Big Ten Throwdown Games Result in Two Major Hockey Upsets : Puck Drop

The Big Ten shook up the college hockey world with a pair up upsets Friday night that could have a big impact on a lot more than the league standings.

In East Landing, visiting No. 7 Wisconsin came back from at two-goal deficit and scored four times in the second period en route to a 5-4 victory over No. 1 Michigan State. The loss for the Spartans (9-2-0, 4-1-0) snapped a nine-game winning streak that went back to their season-opening setback against New Hampshire, and a seven-game winning streak against the Badgers at Munn Ice Arena.

Christian Fitzgerald, Blake Montgomery, Adam Pietila and Tyson Dyck accounted for the four-goal barrage, with Fitzgerald notching nation-leading seventh power-play goal and Dych getting his first of the season. However, Ryan Botterill got the game-winner in the third period just 16 seconds after Ryker Lee brought Michigan State back to within a goal at 4-3.

Down goes No. 1‼️

Ryan Botterill adds the final tally for No. 7 @BadgerMHockey in their 5-4 victory at No. 1 Michigan State pic.twitter.com/ZnNz7oE4Wr
— Big Ten Hockey (@B1GHockey) November 22, 2025

Sophomore goaltender Eli Pulver, a transfer from Minnesota State who played in just one game last season, earned his first victory in his first start as a Badger. He made 35 saves.

Both Michigan State goals in the first period came on a power play. Daniel Russel opened the scoring following a failed clear, off a pass from Porter Martone, who subsequently scored two goals later in the game. Junior Trey Augustine made 29 saves in the loss.

With the win, Wisconsin (9-2-2, 5-2-0 Big Ten) stayed tied with No. 2 Michigan atop the Big Ten standings, after the Wolverines won the first of their rivalry games against Ohio State 5-2. Senior T.J. Hughes scored and added two assists as the Wolverines scored three goals in the third period to pull away, and outshot the Buckeyes 45-22.

Meanwhile, No. 5 Penn State's recent "struggles" continued at Minnesota as the Gophers came back from a two-goal deficit to score three times in the second period en route to a 3-2 win. Skating in the 39th game of this career, junior defenseman Axel Begley picked up his first NCAA point to begin the comeback, and freshman Mason Moe had the game-winning goal.

Penn State (10-5-0 overall, 3-4 BIg Ten) has just one win over its last five games, but the other losses were against either No. 1 Michigan State or No. 2 Michigan. Both teams were called for seven penalties (33 minutes), and the Gophers (6-8-1, 3-2), who coming into the weekend led the nation in blocked shots, had 19 more.

"Our players earned that thing; start to finish. We had a really good first period, but we found ourselves down 2-0 and then they held strong. We got great goaltending tonight and special teams were critical."
Minnesota coach Bob Motzko

FIRST GOAL ALERT 🚨
Begley with the BEAUTY to tally his first in the Maroon & Gold 🤩

📺: FS1 pic.twitter.com/5JkrJO2DR6
— Minnesota Men’s Hockey (@GopherHockey) November 22, 2025

Puck Drop: Saturday, November 22, 2025

• Former UMass Lowell goaltender Connor Hellebuyck will have surgery on his knee Saturday and will be out 4-6 weeks for the Winnipeg Jets. For more check out Breakaway On SI.

• The New Jersey Devils sent former Michigan defenseman Ethan Edwards back down to the Utica Comets (AHL). He was with the team during its recent roadtrip, but did not make his NHL debut. He and Luke Hughes, a former teammate with the Wolverines, were paired together during practices.

• Princeton sophomore forward Kal Daniells was the first player in college hockey to score five goals in a game wince 2011, during a 7-4 win over St. Lawrence at Baker Rink on Friday. Daniells only had two goals a freshman last season. Meanwhile, No. 4 UMD's Max Plante had his first career hat trick during a 4-2 victory against Colorado College, and Chris Pelosi had his first hat trick while leading No. 9 Quinnipiac past Clarkson 4-1.

• The Ontario Hockey League suspended Brampton Steelheads defenseman Luke Dragusica for rest of 2025-26 regular season and playoffs for slashing Oshawa’s Brady Blaseg in the head.

• Boston University announced the death of former defenseman Tom Ryan, a seventh-round selection in the 1984 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Penguins. He was 59.

We are mourning the loss of Tom Ryan, a beloved friend and teammate who passed away on Thursday. Tom captained the 1987-88 Terriers and served as the analyst for our radio broadcasts from 1992 until 2016. Our thoughts are with Tom's family and friends during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/oxivyn6FHb
— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) November 21, 2025

Friday's Scores

MEN
AHA
Canisius 4, Mercyhurst 3
Air Force 6, Army 3
Bentley 3, RIT 2

Big Ten
No. 2 Michigan 5, Ohio State 2
Minnesota 3, No. 5 Penn State 2
No. 7 Wisconsin 5, No. 1 Michigan State 4

CCHA
Lake Superior 2, Ferris State 1
No, 14 Minnesota State 3, Michigan Tech 0
Bowling Green 3, St. Thomas 2 (OT)
Bemidji State 7, Northern Michigan 3

ECAC
Brown 4, Yale 2
Colgate 2, RPI 1
No. 19 Cornell 2, No. 20 Union 1
Princeton 7, St. Lawrence 4
No. 9 Quinnipiac 4, Clarkson 1

Hockey East
No. 11 UConn 4, New Hampshire 1
No. 12 Northeastern 3, No. 18 Boston University 2
No. 15 Boston College 7, No. 10 Maine 3

NCHC
Miami 6, St. Cloud State 5
No. 8 Western Michigan 7, Omaha 2
No. 3 Denver 7, Arizona State, 1
No. 4 Minnesota Duluth 4, Colorado College 2

Non-Conference
Merrimack 6, Long Island 2
Lindenwood 6, Robert Morris 2

Exhibition
No. 6 North Dakota 6, US Under-18 1

WOMEN
AHA
Robert Morris 2, Lindenwood 2 (SO)
Mercyhurst 2, Syracuse, 2 (SO)
No. 6 Penn State 5, RIT 3

ECAC
No. 11 Clarkson 4, No. 12 Brown 2
No. 13 Colgate 5, Rensselaer 2
No. 14 Yale 3, St. Lawrence 2 (OT)
Union 4, No. 4 Cornell3 (OT)

Hockey East
Boston University 4, Providence 1
No. 9 Conn 4, Vermont 0
New Hampshire 1, Holy Cross 1 (SO)
No. 8 Northeastern 3, Maine 1

NEWHA
Post 3, Stonehill 2
Sacred Heart 5, Long Island 1
Franklin Pierce 2, Saint Michael's 0
Saint Anselm 4, Assumption 3 (OT)

WCHA
No. 10 St. Cloud State 4, Bemidji State 0
No. 3 Ohio State 3, No. 5 Minnesota Duluth 1
Minnesota State 3, No. 2 Minnesota 1
No. 1 Wisconsin 4, No. 15 St. Thomas 3 (OT)

Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.

Saturday's Schedule

MEN
AHA
Mercyhurst at Canisius, 7 p.m. ET
Air Force at Army, 7 p.m. ET

Big Ten
Ohio State at No. 2 Michigan, 7 p.m. ET
No. 7 Wisconsin at No. 1 Michigan State, 7 p.m. CT
No. 5 Penn State at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CT

CCHA
Lake Superior at Ferris State, 6 p.m. ET
Michigan Tech at No. 14 Minnesota State, 6 p.m. CT
Bowling Green at St. Thomas, 6 p.m. CT
Northern Michigan at Bemidji State, 6 p.m. CT

ECAC
No. 20 Union at Colgate, SNY 7 p.m. ET
RPI at No. 19 Cornell, 7 p.m. ET
Clarkson at Princeton ,7 p.m. ET
St. Lawrence at No. 9 Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
Brown at Yale, 7 p.m. ET

Hockey East
New Hampshire at No. 11 UConn, 6:30 p.m. ET
No. 12 Northeastern at No. 18 Boston University, 7 p.m. ET
No. 16 Providence at No. 17 Massachusetts, 7 p.m. ET
Mo. 10 Maine at No. 15 Boston College, 7 p.m. ET

NCHC
St. Cloud State at Miami, 6:05 p.m. ET
No. 3 Denver at Arizona State, 5 p.m. MT
No. 8 Western Michigan at Omaha, 7 p.m. CT
No. 4 Minnesota Duluth at Colorado College, 6 p.m. MT

Non-Conference
Long Island at Sacred Heart, 5 p.m. ET
Harvard at Vermont, 6 p.m. ET
Robert Morris at Lindenwood, 6 p.m. CT

WOMEN
AHA
Robert Morris at Lindenwood, noon CT
Mercyhurst at Syracuse, 3 p.m. ET
No. 6 Penn State at RIT, 3 p.m. ET

Hockey East
Merrimack at Boston College, 2 p.m. ET
Vermont at No 9 UConn, 3 p.m. ET
Boston University at Providence, 3 p.m. ET
No. 8 Northeastern at Maine, 4 p.m. ET
Holy Cross at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. ET

ECAC
No. 14 Yale at No. 11 Clarkson, 3 p.m. ET
Princeton at No. 7 Quinnipiac, 3 p.m. ET
No. 4 Cornell at Rensselaer, 3 p.m. ET
No. 12 Brown at St. Lawrence, 3 p.m. ET
No 13 Colgate at Union, 3 p.m. ET

NEWHA
Post at Stonehill, 1 p.m. ET
Long Island at Sacred Heart, 1 p.m. ET
Assumption at Saint Anselm, 3 p.m. ET
St. Michael's at Franklin Pierce, 4 p.m. ET

WCHA
No. 3 Ohio State at No. 5 Minnesota Duluth, 2 p.m. CT
No. 2 Minnesota at Minnesota State, 2 p.m. CT
St. Cloud State at Bemidji State, 2 p.m. CT

There goes our hero 😮‍💨 pic.twitter.com/vI2DNsFg7X
— Northeastern Men’s Hockey (@GoNUmhockey) November 22, 2025

This Date in Hockey History:

November 22, 1965: Boston University left wing Clark Donatelli as born in Providence, R.I.

November 22, 1980: Former Denver center Craig Patrick was named general manager and head coach of the New York Rangers.

November 22, 1984: Wisconsin defenseman Davis Drewiske was born in Hudson, Wisc.

November 22, 1986: North Dakota right wing Matt Watkins was born in Aylesbury, Saskatchewan.

November 22, 1986: Wayne Gretzky needed just 575 games to reach 500 goals, the fastest anyone has reached the milestone. His 39th hat trick led Edmonton to a 5-2 victory over Vancouver.

November 22, 1990: The Edmonton Oilers and Minnesota North Stars swapped goaltenders with Bruce Bell heading south of the border for Kari Takko. Yes, it’s known as the Takko Bell trade.

November 22, 1991: Former Vermont goaltender Tom Draper picked up his first and only career NHL shutout as the Buffalo Sabres defeated visiting Chicago, 2-0.

November 22, 1996: New Jersey traded former Minnesota center Neal Broten to Los Angeles for future considerations.

November 22, 1997: Minnesota State defenseman Wyatt Aamodt was born in Hermantown, Minn.

November 22, 1997: Former Wisconsin goaltender Curtis Jospeh became the first player in Edmonton Oilers history to notch back-to-back shutouts with a 1-0 victory at Ottawa. Former Michigan State left wing scored the lone goal. The win came two days after he topped St. Lousi 3-0.

November 22, 1998: Minnesota center Casey Mittelstadt was born in Eden Prairie, Minn.

November 22, 1999: Wayne Gretzky was indicted into the Hockey Hall of Fame, which waved the mandatory three-year waiting period. The class also included official Andy Van Hellemond and former league President Scotty Morrison.

November 22, 1999: Former Kent State and Michigan State right wing Dean Sylvester recorded the first hat trick in Atlanta Thrashers history during a 6-3 victory against Vancouver. They were also the first three goals of the rookie’s career.

November 22, 2002: Michigan defenseman Owen Power was born in Mississauga, Ottawa.

November 23, 2003: The NHL held its first outdoor game when the Edmonton Oilers hosted the Montreal Canadiens in the Heritage Classic at Commonwealth Stadium. Despite frigid temperatures, some 57,000 fans saw the Canadiens pull off a 4-3 victory, but they also got to see an all-time greats game won by the Oilers 2-0.

November 22, 2021: Former Denver right wing Tony Terry had his 16-points streak snapped as Anaheim took a 3-2 loss to Nashville.

November 22, 2023: Former Massachusetts goaltender Jonathan Quick became the first U.S.-born player to reach 60 career shutouts as the New York Rangers won at Pittsburgh 1-0.

November 22, 2023: Former Michigan defenseman Quinn Hughes became the second player in Vancouver Canucks history with a 20-point calendar month. Meanwhile, former UMass defenseman Cale Maker became the first defenseman in Colorado Avalanche history to notch 18 assists in a single calendar month.

Hockey Quote of the Day

“People know me from a hockey game, from an earthquake, from the O.J case.”
Al Michaels

We'll Leave You With This ...

This might say "Wisconsin" more than anything else I can think of (just in general):

Score your first-career goal and YOU get to knock down (most of) the beer can pyramid.

Have a day Grace Bickett! #Badgers https://t.co/5SXUbMBbRq pic.twitter.com/r1uFCyqcqS
— Kedrick Stumbris (@KedrickStumbris) November 21, 2025