Looking to watch the Gophers vs. Penn State in the Big Ten men's quarterfinal hockey series this weekend? You will have to pay to watch, if you don't already subscribe to the Big Ten Network's subscription package.
Want to watch Gophers hockey this weekend in postseason? It'll cost ya
February 27, 2018 at 2:28PM
The Big Ten and Big Ten Network on Monday announced that all games in the best-of-three series will be available on BTN Plus, a streaming service that costs $79.95 annually or $9.95 for one month. None of the Big Ten quarterfinal series will be televised on the Big Ten Network.
Every Gophers men's hockey game since December has been available on cable.
The fifth-seeded Gophers and fourth-seeded Nittany Lions meet at 6 p.m. Friday, Saturday and Sunday (if necessary) at Pegula Ice Arena in State College, Pa. Minnesota had a chance to clinch home ice in the quarterfinals had it secured one point in the final regular-season series over the weekend at Penn State, but the Nittany Lions swept by 5-1 and 5-2 scores.
The Big Ten is in its fifth season as a hockey conference, and the first four featured a three-day conference tournament rotating between Xcel Energy Center and Detroit's Joe Louis Arena. But abysmal attendance at those sites prompted the conference to go to a three-week, on-campus format of best-of-three quarterfinals, then single-elimination semifinals and single-game final.
The other two quarterfinal series — No. 7 Michigan State at No. 2 Ohio State and No. 6 Wisconsin at No. 3 Michigan — also will be available only on BTN Plus. Big Ten champion Notre Dame has a bye.
Randy Johnson
U falls in men's poll
The Gophers dropped three spots to No. 11 on Monday in the U.S. College Hockey Online poll. St. Cloud State remained No. 1 and received 47 of 50 first-place votes. Cornell is No. 2, followed by Minnesota State Mankato, Denver and Notre Dame.
• In the USCHO women's poll, Wisconsin remained No. 1, followed Clarkson, Boston College, Colgate and Ohio State. The Gophers, who face Ohio State on Saturday in the WCHA Final Faceoff at Ridder Arena, remained No. 7.
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• The Lynx signed the Israeli League's Breanna Richardson to a training camp contract. The 6-1 forward from Mississippi State was in two Lynx preseason games last year.
• Gophers shortstop Terrin Vavra was chosen the Big Ten baseball player of the week, after batting .600 with six RBI, eight runs scored and two stolen bases in three victories over the weekend.
• The MIAC chose forward Allison Borgstrom of MIAC champion St. Thomas as player of the year, Hamline's Natalie Darwitz as women's hockey coach of the year and Concordia defender Emily Goff as winner of the Sheila Brown award, given for hockey skills and production, team leadership, sportsmanship, volunteerism and academic excellence.
• Ayoka Lee, a 6-5 senior, scored 54 points to lead Byron to a 76-54 victory over Winona Cotter in the Class 2A, Section 1 girls' basketball quarterfinals Monday in Rochester.
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Two standouts for Minnesota were Tori McKinney (17 points) and Annika Stewart (20), as Prairie View A&M fell to 2-6.
