The wait is over – it’s time for another season of college hockey! The Big Ten has four teams in action this weekend: Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Penn State. The fresh season also means a fresh slate for me. As always, let me know what picks you like and don’t like and be sure to follow each week to see how we do. Last week’s results: 0-0 Season Total: 0-0 Mercyhurst at Michigan The Wolverines open their 2025-26 campaign at home where they are always a tough out. This will mark the first time the Wolverines and the Lakers have… Read more: Puck Picks: Opening Weekend

We’ve made it – the last weekend of the regular season – and this year’s schedule-makers deserve a huge raise. This week’s matchups feature a battle for the top spot between Michigan State and Wisconsin and a fight for third place between Michigan and Minnesota. I’ll include a seeding scenario before the prediction so you’ll know what outcomes are needed for each team. I underestimated Ohio State’s improvement as they split with Michigan State and derailed my picks slightly, but still turned in a winning record so no complaints from me. Barring a complete collapse, I should hit the century-mark… Read more: Puck Picks: The Regular Season Finale

We’re back after a brief hiatus and just in time for the final stretch of the regular season. With just two weeks left in the season, each game becomes critical for tournament seeding and that all-important first-round bye. Currently Michigan State holds the top spot, but it’s not buttoned up for them yet. A strong showing against Ohio State this weekend will go a long way towards getting a week of rest. The teams are starting to separate themselves so this should get easier, but then a team like the Buckeyes goes out and does the unimaginable by sweeping Wisconsin… Read more: Puck Picks: The Home Stretch

We’re deep into conference play at this point and the teams are starting to separate themselves. This week features the new powers (Michigan State and Wisconsin) against the old guard (Minnesota and Michigan) and then an intriguing matchup for all the wrong reasons between Penn State and Ohio State.  Conference play continues to trip me up a little and I’m afraid of what this week will bring with such good matchups. As always, let me know what picks you like and which ones you don’t.  Last week’s results: 4-2 Season Total: 91-29 Minnesota vs Michigan State The Spartans host the Gophers this… Read more: Puck Picks: Old vs. New

The conference is back to its traditional schedule of three conference matchups and a team on a bye – this time its Wisconsin. Some interesting matchups are on tap as Michigan State looks to pull away from the resting Badgers against their in-state rival, Michigan. Penn State also goes on the road to Notre Dame for what could be a key series in determining who gets home-ice advantage in the first round of the conference tournament.   As expected, I aced the non-conference matchups (thanks to the Badgers for winning the shootout), and correctly predicted an Ohio State win (which deserves an award… Read more: Puck Picks: Big Ten Play Rekindles

This weekend sees all of the Big Ten teams back in action with two conference matchups and three non-conference series. The Wolverines finally join the fun again after being off for more than a month as they host Stonehill and it’ll be interesting to see if there’s any rust on their blades.  Another perfect week for me and we have surpassed the century-mark for games played this season, meaning this record is not a fluke. The first half of the season, though, is always loaded with non-conference matchups which are easier to predict. Hopefully I can keep this momentum going as conference play… Read more: Puck Picks: Everyone’s Back In

1. Wisconsin New year – same team at the top. The Badgers are now winners of nine-straight after a sweep of Notre Dame to open 2024, ranked #3 nationally, and don’t look to be slowing down any time soon. 2. Michigan State Michigan State was idle this past weekend. But before the new year, they finished as runners-up in the Great Lakes Invitational, only losing in a shoot-out to Michigan Tech. They are sitting comfortably above the rest of the field. 3. Minnesota A split with Colorado College did not hurt the Gophers in this week’s list, primarily because Michigan has been… Read more: B1G Power Rankings – January 8, 2024

Unlike Friday’s game, this game started with Wisconsin in full control and forcing Notre Dame to commit costly turnovers. The first of these came just 5:35 into the game when freshman William Whitelaw stole the puck as Notre Dame was exiting their D-zone. He skated toward Irish netminder Ryan Bischel and deposited it into the top-left corner to give the Badgers a 1-0 lead. Less than five minutes later, Wisconsin added to their lead with a Mathieu De St. Phalle goal with the assist from Cruz Lucius. Notre Dame continued their sloppy play by taking an interference penalty behind their net and De… Read more: Badgers Overpower Irish to Claim Ninth in a Row

In front of a sold-out crowd of 5,069, Notre Dame came out swinging against Wisconsin. Their aggressive forecheck prevented the Badgers from gaining possession in the Wisconsin offensive zone for the first 2:30 of the game. The visitors, though, weathered the storm and used a whistle for a frozen puck to regroup and push back. Whereas the Irish relied on emotion and adrenaline for their control of the game, the Badgers used their skill to even the playing field. Wisconsin was awarded a powerplay early in the first period, but it was Notre Dame that had the best chances – one, a short-handed… Read more: Badgers Capitalize on Irish’s Mental Mistakes

Five teams get the 2024 portion of their season started this weekend and will look to make good on their New Year’s resolutions. With only one Big Ten matchup, all eyes will be on Wisconsin at Notre Dame, including ours. We’ll be at the game providing live updates as well as analysis after the game. But for now, let’s take a look at this week’s matchups. I was a shootout loss away from correctly predicting both tournaments last week, but such is the nature of hockey. Ohio State continued its winning ways against non-conference foes and boosted my record last week to a respectable… Read more: Puck Picks: Welcome to 2024

This past year has been a wild one in Big Ten hockey. Michigan and Minnesota flexed their muscles by winning the Big Ten tournament and playing for a national championship, respectively, last season and, more recently, we have been able to witness Michigan State and Wisconsin’s return to national prominence. As the clock runs out in 2023, we look back at the year that was in Big Ten hockey. 2023 by the Numbers 862 – number of goals scored by Big Ten teams (Most: Michigan – 167 Least: Notre Dame – 93.) 25 – number of shutouts recorded by Big Ten goalies… Read more: Big Ten Hockey Year in Review

Four teams are back on the ice this weekend with games spanning from Thursday through Sunday so there’s plenty of action to enjoy. The conference’s two dominant teams, Michigan State and Wisconsin, are playing in tournaments this weekend and will look to capitalize on the opportunity to show the rest of the country that they are contenders. Ohio State has their second part of a home-and-home from earlier in the year with Mercyhurst and Notre Dame plays a two-game series against newly-promoted Augustana. Nothing lasts forever and such was the case with my perfect streak. But going 4-2, especially with some close games… Read more: Puck Picks: Holiday Tournaments

This weekend marks the last conference series of the year for the Big Ten. After Saturday, the teams will take a much deserved break before resuming after Christmas or, in Michigan’s case, on January 12. So let’s enjoy one last action-packed weekend before winding down for the holidays. A perfect game. A hat trick. A hole-in-one. Sports are filled with elusive benchmarks that the greats chase. Well, pencil in Perfect Picks on my list of achievements. OK, so maybe it’s not as impressive as the other accomplishments, but going 6-0, especially with only conference games, is… well, perfect. Last week’s… Read more: Puck Picks: Closing out 2023

Big Ten play resumes this week after the Thanksgiving hiatus with the typical three-matchups and bye format. Michigan State is the odd team out and will get a week of rest before closing out the pre-holiday schedule next weekend. This week I’m in Madison to see the Badgers battle the Buckeyes in person and take in all that Mad-town has to offer. The lack of conference matchups allowed me to get back to my winning ways with the picks. While the parity in the Big Ten makes for a compelling season, it’s near impossible to accurately predict the games. But… Read more: Puck Picks: Taking in Madison

There’s only one conference matchup this weekend, but all of the teams are in action so there’s plenty of hockey to be watched. The headliner is Michigan State traveling to Minnesota, but some of the non-conference games are very intriguing, especially Michigan going on the road to St. Cloud State. Last weekend was another pedestrian week for me as I went .500 again. I did well with the non-conference games earlier in the season so hopefully that trend continues and I can get back on track. As always, let me know what picks you agree or don’t agree with in… Read more: Puck Picks: Thanksgiving Weekend

We are on location for this weekend’s showdown between Minnesota and Notre Dame in Minneapolis. It’s this season’s first stop on our Big Ten Hockey Tour and one of our favorite spots. In addition to that matchup, this week’s schedule has two others that should provide plenty of fireworks. Ohio State, mercifully, is off this week. Penn State’s shootout victory and the Buckeyes forgetting how to play collegiate-level hockey proved to be my undoing last week – if you can call .500 on the week an “undoing.” With some more games under their belts, team trends are starting to emerge… Read more: Puck Picks: On Location in Minneapolis

Red-hot Wisconsin is off this weekend which means a slate of just three Big Ten contests. The marquee of the weekend will be the battle between Minnesota and Michigan in Ann Arbor, but the other two series have compelling storylines of their own. As expected, a weekend full of Big Ten matchups was about as predictable as a coin flip, but I still managed to come out on top thanks to a Minnesota-Duluth shootout win. I think I’ll fare better this week, but with only six total games, there’s not much room for error. As always, let me know your… Read more: Puck Picks: Hockey Royalty Takes Center Stage (Ice?)

This is the first full week of Big Ten play – three conference matchups and the odd-man out (Minnesota) has an intriguing matchup with in-state rival Minnesota-Duluth. Notre Dame and Penn State get started a day late this week so that means another three-day weekend of Big Ten hockey! I cooled off a bit this week as there were some surprise victories (I see you, Wisconsin), but still a respectable week and didn’t hurt the season total too much. I don’t have high hopes this week as six Big Ten games can get wild in a hurry, but let’s get… Read more: Puck Picks: Big Ten Play in Full Swing

Five Big Ten teams start their weekend on Thursday this week so Saturday’s slate will be pretty light. The lone Big Ten matchup this week features Wisconsin traveling to Minnesota. I caught a break with Ohio State picking up a shootout win to keep my prediction spot-on, even though they were thoroughly dominated all weekend. Michigan State continues to prove me right and Wisconsin is showing they belong in the conversation as well. Feel free to leave a comment telling me what picks you agree or don’t agree with this week. Last week’s results: 10-2 Season Total: 29-6 Michigan State… Read more: Puck Picks: More Big Ten Play on Tap

Michigan State plays another Thursday night game this week so that means we all get to enjoy a long weekend of hockey. And with the matchups this week, “enjoy” might be an understatement. Big Ten play starts tomorrow with a rivalry matchup as Ohio State travels north to take on Michigan in Ann Arbor. I had another stellar week picking, but still can’t seem to figure Michigan out. I was ten minutes away from getting that series right until the Wolverines imploded and gave up five unanswered until a garbage-time goal stopped the bleeding. Check out my picks for this… Read more: Puck Picks: Big Ten Play is Finally Here

We are just hours away from the first weekend where all the Big Ten teams are in action. I did fairly well last week and look to continue my picking power with some interesting matchups this week. As always, let me know which picks you like and which ones you don’t in the comments. Last week’s results: 8-2 Season Total: 8-2 Michigan at UMass A few years ago this would have been the matchup of the week – two blue bloods battling it out in non-conference play – but UMass has fallen off in the past few seasons. Michigan fell… Read more: Puck Picks: Gophers Join the Fun in Week 2

As of publication, we are just two days away from Big Ten hockey action, with six of the seven teams playing this weekend. While there are no conference matchups on tap, there is still a lot of intrigue within the first slate of games. Let me know what picks you agree with (and don’t) in the comments. Providence at Michigan The Wolverines head into action this weekend looking to build off of their Frozen Four appearance last April, but will have to do so without some stand-outs that headlined last year’s team. The Friars of Providence were a middle-of-the-road team… Read more: Puck Picks: Opening Weekend

As of last week, USCHO released their preseason rankings and it’s good news for the Big Ten. Six of the seven teams in the conference are ranked in the national top-20; three of them in the top-9. The usual suspects, Minnesota and Michigan, are the near the top, but a surprise team slots in at #9: Michigan State. This is the Spartans’ highest preseason ranking since joining the Big Ten. Ohio State and Notre Dame both took a tumble based off of where they finished last year and Wisconsin is the lone Big Ten team that didn’t make the list.… Read more: Preseason Rankings Released

On a cold, snow-covered weekend in March 2014, six teams met in St. Paul, MN to participate in the inaugural Big Ten Hockey Tournament. The event was equal parts competition and celebration – the Big Ten had survived its first year. The games played on the ice that weekend were full of intrigue and upsets, exactly what Big Ten officials hoped for when the puck dropped for the first season of Big Ten hockey. Ohio State upset the hometown-favorites Minnesota in dominating fashion in the semi-finals before falling to Wisconsin, an unlikely champion. As the Big Ten’s second decade of… Read more: Celebrating Ten Years of Big Ten Hockey