Coming off a bye week, No. 5 Penn State men’s hockey faces its final major test of the regular season when they take on No. 2 Michigan in Ann Arbor for a two-game series this weekend. The Nittany Lions and Wolverines are fighting to keep pace with conference leader Michigan State as the season dwindles down. Both of these teams are locks to make the NCAA Tournament.
How to Watch
Who: Michigan Wolverines NPI Ranking (PSU): 2 (5) When: Friday, February 13 and Saturday, February 14 Where: Yost Ice Arena, Ann Arbor,
MI Times: 6:30pm (Friday), 5pm (Saturday) TV: Big Ten Plus (Friday), Big Ten Network (Saturday) Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Projected Lineup
Matt DiMarsico-Reese Laubach-JJ Wiebusch
Gavin McKenna-Dane Dowiak-Aiden Fink
Lev Katzin-Ben Schoen-Luke Misa
Shea Van Olm-Nic Chin-DeGraves-Casey Aman
Jackson Smith-Jarod Crespo
Cade Christenson-Mac Gadowsky
Carter Schade-Nolan Collins
Josh Fleming
Kevin Reidler
Opponent Preview
Michigan has been a wagon this season, boasting a record of 23-5 and 14-4 in Big Ten play. The Wolverines’ seven-game winning streak came to an end with a 5-2 loss to Michigan State in Detroit on Saturday, but they did beat the Spartans in overtime the night before at home.
When the Wolverines’ offense gets rolling, they are very difficult to slow down. Their 4.7 goals per game is the best mark in the NCAA. Will Horcoff leads the Big Ten with 20 goals, and he scored one goal in each of the first two games against Penn State this season. TJ Hughes (13 goals, 27 assists) leads the Big Ten in total points, and Michael Hage (12 goals, 25 assists) is second. Ten different Michigan players have at least eight goals this season, giving this offense nearly four complete scoring lines. Michigan gets 34.7 shots on goal per game, 5th in the NCAA. A vulnerable Penn State defense will have its hands full.
Jack Ivankovic (.925 save percentage, 2.02 GAA) was a bit rusty in his return to the lineup, giving up four goals in the loss to Michigan State, but he is still one of the best goaltenders in the country this season. Stephen Peck (.911 save percentage, 2.61 GAA) seamlessly replaced Ivankovic for six games. Like Penn State, Michigan has two goaltenders capable of performing against high-quality teams. Michigan only gives up 27.6 shots on goal per game, 20th in the NCAA. The Wolverines play a fast-paced, wide open game like Penn State, but they also have a very talented blue line capable of closing off passing and shooting lanes.
Michigan has the No. 3 power play (29.8%) and No. 39 penalty kill (79.1%) in the NCAA. The Wolverines are somewhat of a half-team on special teams. Penn State’s penalty kill has been excellent, but Michigan will eventually make them pay if the Lions take too many penalties.
News & Notes
- Gavin McKenna will play this weekend.
- Alex Servagno will miss the rest of the season with an injury. Casey Aman will most likely take his place as the 12th forward. Penn State’s forward depth will be tested in the final weeks.
- Michigan leads the all-time series 32-21-1.
- Penn State has won three of the last four meetings at Yost Ice Arena, including a sweep in last year’s Big Ten Tournament.
- Michigan is 5-0 in overtime games this season.
Prediction
This series will come down to which Penn State team walks in the door. The two meetings at Pegula Ice Arena earlier in the season were the best and worst efforts Penn State has displayed this season. Penn State is unlikely to win a track meet-style game. Michigan has a wide talent advantage, and the Nittany Lions do not even have 12 healthy forwards.
The Wolverines are 22-1 when scoring more than two goals and 1-5 when scoring two goals or fewer. Penn State will need to repeat the formula from the 4-2 win over Michigan back in November. Disciplined forechecking and backchecking, production from the bottom six, and good goaltending are the keys to solving this Michigan team. The Wolverines have split all of their series against Top 10 teams this season, and I think Penn State’s goaltending is good enough to keep that trend alive.
Michigan 5-3, Penn State 4-2
