All six teams are in action for the Big Ten this weekend. A few teams are hitting the east coast, starting with a trip to the North Country from Wisconsin and Minnesota. Michigan will also be on that side of the coast to play Vermont and Dartmouth while Ohio State will face Niagara.

Michigan (3-1-1) at Vermont (2-1-1): Oct. 28 at 7:05 p.m.; at Dartmouth: Oct. 29 at 7:30 p.m.

The Wolverines will try to extend their unbeaten streak as they head east to face the Catamounts and the Big Green. Michigan has won three of its last four games and haven’t lost since dropping the season opener to Union. The Wolverines have used a goaltending rotation, and so far the freshmen Hayden Lavigne and Jack LaFontaine are proving they can hold their own in net. That’s not the only place rookies are contributing, though, as Will Lockwood and Jake Slaker lead the team with three goals and six points each.

The Catamounts are unbeaten in their last two after tying and beating Nebraska-Omaha. Vermont also split with Clarkson. Craig Puffer leads the team with five points while Stefanos Lekkas and Mike Santaguida have split goaltending duties with a .930 and .907 save percentage, respectively. The Big Green have not played yet this season.

This will be an interesting test for Michigan, but it’s still too early to tell what kind of test it will be. But Michigan, while it may not have played the toughest schedule yet, has shown some positives early. The Wolverines do have a hand up on Dartmouth, as Saturday night’s contest will be the first this season for the Big Green.

Prediction: Michigan splits

Michigan State (0-4-0) vs. Princeton: Oct. 28 at 7:05 p.m.

The Spartans host Princeton for a one-game set, the first meeting between the teams since a Thanksgiving weekend matchup at Baker in 2014. The teams split that weekend, but the Spartans have won three of the last four contests against Princeton. Michigan State has had an interesting season. The Spartans are winless but did a pretty good job of limiting Denver’s offense last weekend. They’ve also had both Ed Minney and John Lethemon play, although Minney has seen more minutes. Neither has a save percentage near .900. Mason Appleton has three points.

Princeton has yet to play this year but returns much of its roster, including leading scorers Max Veronneau and Ryan Kuffner. Colton Phinney, the senior, has been solid in net over the last few seasons. It’s hard to tell who’ll win, since Princeton hasn’t played yet this year and Michigan State’s defense seems a little inconsistent.

Prediction: Princeton wins

Minnesota (2-2-0) at Clarkson (3-2-1): Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.; at St. Lawrence (3-3-0) Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

The Gophers make a trip to the North Country this weekend to visit Clarkson and St. Lawrence. Minnesota just dropped a pair to St. Cloud State, which included a lost third-period lead. The Gophers have the second-best offense in the country with 4.75 goals per game, led by Tyler Sheehy’s three goals and eight points.

Clarkson just defeated UMass-Lowell 4-3 after tying Providence 3-3 last weekend. The Golden Knights have played a range of Hockey East competition so far this season and has a few wins and losses. Freshman Devin Brosseau and junior Sam Vigneault have five points each. Freshman Jake Kielly has a .909 save percentage.

St. Lawrence has also played a heavy Hockey East schedule but did split a series at Penn State to begin the season. St. Lawrence has lost its last two games, which snapped a three-game winning streak. The Saints have one of the best defenses in the country, although Kyle Hatyon’s goals-against average has dipped to .891 so far this season. St. Lawrence has gotten some scoring though, and Mike Marnell has eight points.

The Gophers have offense, yes, but proved they’ll struggle against good teams. St. Lawrence will definitely be a test for Minnesota.

Prediction: Minnesota beats Clarkson and loses to St. Lawrence

Ohio State (3-0-2) at Niagara (0-3-2): Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.; Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

The Buckeyes look to continue their unbeaten streak with two games against the Purple Eagles. Ohio State has played well to start the season, which is contrary to how they normally play. In years past, the Buckeyes have started playing well midway through the season, but the wins are just too little, too late. Things are a little different this year, and Matt Tomkins has a .936 save percentage, giving Ohio State the goaltending it needs. Three players – Tanner Laczynski, Nick Schilkey and Ronnie Hein have six points. Schilkey has four goals.

The Purple Eagles are winless this season, dropping games to Holy Cross, Mercyhurst, RPI and Union, with some ties sprinkled in. Freshman Kris Spriggs has five points while Joe O’Brien and Jackson Teichroeb have split goaltending duties with a .917 and .843 save percentage, respectively.

It’s getting increasingly harder to pick against Ohio State.

Prediction: Buckeyes sweep

Penn State (3-1-1) vs. Canisius (2-3-1): Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.; Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

Penn State is quietly putting together one of the best records in the country (even though it’s early) and their schedule actually hasn’t been a too easy so far. The Nittany Lions are unbeaten in their last three after tying and defeating Notre Dame. The only loss came to St. Lawrence. But now things start getting easy for Penn State, which will host Canisius, Niagara, Alaska Anchorage and Arizona State before getting into Big Ten play. Denis Smirnov, Chase Berger and Trevor Hamilton each have six points while Peyton Jones has a .916 save percentage.

The Griffins have won two of their last four games with an overtime win at Alaska and a win over Robert Morris. Ryan Schmelzer and Felix Chamberland lead Canisius’ offense with five points, while Charles Williams has a .927 save percentage. While the Griffins have three losses, two were against defending national champions North Dakota.

The Nittany Lions are probably going to just pad their record over the next few weeks.

Prediction: Penn State sweeps

Wisconsin (2-2-0) at St. Lawrence (3-3-0): Oct. 28 at 7 p.m.; at Clarkson (3-2-1) Oct. 29 at 7 p.m.

After defeating the NTDP U-18 team, the Badgers are back in action to join their border-battle rivals on a North Country road swing. The Badgers are already playing much better than they have in the last two years, and their offense has been playing well. Their defense, though, has not. But that’s to be expected. Head coach Tony Granato wants them to be creative offensively, and for a young team that means some mistakes and turnovers. Trent Frederic and Seamus Malone each have six points, While Matt Jurusik has a .856 save percentage.

So far this season it looks like the Badgers are capable of playing in high-scoring or low-scoring matches, and they’ll probably be able to match the pace of their North Country opponents.

Prediction: Wisconsin sweeps the weekend

Friday, October 28th, 2016 - 9:05 am | Big Ten, Blogs, Notes, Thoughts, Ramblings