Penn State men’s hockey faces another big challenge — and opportunity — in conference play
Another weekend series in conference play, another ranked opponent and another important opportunity for the Penn State men’s hockey team.
This time the Nittany Lions head west for a two-game series against 19th-ranked Wisconsin.
The goal, and challenge, remain the same — earning a spot in the 16-team NCAA Tournament. In some ways, Penn State seems close to that goal. In other ways, it’s kind of far away.
Penn State is 4-1-1 in its past six games, which would make that postseason goal seem tantalizingly close. At the same time, the Nittany Lions sit sixth in the seven-team Big Ten Conference standings, and they’re 10 points out of fifth place. So, not all that close.
It’s Wisconsin in fifth place, so this weekend could help the margin narrow if Penn State finds a way to win.
As always, forward Aiden Fink is vital to any potential success for Penn State. The sophomore standout was named the conference’s Second Star for his three-goal effort last weekend against 13th-ranked Michigan. Fink’s 19 goals this season are tied for the fourth most in a single season in Penn State history. With one more goal (a likely outcome with at least 10 games remaining), he’ll become just the fourth player in program history with 20 goals in a season.
Penn State’s story is not unique though. While Wisconsin has a spot in the rankings, it has little room for error.
The Badgers sit 17th in the Pairwise rankings, which largely determine the NCAA Tournament field. They enter this series after dropping a pair of games to third-ranked Minnesota last weekend, and they cannot afford to slip again in their pursuit of a tournament berth.
For Penn State, which is 20th in the Pairwise rankings, a healthier lineup and some apparent intangible improvements have been important during its recent six-game run of success. It’ll need those things, and more, this weekend — and going forward as the conclusion of the regular season includes series against Notre Dame (Feb. 14-15) and No. 3 Minnesota (Feb. 28-March 1) sandwiched around a trip to No. 2 Michigan State (Feb. 21-22).
Penn State (12-11-3, 3-10-3 Big Ten) at No. 19 Wisconsin (11-14-3, 6-11-1)
Series: 8 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday
Audio/Radio: GoPSUsports.com, 103.7 FM
Streaming/TV: B1G+
Notable: Penn State leads the all-time series, 27-25-3. … Wisconsin won both games the teams played at Pegula Ice Arena in November. … Wisconsin (22.7%) and Penn State (21.3%) have two of the least productive power-play units in the conference. … They also have two of the stronger penalty kills: Wisconsin (80.3%), Penn State (79.8%).