“Collectively this game – and one reason I think it’s special – is you usually kind of get what you deserve.”
That is what Mike Hastings mused after Wisconsin’s 4-2 home loss to Lindenwood, a season-opening result that the Badgers hadn’t anticipated. But Hastings’ drop of hindsight philosophy is oddly applicable to the entire Big Ten for a weekend that saw every B1G team play, some for the first time this season.
The Big Ten went 7-4-2 against non-conference opponents last weekend for a win percentage of .615, lowering the league’s two-week number to .684, second only to the NCHC (.761).
Yes, it’s early. And no, the numbers don’t tell the whole story.
For example, heading into a weekend series with visiting American International, Steve Rohlik knew that his Buckeyes would be tested by a team that has seen more NCAA tournament action than Ohio State has in the last five years. In advance of the series, he said, “All of a sudden, this first game of the year, you’ve got to be at your best to win.”
In the end, the Buckeyes came away from the weekend with a tie on Friday followed by a 5-2 win Saturday. Asked what the difference was between the 3-3 tie and the win, Rohlik said, “Get to three [goals]. When you get to three, you start to feel a little bit more confident again.”
Seven different players accounted for the eight Buckeye goals. “I can tell you it’s probably going to be different names next Friday or next Saturday,” said Rohlik. “That’s the way we’re built and I like it that way. It puts ownership on our whole team, and I think when you have ownership, you’re going to get the best out of them.”
After beating Arizona State 4-1 on the road Friday, the Wolverines and Sun Devils skated to a 3-3 tie Saturday. Michigan allowed two goals in the final minutes of the tie, leading captain Jacob Truscott to say, “You can’t have those hiccups late in the game.”
Sophomore Garrett Schifsky netted his first career hat trick in Friday’s win, scoring twice while the Wolverines were shorthanded in a game that saw Michigan take eight penalties for 24 minutes.
The Wolverines had a total of 13 penalties in the series, and after the Saturday tie, coach Brandon Naurato said that a lack of discipline can cost a team down the road. “Not being ready on the bench and a puck hitting you versus being cleared is the difference in potentially winning or losing a game, potentially making the tournament or not.”
In East Lansing, Michigan State celebrated the program’s 600th win Saturday when the Spartans beat Boston College 4-3. The No. 2 Eagles and No. 4 Spartans split the series after Boston College took Friday’s game 3-0.
After the loss, Adam Nightingale said that he thought the Spartans were trying to play “cutesy” against the Eagles. “That’s not our game. There’s a time and a place, and … we are a blue-collar hockey team, and if we try to play white-collar hockey, we’re not that good a team.”
In a 7-1 over Air Force Friday in the IceBreaker tournament, Bob Motzko said that there was “a lot to like” about Minnesota’s play. Motzko pointed to the Gophers’ transition game and how Minnesota pressured Air Force. “Connor Kurth had a big night,” said Motzko. “That line really shined.”
Kurth netted his first career hat trick in Minnesota’s season-opening game. Kurth, a junior, totaled seven goals in each of his previous two seasons.
Minnesota followed that resounding win with a 2-1 overtime loss to Omaha in the IceBreaker title game, having given up the game-tying goal shorthanded in the second period.
“We had a really good first period, and we had a very strong third period,” said Motzko. “If I have a criticism, our special teams, our power play was not good tonight, and we gave up the shorthanded goal.”
Down 3-0 through two periods against ranked Quinnipiac last Saturday, Penn State fell short in a 3-2 road loss, and Notre Dame earned two wins in New York’s North Country, 4-1 against St. Lawrence Friday to open the season and 5-2 over Clarkson the following night.
As for those Badgers, Wisconsin rebounded from the season-opening loss to beat Lindenwood 3-2 in overtime Saturday. The Badgers trailed 2-1 late in the third when Quinn Finley scored his second of the night to even things up.
Then with 18 seconds remaining in OT, Daniel Laatsch scored the game winner, assisted by Gavin Morrissey and Finley.
“I kind of saw it out of the corner of my eye,” said Laatsch. “I kind of saw the goalie fidgeting around a little bit, so I knew he wasn’t on his angle exactly, but definitely a little luck in there too. I just kind of threw it over in that direction.”
That was the right direction for the Badgers in all kinds of ways. After Friday’s tie, Hastings said that he was still “trying to digest” what happened and that from where he was sitting, there were “not enough workers. Some spectators.”
Saturday, Wisconsin was more resilient. “We’ve been ringing the bell quite a bit as far as some opportunities that have gone off the post,” said Hastings. “We just need to stay with it. One thing I want our guys to take from this game is that they stayed with it and they were rewarded for it.”
Stay with it. Get rewarded for it.
Sound advice for a long hockey season.
