Where Penn State men’s hockey stands in the polls after Big Ten battle in Columbus
Penn State entered Columbus this weekend with just one win in its past seven Big Ten games.
With the slump, the Nittany Lions lone grasp on first place in the Big Ten was gone, as Ohio State entered the weekend tied with Penn State.
And with their backs up against the wall, Penn State managed a win and a tie in a crucial weekend on the road.
On Friday, the Nittany Lions took an early 2-0 lead, but were unable to hold on and eventually the game ended in a tie, before Penn State lost the shootout handing Ohio State an extra Big Ten point.
The next day, Penn State once again started fast and was able to hold on to defeat the Buckeyes 6-3 for a much needed victory.
Here is where the Nittany Lions stand after last weekend’s series against Ohio State.
Big Ten standings
Penn State entered the series as co-leaders at the top of the conference and after the pair of games, the Nittany Lions returned to State College as the outright leaders in the Big Ten.
Penn State took four of the possible six points against the Buckeyes and now have 33 Big Ten points.
Behind Penn State, there is a three-way tie for second place, with Michigan State, Ohio State and Minnesota all having 31 points.
The Spartans and Golden Gophers, however, have only played 18 conference games, meaning that they have two games in hand on both Penn State and Ohio State.
The Nittany Lions have a bye week the last week of the regular season, while Michigan State travels to Notre Dame for a series and Minnesota will host Michigan for a pair of games.
This could create an interesting scenario for Penn State as its seeding could change on the final weekend of the regular season, despite the Nittany Lions not playing. ‘
Notre Dame sits at No. 5 in the conference with 28 points and Michigan is just behind them at No. 6 with 27 points.
Both of these teams have played 18 conference games, so it’s not out of the question that they will be able to catch the Nittany Lions before the regular season comes to a close.
This weekend, Penn State is once again on the road, traveling to Wisconsin, who is last in the Big Ten, for another crucial set of games.
PairWise rankings
On the national side of things, Penn State had an unbeaten weekend with the win and tie against Ohio State.
And because of this, the Nittany Lions moved up three places to No. 8 in the PairWise rankings, which are the most accurate prediction of what teams will be in the NCAA Tournament and their seeding.
The Nittany Lions are currently the highest ranked Big Ten team in the standings.
Just like the Big Ten standings, the middle of the PairWise rankings is extremely tight this season, meaning the margin of error is very small.
Ohio State for example, entered the weekend at No. 10 in the rankings, one spot ahead of Penn State and firmly in the NCAA Tournament.
After the tie and loss, however, the Buckeyes are now at No. 15 in the rankings, a spot that would most likely see them on the outside looking in at the NCAA Tournament.
If the NCAA Tournament were to start today, Penn State would likely be a No. 2 seed and could play against Clarkson, Arizona State, UMass-Lowell or Northeastern in the first round of the tournament in Allentown.
Barring other results in the country, which massively impact the PairWise ranking formula, a sweep of the Badgers this weekend would move the Nittany Lions up to No. 7 in the rankings.
If the Nittany Lions were to leave Madison with two losses though, they could fall all the way No. 13, which would put Penn State firmly on the bubble for a spot in the NCAA Tournament.
Wisconsin is the lowest-ranked Big Ten team in the PairWise rankings and because of that the margin of error is very small for Penn State this weekend, as a loss will impact the Nittany Lions a lot more than a win.
USCHO.com rankings
Penn State stayed at No. 9 in the latest USCHO poll.
The Nittany Lions are still the highest ranked Big Ten team in the poll as Ohio State also stayed put at No. 13.
Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Michigan all received votes in the latest poll.
