10 Things To Look Forward To This Big Ten Hockey Season

It's usually said that third time's a charm. As the Big Ten Conference prepares to opens its third official hockey season, we have high hopes that season no.3 will in fact be a good one.

Incoming rookies, television showcases, and a whole new year, there's no doubt that are lots of things we are looking forward to in the 2015-16 season. To save you the reading time, we've decided to cut that list. Here are our top 10 things to look forward to this year:

Ohio State Hockey Schedule: #TheGrind

By Miles McQuinn

To say that Ohio State's non-conference is among the toughest in the nation is more of an understatement than saying that the previous Big Ten Tournaments have lacked in attendance.

The Buckeye roster includes 27 players, with 10 freshmen, seven sophomores, seven juniors and three seniors.

Even with a ton of veterans coming back, it would still be tough to prepare for their 2015-16 schedule.

Throw in the amount of freshmen that need to get ready, and the situation gets even tougher for OSU head coach Steve Rohlik, who, by the way, has a new assistant coach in former Wisconsin standout defenseman Mark Strobel.

Let's take a look at what the Scarlet and Gray are up against this season as I highlight five of their marquee match-ups.

B1G TV 2015-16 Schedule Released

ROSEMONT, Ill. – The 2015-16 Big Ten hockey season will feature an extensive slate of television coverage, with more than 60 total games.The lineup is highlighted by a package of at least 22 national broadcasts to be carried on BTN, with another six on ESPNU and ESPNEWS, along with an additional 33 games to be carried on FOX Sports Regional Networks, American Sports Network and CN900.

BTN will broadcast at least 22 games with the first taking place on Friday, Dec. 11, when Michigan hosts Minnesota at 7 p.m. ET. Highlighting the BTN regular season schedule will be the Super Saturday - College Hoops & Hockey doubleheader on Jan. 30, when Michigan and Penn State will meet at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The teams will play a men’s basketball game at noon, followed by a hockey matchup at 7 p.m.

3v3 OT: Should the Big Ten Conference Adopt it?

By Jessi Pierce

As fans of the game, we can all agree that we like to take in some "free hockey" during the season. A last-second goal to push the game into overtime injects another level of excitement in the arena. But push it much past the first overtime -- or god-forbid five -- and things can get a bit stale.

Taking a page from the NHL's newly adopted 3-on-3 overtime rule -- approved by the NHL Board of Governor's earlier this summer -- the NCHC announced a 3-on-3 overtime for its league play, too. The team that wins in the 3-on-3 stanza, which takes place after an original 5-minute, 5-on-5 overtime, will receive an extra point in conference standings.

2015-16 Penn State Freshman Preview

By Miles McQuinn

Number of players lost: 9 – (7 due to graduation, 1 to the NHL (Casey Bailey, Toronto) and 1 by dismissal due to violation of team rules (Scott Conway))

Number of incoming freshmen: 7

Last year, in just its third season as a division I program, Penn State looked like it was a program on the verge of great things. Had they been able to keep their leading scorer, Casey Bailey, around for another season and had leading freshman scorer, Scott Conway, not violated team rules, the Nittany Lions could have been considered a top two finisher in the Big Ten this season. But those losses, plus the graduation of dishmaster Taylor Holstrom puts a major dent in the offense. The graduation of Partrick Koudys and Nate Jensen from the defensive core are considerable losses as well.

I don't see any of Penn State's freshmen forwards being able to make up for the losses, but I do see them having a potential role regarding the depth of the team as fourth liners. The defensemen have some quality talent, and I wouldn't be surprised if one or more of them play a primary role this season.

So let's check out Penn State's incoming freshmen for the 2015-16 campaign.