Big Ten hockey’s weekend was highlighted by an upset win from Wisconsin over North Dakota. The Badgers ended the series with a split. Penn State played Niagara to a 1-1 tie, Michigan State’s offense broke out in a sweep of New Hampshire and Minnesota split with Notre Dame.

(After the jump: Luke Kunin OHL rumors, the term “Upset” and the Gophers aren’t there yet.)

Thoughts on Luke a Kunin to OHL rumors

Before last weekend, there were rumors that standout Wisconsin freshman Luke Kunin was signing in the OHL. Kunin then tweeted about being in North Dakota that weekend, where he actually scored against North Dakota on Friday.

Initially I wasn’t sure if the story was true or not. In my limited experience with college hockey, recruiting and the tug-of-war between the NCAA and the CHL, it can be impossible to know what’s going on. It’s possible OHL personnel just started a rumor, kind of like what happened with Jack Eichel last year. It’s also possible that Kunin, despite his tweet and playing in North Dakota, is going to leave later in the season or next year.

Remember Sonny Milano saying he would go to BC the summer before he joined the CHL?

And over the summer I reported that JJ Piccinich was leaving BU. Despite a contradicting report following my tweet, stating that Piccinich wasn’t leaving BU, he did leave. So I’ve just learned to always stay skeptical of these things, even when it comes to college hockey recruiting.

We were all wondering, though, why Kunin would leave Wisconsin midway through the year. Yes the Badgers aren’t in a great state and Kunin is talented, but he had to have known that before joining the team. If he does end up leaving, it would be a big loss for the Badgers.

Wisconsin’s win was an “upset”

I hesitate using the word upset, especially because it’s usually used with polls and rankings. But for Wisconsin’s Friday win over North Dakota, it’s the only term you can use.

Ignoring wins, losses, polls, PWR or whatever other stats you want to look at, North Dakota is a much better team than Wisconsin. North Dakota may have suffered a loss in net, but the Badgers faced much more turnover and still continue to be a very young and inexperienced team. What’s more, it’s really tough to get a win at North Dakota.

Whether this is a sign of Wisconsin getting stronger or just an anomaly I don’t know, but it certainly is an upset.

Minnesota isn’t quite there yet

A couple weekend ago, the Gophers finally got their first win of the season. I wrote a piece on the team’s struggles, which focused on that weekend possibly starting an upswing. But last weekend the Gophers split with Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish aren’t bad, but they’re not elite either. A split was what I expected, and I don’t think a win says much about Minnesota’s status.

I’m not saying they’re bad, they’re just not where many expected them to be – yet.

Monday, November 9th, 2015 - 8:28 pm | Big Ten, Blogs, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings