The first half of the Big Ten season is in the books and there have been a few surprises along the way, setting up an interesting second-half sprint to the conference playoffs.
As we head into the holiday break, here are some thoughts about each team.
Minnesota 15-3-2 (8-1-1 B1G)
The Golden Gophers had a golden first half – until they ran into the Spartans last weekend, that is. Anyone watching that series realized that Minnesota and Michigan State are contenders for the national championship, and there’s no doubt that coach Bob Motzko’s squad will use the tie and loss to propel them in the second half.
The Gophers earned one point in last weekend’s series and are still five points ahead of second-place Michigan State. Yes, the Minnesota has played two more games than have the Spartans, but that would be immaterial if the Gophers hadn’t done so much with their first eight B1G games. Their 5-3 loss Saturday was their first in conference play this season.
They’re deep at every position. They’re in a three-way tie for the top offense in the country, averaging 4.00 goals per game. They’re in a three-way tie for the seventh-best defense 2.00). Their special teams can improve, but that can be said of many B1G teams.
I go back to something Motzko said in November: “You don’t win championships early, but you can lose them.” The Gophers have done all they can in the first half to embrace that.
Minnesota begins the second half with a pair of home games against Mercyhurst (Jan. 3-4), and the Gophers return to Big Ten play on the road against Ohio State Jan. 10-11.
Michigan State 13-2-1 (6-2-1 B1G)
The Spartans are the most tenacious, diligent, and adaptive team playing college hockey right now. As coach Adam Nightingale put it in his radio show this week, “We can wear teams down and we can come back.”
This is a team that applies what it learns from every game to every subsequent game. After losing 3-0 to Boston College Oct. 11, Michigan State won their next nine games, stopped Dec. 6 in a 4-0 loss to Wisconsin. With just those two losses on the season, the Spartans are second only to Boston College in the PairWise Rankings.
Michigan State is fifth in the nation in offense (3.44), tied for fourth in defense (1.88) and does better than most B1G teams in special teams (.820 PK/25th, (.244 PP/12th). Like the Gophers, the Spartans are balanced and deep.
And how much fun is Isaac Howard this season? The junior – a first-round draft pick of Tampa in 2022 – had eight goals in 36 games last season. He’s at nine already this season, and he’s one of the most dynamic players in the league.
Like the Gophers, the Spartans have taken care of business well in the first half, setting Michigan State up for a run at the conference championship. The Spartans return to action in the Great Lakes Invitational in Grand Rapids, Mich., Dec. 29 when they face off against old CCHA rival Northern Michigan. That tourney features all Michigan teams, so Michigan State will play either Western Michigan or Michigan Tech Dec. 30.
There’s little rest for the Spartans following the GLI. They’ll host Wisconsin Jan. 2 before the teams meet again Jan. 4 as part of the Frozen Confines in Chicago’s Wrigley Field.
Wisconsin 7-10-1 (5-7-0)
After a 2-5-0 start to the season in October, Wisconsin has clawed its way back to tie with Michigan State for second in the Big Ten standings. A key difference: the Badgers needed four more conference games than the Spartans to do that.
Wisconsin’s start puts the Badgers in a tough position going into the second half. Wisconsin is one of three B1G teams that does not control its own conference destiny. The Badgers can’t be guaranteed a slice of the Big Ten regular season championship even if they win out in the second half.
Chasing standing in the Big Ten isn’t Wisconsin’s only concern. Currently the Badgers sit at No. 25 in the PairWise Rankings. Wisconsin’s only way into the NCAA tournament may be clinching the playoff title.
The Badgers split a road series with Michigan to end the first half, blanking the Wolverines 4-0 before losing 3-2 in OT the following night. Coach Mike Hastings delivered a very Wisconsin one-liner following that loss: “That last one, uff da, is that hard to swallow.”
Since the start of the season, Wisconsin’s played nine overtime games (3-5-1).
The Badgers are the first B1G team to play following the break, as they defend their Kwik Trip Holiday Faceoff title in Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum, home of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks. Wisconsin plays Ferris State Dec. 28 and either Alaska or Connecticut the following night.
Ohio State 13-4-1 (6-2-0 B1G)
The Buckeyes may be the biggest surprise of the season. With 16 points, the Buckeyes end the first half of the season in fourth place, three behind the tied Badgers and Spartans, eight points out of first place.
Ohio State heads into the break with a four-game Big Ten win streak, having swept Notre Dame last weekend and Penn State the weekend before. The Buckeyes also have a sweep of Wisconsin to their credit, but their two losses came to Michigan State – and eight of their remaining games are against Minnesota and Michigan, collectively.
Buckeyes coach Steve Rohlik has said all season that this Ohio State team wins by committee, and that was true of every position including goaltending until recently. Logan Terness and Kristoffer Eberly had been splitting duties, but Eberly has started the last four games. Eberly’s numbers put him among the top netminders in the country (.941 SV%/6th, 1.35 GAA/1st).
The Ohio State defense (1.94) is right behind Michigan State’s and the Buckeyes’ penalty kill (.843) is the best nationally among B1G teams.
Ohio State faces a tough second-half schedule, starting with a game against Michigan Jan. 3 in the Frozen Confines. The Buckeyes and Wolverines finish that series in Ann Arbor Jan. 5.
Michigan 11-6-1 (5-3-0 B1G)
When Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen pocketed his first career goal at 12:26 of the second period in Michigan’s overtime win against Wisconsin last weekend, he was the first Wolverine to score since 4:22 in the second period of Michigan’s win over Western Michigan Nov. 30.
That scoring drought spanned over 11 periods of hockey and encompassed three whole games in which the Wolverines were kept off the scoresheet, the first time that had happened to a Michigan team since 1942-43.
Before all of that nonsense, the Wolverines were averaging 4.00 goals per game, third in the nation. They dropped to 23rd (3.00) after a pair of shutout losses to Minnesota followed by that 4-0 loss to Wisconsin.
After getting scoring last Saturday – and a win – coach Brandon Naurato said, “Everything that may not be going right from this first half I think can be corrected with just individual growth. Michigan’s been a second-half team.”
And he’s right about that. It would be foolish to count the Wolverines out of anything in the second half of the season. They have deep talent and – shutout losses not withstanding – a knack for outscoring opponents even when they allow too many goals against to expect a win.
Michigan’s first series back is the one against Ohio State, starting with the game in Wrigley Field Jan. 3.
Notre Dame 6-12-0 (1-9-0 B1G)
The Fighting Irish are struggling to find consistency in every position and in every situation, leaving Notre Dame in a tough spot heading into the second half.
The Irish went 3-7-0 in November, including a 1-7-0 record in conference play. That month also saw a seven-game losing streak that Notre Dame ended with a 5-2 win over Havard Nov. 29 at the Friendship Four in Belfast, Ireland.
After that trip, coach Jeff Jackson said that he likes this team and thinks it has the potential to improve as the season progresses. “I like the group. I think we haven’t figured some things out on how we need to play.”
Everything from puck management to penalties to team defense has hampered Notre Dame’s game this season. In their single December series, the Irish lost 2-1 (OT) and 3-1 to Ohio State, allowing a power-play goal in each contest. The Buckeyes outshot the Irish 86-34 in the two contests.
The Fighting Irish are another team not in control of their own destiny in the second half. In the unlikely event that Notre Dame runs the rest of the Big Ten schedule, the Irish would still need significant help from other teams to finish higher than fifth place.
Next up for Notre Dame is a series against Penn State that begins Jan. 3 at the Frozen Confines. The teams will finish that series in South Bend Jan. 5.
Penn State 7-9-0 (0-8-0 B1G)
With the exception of a single loss to Quinnipiac early in the season, Penn State is perfect in nonconference play. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, none of that success has translated into Big Ten play, where Penn State is still looking for its first conference win.
The Nittany Lions ended the first half on an up note, defeating Army West Point 4-1 in the inaugural Capital Holiday Classic in Capital One Arena, home of the Washington Capitals.
In advance of that game, coach Guy Gadowsky told reporters that the Nittany Lions need to improve in one very specific way. “I’m just going to be blunt,” said Gadowsky. “We have to be a lot more mentally tough than we are. We have to be mentally tougher to start the game, and then we have to be mentally tough to finish it when we fight back.”
John Seifarth (.918 SV%, 2.19 GAA) has emerged as the starting goaltender for Penn State, beginning with the Nittany Lions’ win over Colgate Nov. 26. Penn State swept that weekend and lost two to Ohio State in the next series and finished the first half with that win over Army.
Penn State opens the second half with that series against Notre Dame. Like the Fighting Irish and the Badgers, the Nittany Lions would need significant help to play their way up the Big Ten standings in the second half. Winning 15 of their 16 remaining conference games would get them to fourth place.
Happy holidays, everyone
I am ever grateful to everyone who supports USCHO and follows along for the Big Ten season, and to those of you who reach out to talk a little hockey. Happy holidays, Merry Christmas, and may 2025 be gentle to you.
