After a rather dismal 2-4 start to the season in non-conference play, Penn State hockey opens Big Ten play with a road series against No. 18 Minnesota. The Nittany Lions are hopeful that last weekend’s sweep over Canisius was a step in the right direction, although the Golden Gophers on the road are a significant step higher in competition.
How To Watch
Who: Minnesota Golden Gophers When: Friday, October 30 and Saturday, October 31 Where: 3M Arena at Mariucci, Minneapolis, MN Time: 8pm (Friday), 7pm (Saturday)
TV: Big Ten Plus Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Projected Lineup
Shea Van Olm-Reese Laubach-Lev Katzin
Justin Larose-Dane Dowiak-Justin Poirier
Andrew Kuzma-Kale Dach-Shea Busch
Charlie Michaud-Kaden Pitre-Marco Mignosa
Mac Gadowsky-Ethan Weber
Jackson Smith-Nolan Collins
Nick Fascia-Caeden Herrington
Josh Fleming
Ryder Fetterolf
Opponent Preview
Minnesota comes in with a mediocre record of 2-3-1, but all of the losses were on the road to a decent Michigan Tech team and rival Minnesota-Duluth. The Gophers rebounded with a home sweep of historic rival North Dakota, winning both games by a 5-3 score.
As always, Minnesota is talented and tough to play in Minneapolis. Brodie Ziemer, Wyatt Cullen, and Christian Humphreys all have three goals through the first six games. LJ Mooney (0 goals, 1 assist) is in a bit of a sophomore slump, but it is a matter of time until he gets going. Freshman Jacob Kvasnicka had a goal and two assists in the sweep over North Dakota. Minnesota would like to see him add to their depth scoring quickly. As a team, Minnesota is averaging just under 27 shots on goal per game, which ranks just 44th in the NCAA, but when you consider the competition they have faced so far, the number is not necessarily reflective of their ability on offense.
This is certainly not the best defensive team Minnesota has iced. The Gophers are giving up nearly 33 shots on goal per game, also 44th in the NCAA. Sophomore blue liner Tanner Henricks followed head coach Brett Larson from St. Cloud State, and he has added some juice to a defensive unit that struggled a year ago. Henricks’ 24:26 of average ice time and +6 rating is by far the highest on the team. His regular defense partner John Whipple (+4, 19:41 average ice time) is questionable. The Whipple-Henricks pairing has been Minnesota’s best by far. When those two are not on the ice, the defense is vulnerable.
Goaltender Luca DiPasquo has not been spectacular (.896 save percentage, 3.07 GAA), but the schedule has not been easy. He posted a .916 save percentage against Penn State a season ago, and that was against a significantly more experienced Penn State offense and with a weaker Minnesota team in front of him. Penn State’s young forward group will have their work cut out for them this weekend on the road.
Minnesota is 9th in the NCAA on the power play (28.6%) but 55th on the penalty kill (66.7%). Penn State’s power play has had a mediocre start to the season but could gain some momentum against a weak PK. Staying out of the penalty box is always important, but against a power play that converts nearly 30% of the time, it will be especially important to keep the Gophers’ man advantage off the ice as much as possible.
News & Notes
- Minnesota leads the all-time series 32-23-1. Penn State has won the last four meetings.
- Reese Laubach is the most successful active player against Minnesota. His nine points in 15 career games, including five points in last year’s five meetings, is the most of any active Penn State player.
- Penn State is 14-10-2 all-time in the first regular season series of Big Ten play.
Prediction
This is a tough one to predict because these teams are young and have made significant changes in the roster (Penn State) or coaching staff (Minnesota) since these teams last met in the spring. Minnesota has been more battle-tested than Penn State early in the season, and the Gophers’ losses to Michigan Tech and Minnesota-Duluth are more palatable than Penn State’s losses to Sacred Heart and Robert Morris.
It is easy for me to see Penn State hanging around because Minnesota is still a flawed team even after sweeping North Dakota. But the struggles we have seen through the first six games against weaker teams does not inspire confidence that Penn State can beat this team on the road.
Minnesota 4-2, 5-2
