BIG TEN MEDAL OF HONOR 100TH ANNIVERSARY SPOTLIGHT – Minnesota’s Michael J. Polich: Polich, who earned the Big Ten Medal of Honor in 1975, helped lead Minnesota to its first NCAA championship in 1974. The Hibbing, Minn., native paced the Gophers in scoring for three straight seasons, tallying 159 career points (70 goals, 89 assists) in 149 career games. As a senior in 1974-75, Polich was named a first-team All-American after notching 25 goals and 62 points. He went on to play in 226 games in the NHL, including three seasons with the Minnesota North Stars.
Where We Rank: Minnesota is the unanimous choice as the No. 1 team in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, released on Monday. Thanks to a 5-0-1 start, including a win and a tie last weekend against then-No. 5 Boston College, the Gophers are the first unanimous No. 1 choice in the USCHO.com Poll in the month of October since Oct. 20, 1997 …
Hot Start: Now unbeaten through six games, Minnesota is off to its best start in five seasons. The 2008-09 squad opened the season with an 11-game unbeaten streak (7-0-4) and did not lose a game until Nov. 22 …
Dominant Defenses: Both Minnesota and Michigan find themselves at the top of the national rankings as a result of their strong defensive play. The Gophers are tied for third nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 1.67 goals per game, while the Wolverines are tied for sixth in the nation with 1.83 goals against per game and have held opponents to two goals or less in five out of six games this season …
Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge Recap: Following last weekend’s schedule that culminated with Minnesota posting a 6-1 win over then-No. 5/5 Boston College, the inaugural Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge drew to a close with Hockey East claiming an 18-11 victory …
Everyone’s a Winner: Conference schools have combined to win a total of 15 games so far this season, with 15 different players accounting for game-winning goals. Seven of those 15 game-winning goals have been scored by freshmen, including Michigan State’s Joe Cox, who tallied the game-winning goal in the Spartans’ 3-1 victory over then-No. 13/14 Boston University on Saturday …
Warning Shots: Minnesota junior forward Sam Warning has opened the season on a six-game point streak, elevating him to a tie for first in the NCAA scoring race with 12 points (five goals, seven assists). Warning, who leads the nation with a plus/minus rating of +11, paces all conference players in points and goals and is tied for the lead in assists …
Taking on the Best: With three more wins over ranked opponents last weekend, Big Ten teams have now posted six such victories this season. Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota have combined to defeat Boston College (twice), Boston University (twice) and New Hampshire (twice) …
On Sale Now: Tickets for the inaugural Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, slated for March 20-22, 2014, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., are now on sale. Ticket packages can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Information Courtesy of Adam Augustine | Associate Director, Communications | Big Ten Conference
Where We Rank: Minnesota is the unanimous choice as the No. 1 team in the latest USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine polls, released on Monday. Thanks to a 5-0-1 start, including a win and a tie last weekend against then-No. 5 Boston College, the Gophers are the first unanimous No. 1 choice in the USCHO.com Poll in the month of October since Oct. 20, 1997 …
Hot Start: Now unbeaten through six games, Minnesota is off to its best start in five seasons. The 2008-09 squad opened the season with an 11-game unbeaten streak (7-0-4) and did not lose a game until Nov. 22 …
Dominant Defenses: Both Minnesota and Michigan find themselves at the top of the national rankings as a result of their strong defensive play. The Gophers are tied for third nationally in scoring defense, allowing just 1.67 goals per game, while the Wolverines are tied for sixth in the nation with 1.83 goals against per game and have held opponents to two goals or less in five out of six games this season …
Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge Recap: Following last weekend’s schedule that culminated with Minnesota posting a 6-1 win over then-No. 5/5 Boston College, the inaugural Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge drew to a close with Hockey East claiming an 18-11 victory …
Everyone’s a Winner: Conference schools have combined to win a total of 15 games so far this season, with 15 different players accounting for game-winning goals. Seven of those 15 game-winning goals have been scored by freshmen, including Michigan State’s Joe Cox, who tallied the game-winning goal in the Spartans’ 3-1 victory over then-No. 13/14 Boston University on Saturday …
Warning Shots: Minnesota junior forward Sam Warning has opened the season on a six-game point streak, elevating him to a tie for first in the NCAA scoring race with 12 points (five goals, seven assists). Warning, who leads the nation with a plus/minus rating of +11, paces all conference players in points and goals and is tied for the lead in assists …
Taking on the Best: With three more wins over ranked opponents last weekend, Big Ten teams have now posted six such victories this season. Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota have combined to defeat Boston College (twice), Boston University (twice) and New Hampshire (twice) …
On Sale Now: Tickets for the inaugural Big Ten Men’s Ice Hockey Tournament, slated for March 20-22, 2014, at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., are now on sale. Ticket packages can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, charge by phone at 800-745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com
Information Courtesy of Adam Augustine | Associate Director, Communications | Big Ten Conference