Although Wisconsin and Ohio State were idle, the Big Ten hockey conferencefinished with a respectable response to last weeks dismal showing. The conference capped off the weekend with a 5-3-0 record, mostly thanks to sweeps from Minnesota and Penn State. Three weeks into the season, the 4-0-0 Gophers and the 3-1-2 Nittany Lions are the top two teams in the Big Ten.4. Penn State

The Nittany Lions keep doing things that Wisconsin isnt doing, and that comes down to simply winning games. Penn State swept Holy Cross this weekend with a 3-1 victory Friday and a 7-1 thrashing Sunday and early-season triumph has the Nittany Lions climbing these rankings.

Goaltender Matt Skoff has been outstanding early on, posting a stingy 1.95 goals-against average and a .931 save percentage in six games. It will be hard to sustain those numbers upon entering the Big Ten season, but the early success need not be brushed over.

Most importantly, Penn State is putting pucks in the net at a rapid rate with an average of 4.17 goals per game.