The Big Ten fared much better this week, going 5-3-0. Minnesota and Penn State both swept the weekend, while Michigan split and Michigan State lost both games.

I’m a little proud of myself for correctly guessing the results of all of the games this weekend. But predicting some of these outcomes, even though it’s still early, has gotten easier.

Minnesota continued its strong start to the season with two victories over Bemidji State. The Gophers put up five goals in each contest, earning scoring from several different players. The Gophers are now 4-0-0 on the season.

Surprisingly or unsurprisingly, depending on how you feel about Michigan, the Wolverines took down UMass Lowell 8-4 on Friday before falling 3-2 to Boston University. Michigan State played in two one-goal contests, dropping games against both the River Hawks and Terriers.

Penn State swept Holy Cross with a 3-1 and 7-1 wins. That’s the second time this young season the Nittany Lions have won 7-1. Freshman Scott Conway had two goals and tow assists in the win, while Rickey DeRosa added three assists. Taylor Holstrom recorded an assist in each game, and he’s now the team’s leading scorer with eight points.

The results seemed to confirm a few things: Minnesota is still dominant, Penn State might be a top-three conference team, and Michigan State still plays in close games.

(After the jump: Michigan is for real, why the Spartans are good and why they’re bad, and how Penn State could finish third.)

Michigan’s Back

I finally got to watch Michigan this weekend. Despite the incoming and returning talent, I was skeptical of how the Wolverines would fare. The 5-1 loss to UNH and last season’s inconstancy didn’t help, either. I was impressed by the 8-4 win over UMass Lowell, but I still wasn’t sure what team would show up at Agganis Arena on Saturday.

I’ve finally put my doubts away.

The Wolverines lost, but played really well — and probably should’ve won. They didn’t look like a team struggling to find its identity, or one with defensive woes. The Wolverines looked like a team that will make it back to the NCAA tournament. It was clear in the post-game press conferences that the players, extremely disappointed in the loss, expect nothing less from this team.

It helps that freshmen Dylan Larkin and Zach Werenski, tied for second in Michigan scoring with six points each, really don’t look like freshmen. When you add those two, leading scorers Zach Hymen and Alex Kile to Andrew Copp, JT Compher, it looks like a really good situation for Michigan.

The Michigan State Problem

When it comes to puck possession, the Spartans are bad. They’re known for blocking a lot of shots and seldom scoring, and their Corsi numbers this season have hovered around 50 percent this young season.

Last week, Michigan State did something they’re not really known for doing – scoring. But after a nine-goal weekend, things seemed to return to normal for the Spartans, who scored a combined one goal this past weekend.

The Spartans did a great job at keeping the game close against Boston University, and actually blocked less shots than the Terriers.

The Spartans are a good defensive team with a good goalkeeper. They’re one of the grittiest teams to play against, usually holding opponents to one or two goals. But you can’t score without the puck, and that’s especially true for the Spartans. Michigan State was hoping Matt Berry’s return would solve the scoring problem. He’s been good, but not good enough to break that mold – yet.

I’m really interested in seeing if this trend lasts, and especially what it looks like against other Big Ten teams. Because if scoring wasn’t such a big issue, I could see the Spartans finishing in the middle of the conference.

Right now, the Spartans actually aren’t the worst puck possession team in the conference. Right now that award goes to the Buckeyes, who were idle this weekend.

Penn State’s Rise

At 3-1-2, Penn State has the second-best overall record in the Big Ten. Granted the Nittany Lions earned their wins over Holy Cross and UConn, but right now they’re one of the most consistent teams in the conference.

It’s early, really early, but a few other teams — Wisconsin and Ohio State — are really struggling. The Badgers are relying on a lot of freshmen and the Buckeyes can’t hold onto the puck, not to mention the massive scoring losses both teams faced. And Michigan State can’t score.

Last year Penn State was a difficult team to beat, playing tough for the most part against conference opponents. Now the Nittany Lions are getting scoring from all around, as every player but three has recorded a point (and one of those players is Matthew Skoff).

Originally I picked Wisconsin to finish third, because of Joel Rumpel. But the older the season gets, the more I buy into Penn State.

Monday, October 27th, 2014 - 5:19 pm | Big Ten, Blogs, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings