No. 5 Penn State will finish off its six-game homestand with a pair of games against Stonehill this weekend. The Skyhawks are in their third season as a Division I program. With the Big Ten opener against Ohio
State looming, this is the Nittany Lions’ last chance to iron out the wrinkles before the grind of conference play begins. This will be the first ever meetings between Stonehill and Penn State.
How to Watch
Who: Stonehill Skyhawks
When: Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25
Where: Pegula Ice Arena, State College, PA
Times: 7pm (Friday), 6pm (Saturday)
TV: Big Ten Plus (both games)
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Projected Lines
Matt DiMarsico-Charlie Cerrato-JJ Wiebusch
Gavin McKenna-Ben Schoen-Aiden Fink
Dane Dowiak-Nic Chin-DeGraves-Reese Laubach
Shea Van Olm-Luke Misa-Lev Katzin
Jackson Smith-Jarod Crespo
Mac Gadowsky-Casey Aman
Nick Fascia-Nolan Collins
Kevin Reidler
Josh Fleming
Opponent Preview
Stonehill is off to a brutal 1-4 start, with its only win coming last Saturday against Sacred Heart. The Skyhawks finished just 12-22 last season, though they did manage a road win against UMass-Lowell.
Cole Melady (2 goals) is the only player with more than one goal so far this season for Stonehill. As a team, the Skyhawks are averaging just two goals per game, though they are putting up nearly 37 shots on goal per game. Anthony Galante is the leading returning scorer from last year’s team (13 goals in 2024-25), and defenseman Evan Orr scored eight goals last year, giving Stonehill a quality scoring threat from the blue line.
Stonehill is only yielding 27.6 shots against per game, ranking 19th in the NCAA. However, the team’s save percentage ranks just 50th at .855. Connor Androlewicz is the likely starter in net. Through four games this season, he is 1-3 with a .871 save percentage and 3.74 GAA. Not ideal going up against a lethal Penn State offense.
Stonehill is 50th on the power play at just 6.3%, and the penalty kill ranks 42nd at 77.3%. The Nittany Lions should have a massive advantage on special teams.
News & Notes
- Matt DiMarsico was named the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week.
- It’s too early to dive into the NPI rankings too much, but Penn State ranks 11th coming into the weekend.
- Guy Gadowsky is now 28th on the all-time NCAA wins list with 409 (!).
- Defenseman Carter Schade is considered day-to-day, per Guy Gadowsky.
Around the Big Ten
- Michigan State swept Boston University on the road, by far the biggest non-conference wins of any Big Ten team.
- Michigan continued its hot start with a 4-0 win over Western Michigan.
- Minnesota split with North Dakota and will face in-state rival Minnesota-Duluth at home this weekend.
- Ohio State split with UConn on the road.
Key Games This Weekend
- No. 11 UConn vs. No 4 Boston University- Friday at 7pm (at BU), Saturday at 5pm (at UConn)
- No. 3 Michigan at No. 2 Western Michigan- Friday at 7pm
- No. 7 Denver at No. 9 Boston College- Friday at 7pm
- No. 18 Minnesota-Duluth at No. 12 Minnesota- Friday at 8pm, Saturday at 8pm
Prediction
With one final tune-up before traveling to Columbus, this is a series that Penn State should win easily. I would like to see the other three forward lines start finding some offense. Otherwise, I am not going to overthink this one too much.
Penn State 6-2, 5-2
