Around the Big Ten Hockey: Week 21

Audio/Story posted February 26, 2020 in CommRadio, Sports by Logan Bourandas

Host Jeremy Ganes, Jordan Mansberger and Jordan Hession take a look at this week's matchups in the Big Ten: 

The final weekend of the regular season has arrived and for four of the Big Ten teams, there is still a shot at the title. While first place Penn State will sit and watch this weekend, if Ohio State, Minnesota or Notre Dame sweep in their series they will have a great chance to win the conference. All of the three teams will take on the eliminated three teams in the conference.

In a two way tie for second sit Ohio State and Minnesota just four points behind Penn State. The Buckeyes join the Nittany Lions as the only two teams ranked inside the top ten in the country. They are coming off of a sweep over Michigan State in East Lansing, knocking it out of the Big Ten race. Out of all the teams with a chance to sweep, Ohio State might have the easiest path as it returns home to take on a struggling Wisconsin team. Ohio State and Wisconsin split the series last time they matched up in Madison.

Meanwhile the Golden Gophers had a chance to knock the Nittany Lions out last week in State College however they only earned one point as they got swept with one of the losses coming in overtime. Minnesota is in a slightly different boat than Ohio State: sweep and you win the Big Ten. Minnesota owns the tiebreaker over Ohio State since it finished the season series 2-1-1. Like the Buckeyes, the Golden Gophers will also return home to take on a Michigan Wolverines team whom they swept in Ann Arbor last time they matched up.

Notre Dame has to have many things go right for it but the opportunity is still there. The Irish are six points behind Penn State but they do own the tiebreaker due to a better head to head record but they also need both Ohio State and Minnesota not to sweep and they win the Big Ten. Notre Dame is coming off a much needed sweep against Michigan which kept them in the race and knocked the Wolverines out. This week Notre Dame will take on Michigan State, who swept the Fighting Irish during its last series with one of the losses being in overtime.

For Penn State if everything goes right it would be its first regular season championship in Big Ten history. The other three teams still in the race have all won it very recently with Ohio State winning last year, Notre Dame in its first year in the Big Ten winning the year before, and Minnesota the year prior.

 

Logan Bourandas is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him email lxb5412@psu.edu.

About the Contributors

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Jeremy Ganes

Senior / Journalism

Jeremy Ganes is an aspiring sports broadcaster and journalist at Penn State. He writes articles, produces broadcasts, and announces games for the CommRadio sports department. He also co-hosts an NFL-focused talk show called 4th & Long that airs live on CommRadio, alongside DJ Bauer. In addition to CommRadio content, Jeremy also assists in production and serves as an on-air personality to the PSNtv show Penn State Sports Night, where he covers sports such as baseball and football. He is also a reporter and producer for the Centre County Report. He can be contacted at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Jordan Hession

Junior / Broadcast Journalism

Jordan Hession is a junior from Annapolis, Maryland majoring in broadcast journalism. Jordan is the co-host of CommRadio’s longest running live radio show The Sin Bin with Kyle Cannillo. In the summer of 2020, Jordan interned at SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Radio as a sports programmer. When Jordan is not discussing sports, he is writing various articles for collegiate and professional sports leagues and teams. Jordan has a love for all sports but has a genuine passion to spread ice hockey and baseball globally. Away from broadcast journalism, Jordan enjoys lifting weights and cooking. Jordan’s role models in the broadcast journalism industry include Doc Emrick, Gary Thorne and Mike Lange. In the future, Jordan sees himself working as a producer or host in sports talk radio and potentially television. To contact Jordan, email .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Logan Bourandas

Third-Year / Broadcast Journalism

Logan Bourandas is a third-year broadcast journalism major from Long Island, NY. He is a the news director for CommRadio and the host of Ducks on the Pond, which is an all-baseball talk show on CommRadio. He is also a sports writer, broadcaster and podcaster for CommRadio. He got his start as the station manager for his high school radio station WPOB in his hometown of Plainview, NY, where he hosted numerous radio shows and was involved in sports broadcasts. You can contact him at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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Jordan Mansberger

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Jordan Mansberger is a senior majoring in broadcast journalism and minoring in marketing and sports studies.