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• The top two teams in the Big Ten standings collide this week when No. 2/2 Michigan State plays host to No. 4/3 Minnesota, Friday and Saturday, at Munn Ice Arena. The Spartans and Golden Gophers gave the Big Ten a streak of seven weeks atop the national polls before Boston College became the new No. 1 on Monday. MSU recorded a 3-3 tie and a 5-3 win versus Minnesota Dec. 13-14 in Minneapolis. No. 9/8 Ohio State looks to solidify its hold on third place with a two-game series at Penn State while No. 10/10 Michigan travels to rv/rv Wisconsin in a showdown between fourth-place teams. The Big Ten Network will air a doubleheader on Saturday, starting with Minnesota-Michigan State (6 p.m. ET) followed by Michigan-Wisconsin (8:30 p.m. ET).
• The latest Pairwise Rankings include four Big Ten teams among the Top 16 — Michigan State (2nd), Minnesota (3rd), Ohio State (10th) and Michigan (10th). The Pairwise is a statistical formula that emulates the selection process for at-large bids to the 16-team NCAA Tournament.
• With the NCAA hockey season just past the midway mark, Big Ten players continue to lead the way in several statistical categories. Three of the top five scorers nationally reside in the conference with Michigan State junior Isaac Howard and Wisconsin sophomore Quinn Finley sharing the top spot with 18 goals each. Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud of Minnesota is tied for third with 15 markers. Penn State’s Aiden Fink is tied for sixth with 14 goals and Minnesota’s Brody Lamb tied for 10th with 13 tallies. The top three point producers are also from the Big Ten. Howard leads the nation with 36 points in 24 games, just ahead of Snuggerud (33 points) and Finley (33 points). Among goaltending leaders, Minnesota’s Liam Souliere stands seventh (1.78) and Ohio State’s Kristoffer Eberly eighth (1.80) in goals-against average. Souliere and Michigan State’s Trey Augustine are tied for ninth in save percentage (.932).
• The recently released NHL Central Scouting midterm rankings, which identifies top prospects for the 2025 NHL Draft, features five players from the Big Ten. Defenseman Logan Hensler of Wisconsin is ranked 10th overall among North American skaters. The list also includes Will Horcoff, who recently joined Michigan’s squad, at No. 28, Michigan State’s Shane Vansaghi at No. 36, Michigan’s Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen at No. 57 and Penn State’s Charlie Cerrato at No. 188. Since 2021, 70 NHL Draft picks have found a home in the Big Ten.
• Six Big Ten student-athletes have been included on the Watch List for the Mike Richter Award, presented to the nation’s top goaltender. Making the list are: Trey Augustine (Michigan State), Nathan Airey (Minnesota), Liam Souliere (Minnesota), Owen Say (Notre Dame), Kristoffer Eberly (Ohio State) and Tommy Scarfone (Wisconsin). Kyle McClellan of Wisconsin captured the Richter Award last season, becoming the third Big Ten netminder to do so. The Richter Award winner will be revealed at the Frozen Four in April.
