Penn State men’s hockey swept a two-game series over the weekend with unranked Stonehill and gained another spot in the rankings ahead of the start of Big Ten play.

In the latest USCHO poll released on Monday afternoon, the men’s hockey team leapt over Boston University (No. 5) to come in at No. 4, receiving two first-place votes with a 7-1-0 record.

Michigan State held serve as the near-unanimous No. 1 team in the country. Michigan jumped to No. 2, swapping places with Western Michigan after the two split a non-conference series this past weekend. Penn State is 97 points behind the reigning national champions and 48 points ahead of Boston University.

Penn State’s strength of schedule continues to falter, as Arizona State received a season-low 17 points. After splitting a series with No. 8 North Dakota, Clarkson received a season-high four points in the poll.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Wisconsin (No. 14) jumped three spots, but both Ohio State (No. 17) and Minnesota (No. 19) plummeted. The Buckeyes fell three spots after splitting with Sacred Heart (the lone team to lose to Stonehill), and the Golden Gophers were swept by No. 10 Minnesota Duluth, dropping to 2-5-0 on the season. Notre Dame continues not to receive votes.

The men’s hockey team begins conference play on the road against No. 17 Ohio State at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 30. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.