Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt enters the Big Ten tournament semifinal game against Notre Dame on a roll
In the NHL, players always fear the team that barely makes it in because they are “playing with house money.” There isn’t a more fun position to be in than going out there and playing some fun hockey knowing you aren’t supposed to be there. We saw the LA Kings run the table when the did this, and even as recent as the Nashville Predators. Although we can’t see it, momentum is something all hockey players feel out there on the ice.
As March Madness is upon us in college sports, one Big Ten hockey club has found some magic recently. Two weeks ago, Penn State hosted the University of Minnesota, a storied college hockey program, in their last series of the regular season . If they won, they would have the right to host Minnesota again the next week to start the Big Ten Tournament. And that’s exactly what happened. Penn State beat the University of Minnesota four straight games at home scoring a minimum of five goals each game. And boy was the atmosphere electric.
Check out the highlights from Saturday night’s 6-5 victory over Minnesota as we sweep the Gophers to advance to next Saturday’s Big Ten Tournament Semifinals at No. 1 Notre Dame!! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/aNgsVt9LbM
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 4, 2018
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In those four games, Blackhawks prospect Evan Barratt had five points with four goals and an assist. Below is a video of a goal where he gets a clean shot on net and follows it up with a nice backhand rebound goal.
Evan Barratt. Again. That’s Barratt’s second of the game, third of the weekend and fourth in the past four games against Minnesota. PSU leads 6-5. pic.twitter.com/FLG00A5A0j
— Patrick Burns (@PatrickBurns_) March 4, 2018
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Barratt also got under the skin of some of the Gopher players, most notably New York Rangers prospect Ryan Lindgren. Barratt used the crowd’s energy to lay out some punishing hits as well.
Here it is folks: Evan Barratt making the crybaby face at Ryan Lindgren during last night’s game. pic.twitter.com/tUqrhcmxCI
— Patrick Burns (@PatrickBurns_) February 25, 2018
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This Saturday, Barratt and the Nittany Lions travel South Bend to take on the No. 1 Fighting Irish. This game is one of the best matchups in college hockey with the winner advancing to the championship game against the winner of No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan. The game will be shown on ESPNU at 5:30 Eastern Time.
Penn State is known for putting a ton of shots on net while Notre Dame gives up a good amount in front of their goaltender Cale Morris. As described by Brad Schlossman from the Grand Forks Herald on the College Hockey Today Podcast, this could be a bad matchup for Notre Dame despite their successful season.
Evan Barratt will be matching up with fellow Blackhawks prospect Dennis Gilbert who may be defending Barratt on a shift or two. This one-game semifinal should make for a great Big Ten showdown, especially for Blackhawks fans.