{"id":139653,"date":"2023-03-09T10:00:27","date_gmt":"2023-03-09T16:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/?p=139653"},"modified":"2023-03-09T10:06:30","modified_gmt":"2023-03-09T16:06:30","slug":"this-week-in-big-ten-hockey-after-crazy-first-round-of-big-ten-playoffs-upcoming-weekend-going-to-be-wild","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uscho.com\/2023\/03\/09\/this-week-in-big-ten-hockey-after-crazy-first-round-of-big-ten-playoffs-upcoming-weekend-going-to-be-wild\/","title":{"rendered":"This Week in Big Ten Hockey: After ‘crazy’ first round of conference playoffs, upcoming weekend ‘going to be wild’"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Jeremy Davidson and Michigan State play Minnesota in a Big Ten semifinal this weekend (photo: Kelly Branigan).<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The opening weekend of the Big Ten playoffs did not disappoint.<\/p>\n

Two series went to three games, one road team won, and the series that took two games to complete almost needed three.<\/p>\n

Michigan, the second seed in the tournament, came from behind Friday and Saturday to sweep Wisconsin, 6-5 and 7-4. The Friday game was decided in overtime, and Michigan\u2019s final three goals in Saturday\u2019s contest came with 2:20 remaining in regulation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s who we are,\u201d said Michigan coach Brandon Naurato. \u201cIt is what it is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Trailing 5-4 to the Badgers Friday, Rutger McGroarty tied it for the Wolverines at 19:37 in the third. Then at 9:06 in overtime, junior defenseman Steven Holtz scored the game-winning goal, the first goal of his collegiate career.<\/p>\n

Holtz spent time in an induced coma with adenovirus in November,<\/a> when five additional players were also hospitalized as the virus swept through the team.<\/p>\n

Holtz himself called the goal \u201cunbelievable.\u201d Naurato said, \u201cIt\u2019s crazy. You can\u2019t make this up.\u201d<\/p>\n

In Saturday\u2019s game, captain Nolan Moyle scored the game winner for the Wolverines at 17:40 and Michigan rolled from there.<\/p>\n

\u201cWisconsin\u2019s got good players and they\u2019re a good team,\u201d said Naurato. \u201cWe played really good hockey at the end. Honestly, it was Nolan Moyle stepping up. I felt like the roof was going to fall off.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaturday\u2019s going to be wild with Ohio State.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Wolverines host the Buckeyes for a single-elimination quarterfinal game on Saturday. Ohio State, the third seed in this weekend\u2019s field, were taken to three games by Penn State in the first round of the semifinals last weekend. After a 5-1 win Friday, the Buckeyes lost in overtime 2-1 Saturday and gritted out Sunday\u2019s 3-1 win to advance.<\/p>\n

The series was a reversal of fortune from the 2022 Big Ten semifinals, when Penn State traveled to Columbus and beat Ohio State in three games. Ohio State coach Steve Rohlik said that the Buckeyes were \u201crelentless\u201d against the Nittany Lions.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey weren\u2019t going to be denied,\u201d said Rohlik. \u201cLots of the guys had that experience in the past, and they just weren\u2019t going to let it happen again. Disappointing on Saturday. I thought we played one of our best games of the year but we kind of fought through it on Sunday to get the result we needed.\u201d<\/p>\n

In four games this season, the Buckeyes went 2-1-1 against the Wolverines, including a split in Ann Arbor.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know Michigan very well, said Rohlik. \u201cThey know us very well. They\u2019re very talented. We\u2019ve just got to stick with our structure, and I think if we do that, that helps. We\u2019ve got to be good at what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rohlik said the Buckeyes have a healthy respect for Michigan\u2019s offense. \u201cWe know they\u2019re going to get their opportunities and we\u2019ve just got to limit them to one, not two and three at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOhio State\u2019s a really good team,\u201d said Naurato. \u201cThey\u2019re hard and they\u2019ve got guys that can score. They\u2019ve got guys that can defend. They have four good lines, six good D, and a really good goalie.<\/p>\n

\u201cI believe in our team. I\u2019m good with where we\u2019re at. When you don\u2019t play the right way for a full game, good teams beat you. I\u2019m optimistic that our guys will stick to the plan and go do what we need to do. How we execute will dictate the outcome.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the third B1G semifinal series, fifth-seed Michigan State traveled to fourth-seed Notre Dame and beat the Fighting Irish in three games. After losing 1-0 Friday, the Spartans won by a score of 4-2 both Saturday and Sunday nights.<\/p>\n

Saturday\u2019s game was the first-ever Big Ten playoff win for the Spartans. Coming into the weekend, Michigan State had gone 0-13 in B1G playoffs since the league began play in 2013-14.<\/p>\n

\u201cI was just happy for the guys,\u201d said MSU coach Adam Nightingale. \u201cThe fans and everyone get to watch them on the weekend. We watch them during the week. We ask a lot of our guys. In order to be great, it\u2019s not easy. I don\u2019t think there\u2019s a secret recipe. There\u2019s a lot of sweat that needs to happen. To see the guys do everything that we\u2019re asking, that\u2019s a great feeling as a coach. I have a lot of respect for the guys. We ask a lot of them, and they give us a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Spartans will play Minnesota Saturday. In addition to being the top team in the Big Ten and the PairWise Rankings, the Golden Gophers have had Michigan State\u2019s number for more than just a little bit. Minnesota swept Michigan State in four regular-season games this year, shutting out the Spartans twice \u2013 once each at home and on the road \u2013 and outsourcing the Spartans 25-6 in those four wins.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the Gophers are 10-2-0 against the Spartans for the past three seasons. The last time Michigan State beat Minnesota was Feb. 8, 2020. Calling the Gophers \u201cthe class in our league\u201d Nightingale said the Spartans will focus on their own game when they travel to Minneapolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can tell you that we\u2019re going to go out there and we\u2019re going to play our best,\u201d said Nightingale. \u201cWe\u2019re going to play hard. We\u2019re going to play team hockey and we\u2019re excited about the opportunity.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are stretches when we played really good against them, so we\u2019ve got to figure out a way to do that for 60 minutes. They\u2019re a team that with the skill they have up front, they don\u2019t need many chances to make you pay, and they have some guys that can really finish.\u201d<\/p>\n

As regular-season champions, Minnesota earned a bye for the Big Ten quarterfinals. Talking to Jim Rich this week on \u201cThe Gopher Coaches Show,\u201d Minnesota coach Bob Motzko said that he hopes that the time away from play gave a few Gophers time to rest up and heal. He also said that his team knows how hard they\u2019ll have to play to beat a very motivated Michigan State team that\u2019s been building momentum all season.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re right there at 16th in the Pairwise,\u201d said Motzko, \u201cso this team\u2019s got everything to play for.\u201d In describing the Spartans, Motzko invoked beloved former Golden Gophers coach Doug Woog. \u201cAs old Doug Woog would say, their elevator\u2019s going up. They\u2019re playing their best hockey right now. We\u2019ve got our hands full.\u201d<\/p>\n

Motzko said that while the Gophers are preparing for the Spartans, most of the team\u2019s focus will be on their own game.<\/p>\n

\u201cEighty, ninety percent is going to be about how we play,\u201d said Motzko. \u201cWe\u2019re coming off a bye. Last time we did that, it didn\u2019t go well.\u201d<\/p>\n

In an attempt to counter the post-bye week doldrums, Motzko brought the Gophers to Graham Arena in Rochester, Minn. \u2013 about 90 miles southeast of Mariucci Arena \u2013 for an intrasquad scrimmage in front of 1,000 fans.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe needed some intensity,\u201d said Motzko. \u201cIt was a very successful trip for us. It broke up the time that we had off and hopefully is a springboard for us to move into this week.\u201d<\/p>\n

The semifinal field by the numbers<\/h3>\n

Here\u2019s a look at each team by the overall numbers. For team statistics, where each team is among all D-I programs nationally is listed in the parentheses following the stat. The teams are ordered by semifinal seeding.<\/p>\n

No. 1 Minnesota<\/b><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Record in last 10 games: 8-2-0<\/li>\n
  • Scoring offense: 4.09 goals per game (first)<\/li>\n
  • Scoring defense: 2.32 goals allowed per game (seventh)<\/li>\n
  • Power play: 25.0% (seventh)<\/li>\n
  • Penalty kill: 83.3% (13th)<\/li>\n
  • Top scorer: Freshmen Logan Cooley (16-32\u201348)<\/li>\n
  • Top goal scorer: Sophomore Matthew Knies (21)<\/li>\n
  • Goaltender: Senior Justen Close (.928 SV%, 1.99 GAA)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    No. 2 Michigan<\/b><\/p>\n

      \n
    • Record in last 10 games: 6-2-2<\/li>\n
    • Scoring offense: 4.03 goals per game (second)<\/li>\n
    • Scoring defense: 3.19 goals allowed per game (44th)<\/li>\n
    • Power play: 23.6% (14th)<\/li>\n
    • Penalty kill: 77.4% (48th)<\/li>\n
    • Top scorer: Freshman Adam Fantilli (25-31\u201456)<\/li>\n
    • Top goal scorer: Fantilli (25)<\/li>\n
    • Goaltender: Junior Erik Portillo (.907 SV%, 3.09 GAA)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

      No. 3 Ohio State<\/b><\/p>\n

        \n
      • Record in last 10 games:<\/li>\n
      • Scoring offense: 3.22 goals per game (17th)<\/li>\n
      • Scoring defense: 2.41 goals allowed per game (12th)<\/li>\n
      • Power play: 21.6% (21st)<\/li>\n
      • Penalty kill: 89.3% (first)<\/li>\n
      • Top scorer: freshman Stephen Halliday (8-26\u201434)<\/li>\n
      • Top goal scorer: freshman David Burnside (13)<\/li>\n
      • Goaltender: sophomore Jakub Dobes (.916 SV%, 2.35 GAA)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        No. 4 Michigan State<\/b><\/p>\n

          \n
        • Record in last 10 games:<\/li>\n
        • Scoring offense: 2.86 goals per game (31st)<\/li>\n
        • Scoring defense: 2.97 (37th)<\/li>\n
        • Power play: 19.5% (34th)<\/li>\n
        • Penalty kill: 79.0% (39th)<\/li>\n
        • Top scorer: senior Nicolas Muller (7-22\u201429)<\/li>\n
        • Top goal scorer: senior Jagger Joshua (13)<\/li>\n
        • Goaltender: Dylan St. Cyr (.914 SV%, 2.83 GAA)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

          The Buckeyes and Wolverines have twice in Big Ten playoff action, an Ohio State 3-2 OT semifinal win in 2018 and a 4-0 Michigan win in a single-game quarterfinal match in 2020.<\/p>\n

          Saturday\u2019s game is the second Big Ten playoff match for the Spartans and Golden Gophers. The first was a single-elimination quarterfinal game in 2021, a 2-1 OT win for Minnesota.<\/p>\n

          No. 3 Ohio State (20-14-3) plays No. 2 Michigan (22-11-3) at 6:30 p.m. EST in Ann Arbor. No. 4 Michigan State and No. 1 Minnesota face off at 9:00 p.m. EST in Minneapolis. Both games will be televised by the Big Ten Network.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

          The opening weekend of the Big Ten playoffs did not disappoint. Two series went to three games, one road team won, and the series that took two games to complete almost needed three. Michigan, the second seed in the tournament, came from behind Friday and Saturday to sweep Wisconsin, 6-5 and 7-4. The Friday game […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":139654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[812],"coauthors":[802],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nThis Week in Big Ten Hockey: After 'crazy' first round of conference playoffs, upcoming weekend 'going to be wild' - College Hockey | USCHO.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The opening weekend of the Big Ten playoffs did not disappoint. 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