Rising Penn State men’s hockey returns home for series against improved Michigan State
It’s early, but the first dozen games have provided a lot of positive feedback about the direction of the Penn State hockey team this season — and things have been headed up.
No. 6 Penn State has certainly moved up in the rankings.
After starting the season unranked, the Nittany Lions jumped into the poll at 16th, then advanced to 13th and even eighth.
They climbed higher after beating the nation’s No. 1-ranked team in back-to-back weeks — first Michigan and then Minnesota. In fact, Penn State earned a single first-place vote in this week’s poll. Top-ranked Denver got 44 votes and Minnesota five.
Penn State’s next challenge, a two-game series that begins Friday, comes with an opponent that has ascended as well.
No. 17 Michigan State has been consistent and productive after struggling in recent seasons. Part of the Spartans’ recipe success mirrors that of Penn State — a mix of productive newcomers, both freshmen and transfers.
As MSU moved its conference winning streak to four games last weekend by sweeping then 10th-ranked Ohio State, key contributors included Miroslav Mucha, who transferred from Lake Superior State, and freshman Viktor Hurtig.
For the Nittany Lions, transfer Ture Linden and program stalwart Connor McMenamin have tallied a team-high 11 points. The team’s top goal scorers, each with six goals are Kevin Wall, who has been with the program his entire career, and transfer Ashton Calder.
Eighteen different players have scored a goal for Penn State this season. It’s 15 for Michigan State.
Still, coach Guy Gadowsky remains consistent when assessing his team’s chances. He’s always focused more on the Nittany Lions than their opponent. Plus, the team’s losses have provided more important lessons than the victories for him.
“It’s not an easy thing for us to play our game the right way. It’s very demanding, both in terms of preparation and physically. You really have to be prepared to work,” he said. “We’re starting to figure out we’re not good enough to not be prepared to play our best game in this league.”
No. 6 Penn State (10-2, 4-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 17 Michigan State (8-3-1, 4-1-1)
Series: 7 p.m. Friday, 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Radio/TV: 103.1 FM and GoPSUsports.com
Notable: Penn State leads the series, 20-14-4, with an 11-4-3 advantage at home. … Penn State has the best face-off percentage in the conference (.557) while Michigan State has been one of the least-productive teams on draws (.484). … Both Penn State and Michigan State have swept Wisconsin already this season. … This series starts a six-game homestand for Penn State that runs through Dec. 3. Upcoming opponents include Alaska Fairbanks (Nov. 22-23) and Ohio State (Dec. 2-3).