The B1G Scoreboard (1/8/13-1/13/13)

Men's Scores From 1/8/13:

• Bowling Green 5, Michigan 1 —Wolverines dealt CCHA defeat by Bowling Green

• Notre Dame 1, Minnesota 4 — No. 1 Gophers get hot early in 4-1 win over No. 2/3 Notre Dame

Men's Scores From 1/11/13:

• Ohio State 3, Ferris State 1 — Buckeyes post 3-1 win at Ferris State

• Notre Dame 1, Michigan State 0 — Spartan heartbreak once again, 1-0 to Notre Dame

• Alaska 5, Michigan 4 — Comeback effort falls one goal short in loss to Alaska

• Wisconsin 4, Minnesota State 3 OT — Wisconsin upsets No. 11 Minnesota State in overtime, 4-3

• Alaska-Anchorage 3, Minnesota 4 — Marshall's late goal propels Gophers to 4-3 win over UAA

• U.S. U18 Team 2, Penn State 5 — Lions score 5-2 comeback win against Team USA

Women's Scores From 1/11/13:

• North Dakota 3, Minnesota 6

• Ohio State 1, Wisconsin 4

• Penn State 0, Union 1

Men's Scores From 1/12/13:

• Ohio State 1, Ferris State 3 — Buckeyes fall to Ferris State, 3-1

• Notre Dame 1, Michigan State 4 — Spartans knock off No. 2 Notre Dame, 4-1

• Alaska 4, Michigan 1 — U-M draws short straw in battle of power plays against Alaska

• Wisconsin 2, Minnesota State 1 OT — Ramage the hero again as Badgers win 2-1 in overtime at Minnesota State

• Alaska-Anchorage 1, Minnesota 7 — Rau's first hat trick gives Minnesota 7-1 win, sweep over UAA

• U.S. U18 Team 3, Penn State 0 — Men's hockey splits weekend series with 3-0 loss to Team USA

Women's Scores From 1/12/13:

• North Dakota 3, Minnesota 6

• Ohio State 1, Wisconsin 2

• Penn State 1, Union 2

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.

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

The B1G Scoreboard (11/30/12-12/2/12)

Men's Scores From 11/30/12:

• Omaha 3, Minnesota 2 — Mavericks outlast Gophers in series opener 

• Ohio State 1, Michigan State 0 — Buckeyes top Spartans, 1-0, behind Hjelle and Dzingel

• Michigan 0. Ferris State 5 — Michigan ends November with loss at Ferris State

• Penn State 8, Arizona State 3 — Men's hockey downs Arizona State, 8-3

• Wisconsin 1, Denver 1 OT — Wisconsin takes WCHA-leading Denver to 1-1 tie

Women's Scores From 11/30/12:

• Penn State 0, Mercyhurst 5

• Ohio State 0, Minnesota State 0 OT Ohio State wins shootout 3-1

Men's Scores From 12/1/12:

• Omaha 2, Minnesota 3 – Gophers top Omaha 3-2 in series finale

• Ohio State 3, Michigan State 1 — Buckeyes top Spartans, 3-1, for series sweep

• Michigan 3, Ferris State 3 OT Michigan wins shootout 3-2 in 4 rds —Michigan ties Ferris State before prevailing in shootout

• Penn State 1, Arizona State 3 —Men's hockey falls to Arizona State, 3-1, Saturday night

• Wisconsin 3, Denver 1 — Wisconsin upsets No.5 Denver, 3-1

Women's Scores From 12/1/12:

• Penn State 1, Mercyhurst 7

• Ohio State 4, Minnesota State 3

• Wisconsin 1, Minnesota 4

Women's Scores From 12/2/12:

• Wisconsin @ Minnesota

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