• The Big Ten Hockey Tournament Championship is on the line Saturday in Minneapolis as top seed Minnesota plays host to second seed Michigan in a rematch of last year’s final (won by Michigan). Opening faceoff is set for 8 p.m. ET in 3M Arena at Mariucci. The winner will receive the Big Ten’s automatic berth into the NCAA Tournament, which begins next week. The tournament field will be unveiled on the NCAA Selection Show Sunday at 6:30 p.m. ET on ESPNU.
No. 2 seed Michigan (23-11-3) at No. 1 seed Minnesota (26-8-1)
No. 4/4 ranked Michigan swept Wisconsin in the quarterfinals and defeated Ohio State, 7-3, last week in the semifinals to earn a trip to Minneapolis. No. 1/1 Minnesota received a quarterfinals bye and defeated Michigan State, 5-1, in the semifinals. Michigan and Minnesota have captured two Big Ten Tournament titles, sharing the all-time lead with Notre Dame. The Wolverines won in 2016 and 2022 and the Golden Gophers in 2015 and 2021. The teams have clashed six times in the Big Ten Tournament with Minnesota owning a 4-2 advantage. Saturday will mark the fourth meeting in the finals with Michigan sporting a 2-1 edge.
• Minnesota and Michigan squared off four times during the conference season. The Gophers swept a Nov. 17-18 series in Ann Arbor by the scores of 5-2 and 6-3. The series resumed in Minneapolis on Jan. 20-21 and produced two overtime affairs. Minnesota won the opener, 4-3, and Michigan took the rematch, 5-4. Saturday’s championship game will feature 26 NHL Draft picks and the top five overall scorers in the Big Ten. The game will be carried live on Big Ten Network and available on the FOX Sports App.
• Three Big Ten players were named Top-10 Finalists for the Hobey Baker Award, given to college hockey’s top player. Michigan’s Adam Fantilli and Minnesota’s Logan Cooley and Matthew Knies were selected based on voting by the 61 NCAA Division I head coaches and online fan balloting. Three finalists – the Hobey Baker Hat Trick – will be announced on March 30 and the winner revealed on April 7.
• The Big Ten Conference handed out its postseason awards and all-conference honors on Tuesday. Voting was conducted by conference coaches and a media panel and winners were revealed live on Big Ten Network’s B1G Today show. Matthew Knies earned Player of the Year honors and teammate…
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