Midweek madness, again, in the Big Ten this week with contests running Wednesday through Friday. With the way our picks panned out last week, I think I speak for Paula in saying that we’re ready to take another shot at this.
Last week
Drew: 2-4-0 (.333)
Paula: 0-6-0 (.000)
This season
Drew: 12-7-1 (.625)
Paula: 8-11-1 (.425)
This week
All seven conference teams and the Sun Devils are in action this week. Game times are local.
No. 7 Michigan at Penn State
Wednesday and Thursday, 6:00 p.m.
Penn State will attempt to become the second consecutive team to get its first win of the season against Michigan. Problem for the Nittany Lions is that Notre Dame may have poked the bear last weekend. With the World Juniors on the horizon, this’ll be the last full-squad series Michigan plays for a bit. The Irish laid out the blueprint for beating Michigan, stifle them defensively. Considering the Nittany Lions have historically been an offensive-minded team, I’m not a fan of their chances to replicate that.
Drew: Michigan 5-2, 4-1
Paula: Michigan 4-2, 4-2
No. 5 Minnesota at Michigan State
Thursday and Friday at 8:00 p.m.
Minnesota hasn’t exactly dominated in either of its series this season, but it’s hard to argue against 4-0. The Gophers will get their first road test of the season in East Lansing. The Spartans will be a tough test for Minnesota, coming off of a series split with Ohio State. Michigan State has shown some defensive prowess over its four games allowing an average of 1.75 goals.
Drew: Minnesota 3-2, 3-1
Paula: Michigan State 3-2, Minnesota 4-2
No. 14 Wisconsin at No. 13 Ohio State
Thursday and Friday at 5:30 p.m.
We knew there was going to be some weird things that happened this season, but it was still something to see Wisconsin not be able to fill four forward lines last weekend. It looks like the Badgers won’t have a full lineup again this weekend, and more than likely for the rest of the first half of the season. The Buckeyes got their first win of the season on Sunday after dropping the first three contests. The offense woke up, scoring four goals, which was a welcome sight for a team that scored three combined goals in the first three games.
Drew: Ohio State 4-2, Wisconsin 3-1
Paula: Wisconsin 4-3, Ohio State 4-2
No. 20 Arizona State at No. 16 Notre Dame
Thursday and Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Both of these teams got much-needed sweeps last weekend and it’ll be interesting to see who can keep the momentum rolling. Notre Dame’s Ryan Bischel played well in net against Michigan, so you’d assume he gets a chance at an encore against the Sun Devils. It’ll be interesting to see if any fatigue starts setting in for Arizona State as its road trip drags on.
Drew: Notre Dame 3-1, 3-2
Paula: Notre Dame 3-2, 3-2
Tweet us!
Follow both of us (@drewclaussen and @paulacweston) on Twitter. Tweet us about hockey, or basically anything else. Enjoy the games, everyone!
