BIG TEN HOCKEY News and Notes
• Week Three of the college hockey season brings the first conference games of 2024-25 as No. 16/15 Wisconsin plays host to rv/rv Ohio State Friday and Saturday at the Kohl Center. Ohio State owns a 25-14-5 advantage in the conference series dating to the 2013-14 season. Four Big Ten teams will take part in nonconference/exhibition action. No. 6/6 Minnesota encounters rival rv/rv Minnesota Duluth on the road, No. 10/9 Michigan takes on No. 13/13 St. Cloud State and No. 18/18 Notre Dame opens its home schedule against Alaska. No. 4/4 Michigan State is home against Windsor in the weekend’s lone exhibition.
• Minnesota junior Connor Kurth and Michigan sophomore Garrett Schifsky turned in hat tricks on Oct. 11, fueling their respective teams to victory. Kurth factored in four goals (adding an assist) in Minnesota’s 7-1 win over Air Force at the Ice Breaker Tournament. Later that night, Schifsky scored two shorthanded goals and completed his three-goal performance with 1:20 left in regulation in a 4-1 win over Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz. Big Ten players accounted for 13 hat trick last season, which ranked second-best among conferences.
• The early stages of the 2024-25 season finds Big Ten players among active NCAA career leaders in several categories. Minnesota defenseman Mike Koster, in his fifth season, stands tied for second place in games played (142). Ohio State’s Gunnarwolfe Fontaine, a transfer from Northeastern, ranks fifth in points (98) and Jimmy Snuggerud of Minnesota is tied for sixth in goals (42). Wisconsin netminder Tommy Scarfone, formerly of RIT, leads the nation in saves (2,509) and shares the lead in wins (55).
• The Big Ten Hockey television schedule has been released and features a record 30 games on the Big Ten Network and the FOX Sports App. In addition, FS1 will carry a Dec. 6 contest between Michigan and Minnesota. The schedule includes the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals on March 15 and the Big Ten Championship Game on March 22. BTN will also broadcast three games of the Frozen Confines: Big Ten Hockey Series from Wrigley Field, Jan. 3-4, 2025. Additional games will also be available on B1G+, a subscription service for non-televised events and game archives.
• Big Ten Hockey fans can make a difference by taking part in “The We Give Blood Drive” organized by Abbott and the Big Ten Conference. Abbott and the Big Ten are pitting school against school in a donation competition to combat the largest blood shortage in a generation. The winning school will receive $1 million to advance student or community health. Individual donors will be offered a free one-month subscription to B1G+ and will be entered to win a trip to the 2024 Discover® Big Ten Football Championship Game on Dec. 7, 2024. Students, alumni, and fans can donate at mobile blood drives on campus and blood donation centers across the country. Results are being tracked at BigTen.Org/Abbott after donors attribute donations to their favorite school.