Another fantastic weekend of Big Ten hockey has come and gone, and while the standings may look similar, the power rankings do not. Let’s dive into this week’s Big Ten hockey power rankings.
1. Minnesota
This one feels pretty obvious seeing as the Golden Gophers are the undisputed Big Ten Champions for the second year in a row. Over the weekend, Minnesota walked into Pegula Ice Arena in State College, PA, and left with back-to-back victories over the No. 7 Penn State Nittany Lions. Not just anyone can sweep a bona fide top-10 team like Penn State, which leaves the Gophers at the top spot in our power rankings.
2. Michigan
It was a rough weekend for the Michigan Wolverines, who went 0-1-1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes during a two-game road trip to Ohio. Still, the Michigan hockey team holds sole possession of second place in the Big Ten standings, are ranked No. 4, and are one of two Big Ten programs with 20-or-more wins so far this season. One rough weekend doesn’t make or break a team, so we are leaving the Wolverines in 2nd place heading into their series with Notre Dame at Yost Ice Arena this weekend.
3. Ohio State
You don’t beat the nation’s No. 4 by two and take the season series (2-1-1) without being a true contender. Ohio State has seen its ups and downs so far this year, but as of late, it seems that the Buckeyes are trending in the right direction. OSU is ranked No. 8 in the nation right now, which leaves them in a good spot come Big Ten and NCAA tournament time.
4. Penn State
It was a tough weekend for the Penn State Nittany Lions, which seems to be a theme as of late. Over the most recent weekend, the Lions dropped both games to now-No. 1 Minnesota at home — both were lost in different fashions. On Friday night, the Nittany Lions were obliterated by Minnesota, 7-2, before dropping Saturday’s game by one in a heart-breaker. Still, the Nittany Lions are ranked No. 10 in the country and No. 4 in our Big Ten hockey power rankings.
5. Michigan State
Despite a 16-16-2 overall record, the Michigan State Spartans are still the 5th-best team in the Big Ten and ranked in the top-20 nationally. The Spartans have had a rough few weeks as of late — especially being swept by the Michigan Wolverines just over a week ago — yet MSU is still in good shape. That said, we aren’t so sure that the Spartans will make it come NCAA tournament time.
6. Notre Dame
Somehow, despite being up-and-down all season long and sitting at .500 on the season, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are not the worst team in the Big Ten hockey power rankings. In fact, the Irish are currently ranked in the most recent top-20 poll after going 1-0-1 against the Ohio State Buckeyes in their most recent series. The Irish will face No. 4 Michigan in the final series of the season this weekend.
7. Wisconsin
Yikes is pretty much all I have to say. So far this year, the Wisconsin Badgers have not been doing too hot — they’re the only Big Ten team below .500 on the season (12-20-0) and have an abysmal Big Ten record (5-17-0). Additionally, the Badgers are the only Big Ten team not ranked in the top-20 polls. It’s been a rough year for the Badgers to this point, so they come in last in our weekly Big Ten hockey power rankings.
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