Is Ohio State the Center of the College Hockey Universe This Week? Puck Drop
In this story:
We're going to cut to the chase, which is the theme here in more ways than one, and give you the answer beforehand, no. Ohio State is not the center of the college hockey universe this week, especially since neither the men's nor women's team is playing at home. Both squads are on the road.
However, the "why" part of it, as in why we're posing the question, is the important part here.
First off, we're getting ahead of ourselves because this week's updated college hockey rankings won't start rolling out until early afternoon Monday (ET), and with this being the final week before we get into Thanksgiving and everything that follows like holiday tournaments, the Friendship Four games in Ireland, all-star teams playing in international events, final exams, the end of the semester and winter break, we simply didn't want to wait. Not even until lunchtime.
In the schedule to follow of this week's games, matchups that are likely to be between two ranked teams have been bolded. You'll notice that the Ohio State men's team is included. Last week the Buckeyes were the top team in the also receiving votes section. They subsequently earned four points in the Big Ten standings with a 5-1 win Friday at No. 7 Wisonsin and an overtime 6-5 loss Saturday.
Buckeyes and Badgers tied at 2 after the first period.
— Ohio State Men's Hockey (@OhioStateMHKY) November 16, 2025
Adam Eisele notched his second of the weekend in the opening stanza⤵️#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/aDB2hSTrrm
Will that be enough to crack the top 20? Maybe. Even though OSU is 5-5 overall, 1-3 Big Ten. No. 11 Northeastern lost twice to No 14 Connecticut (one in OT), No. 12 UMass lost twice to Boston College, No. 13 Boston University lost 6-2 to No. 10 Quinnipiac to fall below .500), and No. 17 Colorado College lost twice to No. 4 Denver (one in OT).
The real selling point, though, is this week's opponent, Michigan, which was No. 2 last week and will probably stay there after splitting a series against No. 5 Penn State. You''re talking one of the best rivalries in all of college athletics.
Meanwhile, the women's team has a big WCHA series at Minnesota Duluth. Last week, those teams were ranked No. 3 and 5, respectively, It'll almost certainly be the only top-five matchup of the entire weekend.
Men's Schedule
Tuesday, November 18
AHA
RIT at Niagara, 7 p.m. ET
Non-Conference
Alaska-Anchorage at Stonehill, 7 p.m. ET
Wednesday, November 19
Non-Conference
Alaska-Anchorage at Brown, 7 p.m. ET
Thursday, November 20
Hockey East
Massachusetts at Providence, 7 p.m. ET
Non-Conference
Alaska-Anchorage at Holy Cross, 7 p.m. ET
Friday, November 21
Big Ten
Ohio State at Michigan, 7 p.m. ET
Penn State at Minnesota, FS1, 7 p.m. CT
Wisconsin at Michigan State, 8:30 p.m.
Exhibition
US Under-18 at North Dakota, 7 p.m. CT
AHA
Mercyhurst at Canisius, 7 p.m. ET
Air Force at Army, 7 p.m. ET
RIT at Bentley, 7 p.m. ET
CCHA
Lake Superior at Ferris State, 7 p.m. ET
Michigan Tech at Minnesota State, 7 p.m. CT
Bowling Green at St. Thomas, 7 p.m. CT
Northern Michigan at Bemidji State, 7 p.m. CT
ECAC
Yale at Brown, 7 p.m. ET
RPI at Colgate, 7 p.m. ET
Union at Cornell, 7 p.m. ET
St. Lawrence at Princeton, 7 p.m. ET
Clarkson at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
Hockey East
UConn at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. ET
Boston University at Northeastern, 7 p.m. ET
Maine at Boston College, NESN, 7 p.m. ET
NCHC
St. Cloud State at Miami, 7 p.m. ET
Western Michigan at Omaha, 7 p.m. CT
Denver at Arizona State, 7 p.m. MT
Minnesota Duluth at Colorado College, 7 p.m. MT
Non-Conference
Merrimack at Long Island, 7 p.m. ET
Robert Morris at Lindenwood, 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, November 22, 2025
AHA
Mercyhurst at Canisius, 7 p.m. ET
Air Force at Army, 7 p.m. ET
Big Ten
Ohio State at Michigan, 7 p.m. ET
Wisconsin at Michigan State, 7 p.m. CT
Penn State at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CT
CCHA
Lake Superior at Ferris State, 6 p.m. ET
Michigan Tech at 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
Union at Colgate, SNY 7 p.m. ET
RPI at Cornell, 7 p.m. ET
Clarkson at Princeton ,7 p.m. ET
St. Lawrence at Quinnipiac, 7 p.m. ET
Brown at Yale, 7 p.m. ET
Hockey East
New Hampshire at UConn, 6:30 p.m. ET
Northeastern at Boston University, 7 p.m. ET
Providence at Massachusetts, 7 p.m. ET
Maine at Boston College, 7 p.m. ET
NCHC
St. Cloud State at Miami, 6:05 p.m. ET
Denver at Arizona State, 5 p.m. MT
Western Michigan at Omaha, 7 p.m. CT
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
Sunday, November 23
Non-Conference
Alaska-Anchorage at Holy Cross, 2 p.m. ET
Women's Schedule
Tuesday, November 18
NEWHA
Sacred Heart at Post, 1 p.m. ET
Thursday, November 20
ECAC
Quinnipiac at Princeton, 6 p.m. ET
WCHA
St. Thomas at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CT
Friday, November 21
AHA
Robert Morris at Lindenwood, noon CT
Mercyhurst at Syracuse, 6 p.m. ET
Penn State at RIT, 6 p.m. ET
ECAC
Brown at Clarkson, 6 p.m. ET
Colgate at Rensselaer, 6 p.m. ET
Yale at St. Lawrence, 6 p.m. ET
Cornell at Union, 6 p.m. ET
Hockey East
Providence at Boston University, 6 p.m. ET
Vermont at UConn, 6 p.m. ET
New Hampshire at Holy Cross, 6 p.m. ET
Northeastern at Maine, 6 p.m. ET
NEWHA
Post at Stonehill, 3 p.m. ET
Sacred Heart at Long Island ,3 p.m. ET
Saint Michael's at Franklin Pierce , 4 p.m. ET
Saint Anselm at Assumption, 7 p.m. ET
WCHA
St. Cloud State at Bemidji State, 3:02 p.m. CT
Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth, 5:01 p.m. CT
Minnesota State at Minnesota, 6 p.m. CT
St. Thomas at Wisconsin, 7 p.m. CT
Saturday, November 22
AHA
Robert Morris at Lindenwood, noon CT
Mercyhurst at Syracuse, 3 p.m. ET
Penn State at RIT, 3 p.m. ET
Hockey East
Merrimack at Boston College, 2 p.m. ET
Vermont at UConn, 3 p.m. ET
Boston University at Providence, 3 p.m. ET
Northeastern at Maine, 4 p.m. ET
Holy Cross at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. ET
ECAC
Yale at Clarkson, 3 p.m. ET
Princeton at Quinnipiac, 3 p.m. ET
Cornell at Rensselaer, 3 p.m. ET
Brown at St. Lawrence, 3 p.m. ET
Colgate at Union, 3 p.m. ET
NEWHA
Post at Stonehill1, 1 p.m. ET
Long Island at Sacred Heart, 1 p.m. ET
Assumption at Saint Anselm, 3 p.m. ET
Saint Michael's at Franklin Pierce, 4 p.m. ET
WCHA
Ohio State at Minnesota Duluth, 2 p.m. CT
Minnesota at Minnesota State, 2 p.m. CT
St. Cloud State at Bemidji State, 2 p.m. CT
Puck Drop: Monday, November 17, 2025
• New York Rangers coach Mike Sullivan, who played college hockey at Boston University, was not on the bench when the team hosted the Detroit Red Wings at Madison Square Garden on Sunday night due to a personal matter. The team announced his absence beforehand, and that former Rangers head coach David Quinn (Boston University) would split the coaching duties with Joe Sacco (also BU). The Red Wings won 2-1.
David Quinn on Mike Sullivan: “I don’t have an update right now. From the coaches to the players to the organization, we’re certainly thinking about Mike and his family. Never an easy situation when you’ve got to attend to your family.”
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) November 17, 2025
• Defender Madeleine Schiff (Detroit Little Caesars) has committed to Long Island University for 2027-28.
• Blackhawks left wing Nick Foligno, from of the U.S. National Development Team Program, could be out four weeks after injuring his left hand while blocking a shot during Chicago's 3-2 win against visiting Toronto on Saturday. Meanwhile, Auston Matthews was placed on injured reserve Friday, retroactive to Nov. 11, because of a lower-body injury and could miss a week.
• NHL Fans Owe Devils’ Jack Hughes an Apology
• The Rangers honored Hall of Fame hockey writer Larry Brooks on Sunday night with a pregame tribute. Brooks died from cancer Thursday at the age of 75.
The Rangers just presented a Larry Brooks tribute and held a moment of silence. pic.twitter.com/TahS1OITq0
— Peter Baugh (@Peter_Baugh) November 17, 2025
... and here's how that game ended. I wonder what Larry would have asked in the locker room.
— NHL News (@PuckReportNHL) November 17, 2025
Sunday's Scores
No Games Scheduled
Games between ranked opponents are bolded. All times are local to where the game is being played.
Monday's Games
No Games Scheduled
This Date in Hockey History:
November 17, 1877: Frank Calder, the first NHL president, was born in Bristol, England.
November 17, 1918: Chester Titein, who enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Service after playing three years at MIT, died in a plane crash.
November 17, 1926: The Chicago Blackhawks played their first NHL game and defeated the Toronto St. Patricks 4-1.
November 17, 1967: The Bemidji State University Fieldhouse and hockey rink opened.
November 17, 1970: Former Michigan defenseman Chris Tamer was born in Dearborn, Mich.
November 17, 1979: Gordie Howe and Wayne Gretzky opposed each other for the first of four times. The 51-year-old Howe had an assist in the Hartford Whalers’ 4-0 victory over Edmonton. It was the only point he’d record playing against Gretzky (who was 18 at the time).
November 17, 1985: Former Minnesota center Neil Broten had a natural hat trick with three straight goals in the second period of a 5-5 tie between the North Stars and Blackhawks.
November 17, 1992: St. Cloud State defenseman Ethan Prow was born in Sauk Rapids, Minn.
November 17, 1999: Former Minnesota defenseman Ben Clymer scored his first NHL goal and former Colgate center Bruce Gardiner had a goal and an assist, but the Tampa Bay Lightning took a 5-4 loss at Atlanta.
November 17, 2006: Former North Dakota standouts helped lead New Jersey to a 3-2 victory against visiting Ottawa as left wing Zach Parise had a goal and two assists and rookie center Travis Zajac added three assists. Team USA right wing Jamie Langenbrunner had two goals and an assist for the Devils.
November 17, 2011: Former Minnesota State forward David Backes scored two unassisted goals to lead the St. Louis Blues to a 4-1 win over the visiting Florida Panthers.
November 17, 2013: The Minnesota women’s team saw its 62-game winning streak end with a 3-2 hime loss to North Dakota.
November 17, 2014: The Hockey Hall of Fame inducted Rob Blake, Peter Forsberg, Dominik Hasek, Mike Modano, Pat Burns, referee Bill McCreary and announcer Pat Foley.
November17, 2021: Former United States National Team Development Program defenseman Seth Jones notched his 300th NHL point and played with his brother for the first time as the Chicago Blackhawks skated past Seattle 4-2.
November 17, 2022: Former Maine right wing John Tortorella became the first U.S.-born coach to reach the 1,400-game milestone. However, the Philadelphia Flyers lost 4-1 at Boston.
Hockey Quote of the Day
[On playing roller hockey in a sunken concrete schoolyard on West 49th Street in Hell's Kitchen] "I practically lived on roller skates, so it was easy to learn roller hockey. We'd sand down the sides of a roll of electrical tape and use it as a puck. You had to watch yourself going too fast because of the cement walls."Joe Mullen
We'll Leave You With This ...
This was from Saturday night:
A beauty of a goal from Brandon Buhr!
— Union College Men's Hockey (@Unionmhockey) November 15, 2025
And it's a hat trick! #SCTop10 #UBeforeMe x #NCAAHockey x @ecachockey x @TeamECH x @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/x43yWQB7Td
16:55 | A natural hat trick for Brandon Buhr! And it comes on a penalty shot!
— Union College Men's Hockey (@Unionmhockey) November 15, 2025
5-0 Union over New Hampshire!#UBeforeMe pic.twitter.com/egxG7O24tk
Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
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