Back on track for a potential NCAA Tournament berth, Penn State men’s hockey to face Notre Dame
The Penn State men’s hockey team has come back ... back to a spot in the polls, back on track for a potential NCAA Tournament berth and back home in Pegula Ice Arena this weekend.
A two-game series against Notre Dame offers an opportunity to build on an 8-2-3 run since January, during which time the team has played some its best hockey of the season, collectively and individually.
In addition, Penn State has moved back into the national polls at No. 18 and, more importantly, moved to 16th in the Pairwise Rankings, which largely determine the field for the 16-team NCAA Tournament.
Penn State enters this series after sweeping Wisconsin last weekend. It was just the seventh conference sweep in program history.
It was also the Nittany Lions’ first conference sweep of the season and provided a decent example of how the team has reversed its fortunes after a sluggish start. Wisconsin had swept Penn State earlier in the season in Hockey Valley.
Goaltender Arsenii Sergeev continues to shine for Penn State. He earned first star honors from the Big Ten Conference last week — the second time he’s been recognized this season — as he stopped 64 of 66 shots and did not allow an even-strength goal in the series.
He recorded his fourth shutout of the season in the series opener, setting a Penn State single-season shutout record and tying the career program record of four. After a return from injury earlier this season, Sergeev is 7-2-3 with a .920 save percentage and a 2.71 goals-against average.
His seven wins over that timeframe lead the Big Ten and are tied for the third most nationally while his save percentage is the second-best in the Big Ten during that stretch.
Sophomore forward Reese Laubach was named the conference’s third star last week after scoring the game-winning goal in each game against Wisconsin. For the season he has 13 goals and 12 assists, good for 25 points. His 1.04 points per game in 24 games is tied for eighth best in the conference.
No. 18 Penn State (14-11-3, 5-10-3 Big Ten) vs. Notre Dame (9-18-1, 3-14-1)
Series: 7 p.m. Friday, 5 p.m. Saturday
Audio/Radio: GoPSUsports.com, 103.7 FM
Streaming/TV: B1G+
Notable: The teams played in January, a two-game series split between Soldier Field in Chicago, which resulted in a 3-3 tie, and a game in South Bend, which Penn State won, 3-0. ... Penn State is 7-5-2 at home this season. … The Nittany Lions are 13-0 when leading after two periods, and 11-4-1 when scoring first.