Big Ten Hockey News
BIG TEN HOCKEY
• Big Ten Hockey rolls into the second half of its conference schedule with six teams in action this week. One of college hockey’s best rivalries resumes when No. 1/1 Michigan State meets No. 10/10 Michigan in a home-and-home series starting Friday in Ann Arbor. Saturday’s rematch in East Lansing will be carried by the Big Ten Network. The top-ranked Spartans are unbeaten in nine games (7-0-2) since their last loss on Dec. 6 (one of only two on the season). No. 3/3 Minnesota, a point out of first, plays host to Notre Dame to close the season series. The Gophers took two games from the Irish in November. Out of conference, Penn State will host Canisius and rv/rv Wisconsin is home against Long Island. The Big Ten sports a 47-15-4 record (.742) against nonconference opponents and independents this season. Ohio State, picked to finish seventh in the preseason poll, heads into a bye week residing in third place in the Big Ten standings.
• Four Big Ten schools are ranked in the top-10 of the USCHO.com and USA Hockey/The Rink Live polls. Michigan State occupies the consensus No. 1 spot for the fourth week — a position the Big Ten has held since Nov. 25 (seven weeks). Minnesota is steady at No. 3/3 for the fourth consecutive week while Ohio State recently earned its highest ranking of the season at No. 8/8. Michigan, entrenched in the top-10 since November, currently resides at No. 10/10.
• Michigan State’s Isaac Howard (four goals) and Notre Dame’s Justin Janicke (three goals) turned in hat tricks last week, etching their names in the Big Ten Record Book as well. Howard became the fourth player to score four goals in a Big Ten game, joining Michigan’s T.J. Hughes, who accomplished the feat against Penn State on Nov. 23, along with Michigan’s Luke Hughes (2023) and Michigan State’s Erik Middendorf (2022). Both Howard and Janicke compiled five-point games, matching the conference record held by 10 other players. In addition, Danny Nelson of Notre Dame recorded the highest plus/minus rating ever for a Big Ten game, finishing a plus-six in a 7-4 win over Michigan on Saturday.
• Howard, the reigning Big Ten First Star of the Week, has opened a three-point gap in the chase for the conference scoring title. Sporting a seven-game goal-scoring streak, Howard owns 20 points (11-9) in 12 games while Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud has 17 points (9-8) in 12 games and Wisconsin’s Quinn Finley 16 points (8-8) in 14 contests. Taro Hirose in 2018-19 is the lone Spartan to win a Big Ten scoring title. Sophomore Sam Rinzel of Minnesota is the Big Ten’s top scoring defenseman, compiling 13 points (4-9) in 12 games.
• The tournament lineup for the 2025 Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off was announced last week and features a competitive field. Wisconsin will join Boston College, Western Michigan and Lake Superior State at the Fiserv Forum in Milwaukee on Dec. 28-29. The Badgers have won the event three times since the tournament debuted four years ago.
B1G Players of the Week 1.15.25
Michigan State, Minnesota and Notre Dame Win Three Stars Awards
Howard (MSU), Janicke (ND) and Souliere (MINN) earn weekly honors
B1G Offensive Standings (Top 10) 1.15
