Big TEN Hockey postseason notes

• Two Big Ten teams were selected to participate in the 2019 NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship, with Notre Dame and Ohio State earning bids …
• Big Ten Tournament Champion Notre Dame returns to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth consecutive season and the 11th time in program history. The Fighting Irish will be the No. 3 seed in the Northeast Regional in Manchester, N.H., and will face No. 2 seed Clarkson on ESPNU at 6:30 p.m. ET on Friday, March 29, at SNHU Arena. Notre Dame has reached the Frozen Four in each of the last two seasons, finishing as the national runner-up last year …
• Junior goalie Cale Morris from Notre Dame was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Big Ten Tournament for the second straight year after going 4-0-0 in postseason action and setting single-tournament records for goals-against average (0.75) and save percentage (.977) …
• Big Ten Champion Ohio State is the No. 3 seed in the West Regional in Fargo, N.D., and will face No. 2 seed Denver on ESPNU at 4 p.m. ET on Friday, March 29, at Scheels Arena. Ohio State is making its ninth NCAA Tournament appearance and its third in as many years. The Buckeyes have reached the Frozen Four twice, including last season …
• The Buckeyes and Pioneers met in the NCAA Midwest Regional final in Allentown, Pa., last year, with Ohio State winning 5-1 to advance to the Frozen Four. Ohio State traveled to Fargo for the 2017 West Regional, falling in overtime to Minnesota Duluth, 3-2 …
• Fifteen current Buckeyes have NCAA Tournament experience, led by the squad’s eight seniors. They are the second B uckeye senior class, and first since 2005, to make three NCAA tournament trips …
• Michigan’s Quinn Hughes, Michigan State’s Taro Hirose and Ohio State’s Mason Jobst have been named among the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, presented annually to college hockey’s top player. Hughes led Michigan in scoring with 33 points in 32 games and ranks is fifth in the nation in assists by a defenseman. Hirose completed his season with 15 goals, 35 assists for a nation-leading 50 points in 36 games, while Jobst is the active leading career scorer in the NCAA with 164 points in 149 career games. The Hobey Hat Trick will be announced on April 4 and the winner will be announced on April 12 …
• Notre Dame’s Cale Morris and Ohio State’s Tommy Nappier were named among the 10 semifinalists for the 2019 Mike Richter Award, which honors the most outstanding goaltender in NCAA men’s hockey. The five finalists for the fifth annual award will be announced on March 28, with the winner presented on April 12 at the 2018 NCAA Men’s Frozen Four in Buffalo, N.Y. …
• Ohio State’s Sasha Larocque and Penn State’s Chase Berger have been named among the 10 men’s hockey finalists for the 2018-19 Senior CLASS Award. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior students in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition …
• Four Big Ten teams rank among the top 20 in scoring offense this season. Penn State currently leads the nation, averaging 4.54 goals per game. Minnesota is 15th with 3.11 goals per game, Ohio State is 17th at 3.09, Michigan is 19th at 3.06 and Wisconsin is 20th, scoring an average of 3.05 goals per outing …