Penn State men’s hockey will look to reverse its ugly 0-2 start to the season with a home game against No. 8 Quinnipiac tonight. The Bobcats visit State College for the first time in one of the biggest non-conference home games in Penn State’s 15 years as an NCAA team.
How To Watch
Who: Quinnipiac Bobcats
When: Friday, October 16
Where: Pegula Ice Arena, State College, PA
Time: 7pm
TV: Big Ten Plus
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Projected Lineup
Shea Van Olm-Dane Dowiak-Justin Poirier Luke Misa-Reese Laubach-Shea Busch Justin Larose-Kale
Dach-Andrew Kuzma Charlie Michaud-Kaden Pitre-Braedon Ford
Jackson Smith-Mac Gadowsky
Casey Aman-Nolan Collins
Ethan Weber-Caedan Herrington
Josh Fleming
Ryder Fetterolf
Opponent Preview
Quinnipiac is 3-1 to start the season, with wins over New Hampshire and Merrimack and a split against Maine. The Bobcats have not missed the NCAA Tournament since 2018 and project as one of the best teams in the country again this season.
The Quinnipiac offense is one of the most dynamic in the country. Ethan Wyttenbach led the NCAA in points last season, and he is off to a red-hot start to 2026-27 with three goals and five assists in the first four games of the season. The Bobcats have scored 21 goals from 12 different scorers in their first four games. Mason Marcellus leads the team with four goals so far, as he looks to close out his college career with a strong senior season. Additionally, Jack Stockfish, Chris Pelosi, Tyler Borgula, and Braden Blace all have two goals. Overall, Quinnipiac has returned 86% of its scoring from last season, one of the highest marks in the NCAA.
The Bobcats’ defense is giving up 28.5 shots on goal per game, good for 24th in the NCAA. Four of the team’s goals have come from the blue line, and Elliot Groenewold has five assists. Penn State will have to play aggressively in the defensive zone to take away the defensemen’s passing and shooting lanes. Freshman goaltender Christian Kirsch is the likely starter after he allowed just one goal on 34 shots on goal faced in last Friday’s 2-1 win over Maine.
Quinnipiac is 20% on the power play (18th in NCAA) and 64.3% on the penalty kill (53rd in NCAA). Penn State’s power play was anemic last weekend, but the Nittany Lions have an opportunity to work some things out against a weaker penalty kill.
News & Notes
- Forward Keaton Peters will be out for the rest of the season after suffering an ACL tear in Friday’s loss to UConn.
- Shea Van Olm is day-to-day with an undisclosed injury.
- Quinnipiac won the only previous meeting between these two teams, a 3-2 decision on October 12, 2024.
- Penn State will honor the 10th anniversary of the 2016-17 team tonight. Among the season’s milestones included a program-record 25 wins and the program’s first ever No. 1 ranking an NCAA Tournament bid, as well as the 2017 Big Ten Tournament title.
Prediction
Last weekend was a disaster for Penn State, but there is more talent on the team than the results show. This is a young team still figuring out their identity. Quinnipiac is a veteran team that knows the system and has their passing connections already established. The difference in experience between these teams is likely to show up tonight. Penn State will put up a good fight at home, but Quinnipiac is the better team and should pull out a win in State College.
Quinnipiac 5, Penn State 3
