No. 7 Penn State men’s hockey returns to Pegula Ice Area with series with No. 2 Minnesota

After a seemingly well-timed weekend off, the Penn State men’s hockey team returns to action this weekend when one of the nation’s best teams visits Pegula Ice Arena.

Second-ranked Minnesota, which boasts a 7-2-1 record in Big Ten Conference road games this season, provides the latest test as No. 7 Penn State seeks to pair on-ice performance and scoreboard productivity.

While Penn State has struggled to secure results since January — going 2-5-1 in its last four series — it has been consistently competitive, and neither coach Guy Gadowsky nor his players have expressed concern.

“It probably does sound silly to other people, but you do just have to focus on what you can do and then move forward,” said Paul DeNaples, a defenseman and two-time team captain who has played in 163 consecutive games.

Some of the team’s forwards have not been as lucky as DeNaples, though. Injuries have tested Penn State’s depth in recent weeks.

“This is our worst stretch with injuries and because of that it’s been our worst stretch mentally,” coach Guy Gadowsky said. Amidst that, the team has played well at times and lost. Gadowsky said he’s gotten better at handling the ups and downs of a season during his career, and his mature team embraces it as well.

“When you start out, coaches take losses way worse than players ever do,” Gadowsky said. “If you live and die with every loss, you’re going to die a lot. You basically focus on process the whole way, and by focusing on that you get better at what you can control.”

Penn State’s practices were a little lighter this past week and they were complemented by necessary rehab sessions for several players. Rejuvenation, both mentally and physically, was the focus.

That’s all in preparation for what remains of the season. While Penn State was off, every other Big Ten team earned some points in the standings. So the Nittany Lions slipped from a second-place tie to sixth place.

Almost no matter the outcome this weekend and next, when unranked Wisconsin visits Hockey Valley, Penn State seems positioned to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018. With a regional tournament round scheduled in Allentown (March 24-25 at the PPL Center), that’s a valuable opportunity — no matter how the Nittany Lions get there.

They would like to get there by adding some Ws to their record, though.

“There’s a time, when it’s win-or-go-home, that everyone is obviously very aware of the result,” Gadowsky said. “We’re aware of that. We’re just also aware of what we have to do to play our game, and that’s what matters right now.”

No. 7 Penn State (19-10-1, 9-10-1 Big Ten) vs. No. 2 Minnesota (21-8-1, 15-4-1)

Series: 6:30 p.m. Friday, 6:30 p.m. Saturday

Radio/TV: Big Ten Network and GoPSUsports.com

Notable: Minnesota leads the all-time series, 22-17-1 while Penn State has a 9-8-1 advantage at Pegula Ice Arena. … The teams split their series earlier this season at Minnesota. … Minnesota sits atop the PairWise rankings that determine the 16-team NCAA Tournament and Penn State ranks fifth. … Freshman forward Jimmy Snuggerud leads the Gophers with 40 points (17 goals, 23 assists).