gaffney said it best: "I hate ties, it's like kissing your brother."

Of course shootouts were her thing because of this beauty of a save during the Ducks' Team USA debut.

The B1G Scoreboard (1/23/14/-1/26/14)

Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014: What The First Half of Big Ten Hockey Season Taught Us

College hockey season has officially reached the halfway point. Two weeks – or more for some teams – of holiday break and fans are ready to have hockey back.

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.

The B1G Scoreboard (10/15/13-10/17/13)

Men's Scores From 10/14/13:

• UMass-Lowell 4, Penn State 0 -- Men's Hockey Falls to UMass-Lowell, 4-0

Men's Scores From 10/15/13:

• Wisconsin 0, Miami 2 -- Seeing Red: Miami shuts down Badgers, 2-0

• Canisius 0, Ohio State 3 -- Buckeyes Shut Out Canisius, 3-0, in Series Opener

• UMass-Lowell 3, Penn State 2 -- Scheid, Goodwin Score in 3-2 Loss to No. 13/16 UML

• Mankato 1, Minnesota 4 -- Gophers take down Mavericks 4-1

• Michigan 2, Nebraska-Omaha 3 -- Wolverines Stymied by Two UNO Third-Period Goals

Women's Scores From 10/15/13:

• Penn State 1, RIT 2

• Minnesota-Duluth 3, Ohio State 2

• Northeastern 2, Wisconsin 3

Men's Scores From 10/16/13:

• Wisconsin 3, Miami 2 -- RedHawk Down: Late LaBate goal gives UW 3-2 win

• Canisius 1, Ohio State 3 -- Buckeyes Complete Sweep with 3-1 Win over Canisius

• Mankato 0, Minnesota 3 -- Shibrowski Stymies Mavericks in 3-0 Win

• Michigan 4, Nebraska-Omaha 3 -- DeBlois' Game-Winner Lifts Michigan to Win at UNO

Women's Scores From 10/16/13:

• Penn State 2, RIT 3 

• Minnesota-Duluth 2, Ohio State 0

• North Dakota 1, Minnesota 6

Women's Scores From 10/17/13:

• North Dakota 3, Minnesota 2

Big Ten Hockey Schedule Released

By Jessi Pierce

In the words of this year’s Bud Light slogan: “Here we go.”

The Big Ten hockey conference is finally almost upon us, becoming more official with the release of the Big Ten hockey schedule earlier this week.

B1G Hockey kicks off with familiar rivals, as former CCHA foes Ohio State and Michigan duke it out in Ann Arbor on Nov. 29 and WCHA and longtime hockey rivals Wisconsin and Minnesota face a border battle at Mariucci the same night.

One of the biggest things to note on the Big Ten schedule is it deviates from the typical Friday/Saturday series games. Right off the bat, the opening Michigan and Ohio State matchup is played on Friday with the second game not played until Monday (Dec. 2 at Ohio State for a home-and-home series).

As many would have guessed this of course is to better accommodate the Big Ten Network T.V. schedule (clearly football gets precedence for Saturday primetime action). While I personally can never get enough college hockey, splitting a series to go Friday/Sunday or even Friday/Monday I am not particularly crazy about. Should be interesting to see what players and coaches think about it.

Having only six teams, there will be plenty of rotation between all of the programs and you can bet it won’t take too long for bad blood to form when facing eachother that often. Think about it.
It’s also nice to see that teams are still able to schedule games with some former opponents prior to jumping into Big Ten season. Minnesota has games with Bemidji, Boston College, Notre Dame, Mankato and Duluth before Big Ten play.

So what do you think of the scheduling? And are you ready for the season to hit?

The B1G Scoreboard (12/7/12-12/912)

Men's Scores From 12/7/12:

• Michigan State 2, Notre Dame 3 — Darnell scores twice in 3-2 loss to No.4/5 Irish
• Minnesota 4, Colorado College 2 — Gophers kick off weekend with 4-2 win over No.19 Tigers
• Michigan Tech 1, Wisconsin 1 — Wisconsin forces 1-1 overtime tie against Michigan Tech
• Penn State 4, Holy Cross 5 OT — Men's hockey falls to Holy Cross, 5-4, in OT
• Robert Morris 3, Ohio State 2 — Buckeyes drop 3-2 game to Robert Morris

Women's Scores From 12/7/12:

• Minnesota 5, Bemidji State 1
• Penn State 1, St. Lawrence3

Men's Scores From 12/8/12:

• Michigan State 1, Notre Dame 5 — Spartans fall, 5-1, at Notre Dame
• Minnesota 4, Colorado College 4 OT — Gophers take three WCHA points from Tigers, tie 4-4 in overtime
• Michigan Tech 3, Wisconsin 3 OT — Going the distance: Wisconsin and Michigan Tech tie 3-3 in overtime
• Penn State 1, Holy Cross 4 — Jensen scores in 4-1 loss to Holy Cross
• Ohio State 2, Robert Morris 2 OT — Buckeyes rally for 2-2 tie at Robert Morris

Women's Scores From 12/8/12:

• Minnesota 5, Bemidji State 0
• North Dakota 2, Wisconsin 3
• RIT 1, Ohio State 3
• Penn State 2, St. Lawrence 4

Women's Scores From 12/9/12:

• North Dakota 1, Wisconsin 3
• RIT 2, Ohio State 6

Who Should Get The Next B1G Hockey Invite?

By Jessi Pierce

Ah, the smell of college hockey is in the air. As the last season before Big Ten Hockey broaches itself on the NCAA landscape gets underway, rumors of course swirl around who could be next to join Big Ten Hockey status.

Truth is, it's difficult to make the leap to that next level. With Title IX to be considered and the most important aspect being the funds needed to make a Div.I caliber team, not everyone can make the seemingly easy transition that Penn State did — though we here at Big Ten Hockey wish they all could.

Still, let's look at some of the reasons each Big Ten school could, given the right funding and support, open the gates for hockey.

University of Illinois
Located in Urbana-Champaigne, Ill.
• DI sports: Men's —baseball, basketball, cross country, fencing, football, golf, gymnastics, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and wrestling.
Women's — basketball, golf, gymnastics, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

A program that I became familiar with during my time at Iowa State, Illinois is an obvious choice. The state itself is a hotbed for hockey. To begin, you have the 2010 Stanley Cup Championship Chicago Blackhawks, the American Hockey League's Chicago Wolves, a great feeder team for the NHL's Vancouver Canucks and kids in Illinois rival neighboring Minnesota with the passion they have for the game beginning at the Peewee levels. The only thing missing it seems is college hockey.

The Fighting Illini have seen success on the ice in the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) DI club level, winning the national championship in 2008 (with not a loss all season to blemish their record) and in 2005 — defeating then ACHA Penn State. They were also crowned runners-up in 2009 and 2002 — losing to Penn State in '02.

Anyone visiting the Illinois Ice Arena, or the "Big Pond," knows the atmosphere is intense, similar to what can be seen at NCAA DI hockey stage. Fans hover over the opposing players bench and the rink itself is built to be Olympic size, making it an even tougher challenge for visiting teams.

It would be a great move for this program. Recruits would be plenty in the state and I imagine would most definitely draw interested parties from outside its borders.

More on the current team and club program is offered here in the school's student newspaper.


Imagining the move to DI: 2018



Indiana University
Located in Bloomington, Ind.
• DI sports: Men's —basketball, football, soccer, swimming and diving, golf, tennis, wrestling, track and field and cross country.
Women's — basketball, soccer, cross country, rowing, field hockey, tennis, water polo, golf, track and field, volleyball and softball.

While Indiana may not possess some of the obvious benefits that Illinois did, they still have something to bring to the Big Ten Hockey table.

Typically known as a basketball state, the Hoosiers made the move from Div. II ACHA club level to DI in 2008. Another opponent for the Cyclones, I was able to see some strengths in the fairly new team. Though not a lot of depth, Indiana was able to hold their own at the ACHA DI level in one of the arguably tougher conferences, the Central States Collegiate Hockey League.

From the sounds of it, Indiana continues to see their club program grow in interest. Crowds will be a tough sell, with the Hoosier basketball team dominating the fanbase which could also potentially make recruitment hard as hockey is not the main choice in winter sports for youth.

They probably aren't even considering the option in Bloomington just yet, but should they talk about it I can see Indiana being one of the last teams to join the Big Ten. Still would be great to have them.


Imagining the move to DI: 2024



University of Iowa
Located in Iowa City, Iowa
• DI sports: Men's —baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, swimming and diving, gymnastics, track and field, cross country and wrestling.
Women's —basketball, golf, field hockey, rowing, tennis, softball, cross country, track and field, gymnastics, swimming and diving, soccer and volleyball.

Another newcomer on the ACHA DI scene, putting all rivalries aside, the Hawkeyes also have some potential. There were meek beginnings for the club team at first, barely able to field more than two lines and desperate for players. I'm told both the team, and program, have grown since then.

As much of a surprise as it may be to some, Iowa actually has its fair share of hockey pockets, too. Home to numerous junior hockey teams including Iowa City's neighboring Cedar Rapids where the United States Hockey League's Roughriders reign, Iowa has more than just farmland.

Football is king on the Iowa City campus as is wrestling, but with such a short season, how great would it be to add hockey into the winter mix. I know first hand (as a Gopher and Cyclone) how passionate those Hawkeye fans can be and I can see hockey bringing out the crowd even louder.


Imagining the move to DI: 2022


University of Nebraska
Located in Lincoln, Neb.
• DI sports: Men's —baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, gymnastics, tennis, track and field and wrestling.
Women's — basketball, bowling, cross country, golf, gymnastics, rifle, soccer, softball, swimming and diving, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

A newcomer to the Big Ten league and a powerhouse in football, volleyball and at times baseball and basketball, the idea of introducing hockey into the mix is exciting on a variety of levels.

We talked about Cornhusker hockey a year ago and Corn Nation entertained the idea recently, planting the seed in people's minds once again.

Nebraska, like the others could pull this off. Omaha has seen great success in the Div. I rankings with the University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks holding their own not only in the competition, but in the market as well.

Just getting things on ice rolling with an ACHA Div.III hockey team, time will tell how successful a DI program could be in Lincoln. The USHL has given a home to the Stars which has seen varied success of its own, but it still begs the question of how great a market could be in Nebraska.

Imagining the move to DI: 2020

Northwestern University
Located in Evanston, Ill.
• DI sports: Men's — baseball, basketball, football, golf, tennis, soccer, swimming and diving and wrestling.
Women's —basketball, golf, swimming and diving, fencing, lacrosse, cross country, field hockey, softball, soccer, tennis and volleyball.

Another Chicago based school, I echo many of the same sentiments for Northwestern as I did with Illinois only with slightly less aggressiveness.

Northwestern is currently playing ACHA Div. III club hockey and with the ability to draw on local hockey players still interested in playing hockey has been able to maintain a roster of some depth.

Big Ten anchor Rick Pizzo tweeted to B1G Ice Hockey Thursday that a Northwestern journalism student had recently contacted him in regards to the school making the hockey move up. Here is what Pizzo had to say in his tweets to us:

A B1G shout-out to Pizzo for keeping the topic going, and Wildcats it looks like you have someone backing you guys for the move up.


Imagining the move to DI: 2020

Purdue University
Located in West Lafayette, Ind.
• DI sports: Men's —baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, swimming and diving, wrestling and track and field.
Women's —basketball, cross country, field hockey, golf, soccer, softball, tennis, track and field and volleyball.

Purdue, similar to its state counterpart Indiana, has made little effort to jump on the ice.

Purdue is another one quietly making ripples in the ACHA. There's a passion on the ice, but not quite a enough. For that reason, I foresee them being the last to join Big Ten Hockey, if ever. Again, not that it wouldn't be great to have them join!

Imagining the move to DI: 2027

The B1G Scoreboard (10/11/12-10/13/12)

Men's Scores From 10/11/12:

• RIT 5, Michigan 4 OT - Michigan drops season opener to RIT in overtime

Men's Scores From 10/12/12:

• RIT 2, Michigan 7 - Four-goal third allows Wolverines to tame RIT Tigers

• Ohio State 2, Minnesota-Duluth 6 - Buckeyes drop season opener to No.12/13 Bulldogs 6-2

• Michigan State 1, Minnesota 5 - Gophers cruise to 5-1 win in season opener

• Northern Michigan 2, Wisconsin 1 - Wisconsin allows pair of late-period goals in season opener loss

• American International 3, Penn State 2 OT - Lions fall to AIC, 3-2, in OT in first NCAA game

Women's Scores From 10/12/12:

• North Dakota 3, Ohio State 5

• Minnesota 5, St. Lawrence 0

Men's Scores From 10/13/12:

• Ohio State 3, Minnesota-Duluth 2 - Buckeyes top No.12/13 Minnesota Duluth, 3-2

• Michigan State 1, Minnesota 7 - Gophers complete season-opening sweep with 7-1 win

• Northern Michigan 4, Wisconsin 2 - Wisconsin loses late to Northern Michigan

• American International 3, Penn State 4 OT - Glen lifts men's hockey to 4-3 OT victory against AIC

Women's Scores From 10/13/12:

• Syracuse 4, Penn State 0

• North Dakota 2, Ohio State 0

• Wisconsin 0, Minnesota-Duluth 2

• Minnesota 6, St. Lawrence 0

Women's Scores From 10/14/12:

• Syracuse @ Penn State 2 ET

• Wisconsin @ Minnesota-Duluth 3:05 CT

How Will The NHL Lockout Affect The College Game?

By Jessi Pierce

The inevitable became a reality at 12:01 a.m. Sept. 16.

Hockey fans will be without a professional season — or at least a delayed start — for the second time in eight years with the NHLPA and NHL owners not agreeing to terms for a CBA.

Before I go off on a tangent about the frustrations of losing another season of the professional sport that has to work so hard to gain the attention of fans in the first place, I will start by stating the obvious:

It sucks.

It sucks for the sport of hockey, and mostly it sucks for its fans.

Locking the doors to professional teams and a season of course always begs the question: Will it help enhance the college hockey season as fan focus shifts to the collegiate level in attempts to quench their thirst for the game that was taken away for the year?

I have always been a devout college hockey fan, especially in the years when the state of hockey had no pro team and where the Gophers have always reigned as "Minnesota's Pride On Ice." We already saw NBC Sports Network release a beefed up college hockey schedule for this year as the lockout loomed. The programming will include 24 match-ups — including Wisconsin and Michigan State games — beginning in October in an effort to alleviate TV scheduling lost from an undetermined amount of a missing NHL season.

Yes, that's pretty great for college hockey, and hockey in general, to add more exposure in a season starting in professional turmoil. And on a broad scale, I do think that in areas where an NHL team is based, college games might have a few more seats filled.

Add in the fact that the allure of the NHL to players who might be more likely to jump ship in favor of a signing bonus is now tainted, sure, the NHL lockout has some bright spots in college hockey.

BUT...in the grand scheme of the whole mess, while I would love to see everyone hop on the bandwagon of college hockey for this season, the truth is, the lockout is terrible for the sport overall.

It's a blatant disrespect for fans. Fans whose money is being fought over. Fans who love the game and shell out ticket, merchandise and concession money year after year wanting nothing more than to see and experience the game they love.

How long will the NHL and player's union hold out? In my opinion, probably not the entire 2012-13 season, and it will be a welcome relief when the college teams take to the ice on time in October.

So what do you guys think? In your minds, how will this lockout affect NCAA hockey and the sport beyond this year? Comment, Tweet (@B1GIceHockey) or email us at B1gIceHockey@gmail.com.

Let's hear it!