Much at stake for Penn State’s men hockey in Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series
Despite all the games the red-hot Penn State men’s hockey team has won in recent weeks, it probably needs a few more Ws to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament and make some history.
It’ll be seeking those victories in a place where it’s traditionally had trouble winning.
Fifteenth-ranked Penn State travels to meet No. 11 Michigan in a Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series that begins Friday in Ann Arbor. Penn State has won just five of the 21 games it has played at Yost Ice Arena since it became a varsity hockey program.
It’ll need two victories in the best-of-three series to advance to the conference semifinals, and it might need that many to ensure its season does not end without a spot in the national tournament.
Penn State sits 14th in this week’s Pairwise Rankings, which largely determine the 16-team NCAA Tournament. It’s the fifth Big Ten Conference team in the rankings, with Michigan State second, Minnesota third, Ohio State ninth and Michigan 11th.
While 14th on a 16-team list sounds somewhat safe, other conference tournaments and potential champions mean Penn State’s spot is not at all comfortable. Plus, the Big Ten, with seven hockey-playing members, has never had five teams qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
So, after going 10-2-2 in its last 14 games, Penn State clearly needs to win a few more. This series could amount to a head-to-head competition for a fourth tournament berth, or (perhaps more unlikely) history making proof that the Big Ten deserves five spots.
Penn State’s recipe for success has been balanced — built on a foundation of strong goaltending, thanks to Arsenii Sergeev, consistently steady defense and offensive production shared among several standouts.
Sergeev has 15 of the team’s victories with a .918 save percentage and four shutouts. He’s been named the conference’s First Star of the Week three times since Jan. 7. In a conference with a couple of the nation’s top goaltenders, the transfer from UConn has played as well as any of them since returning from injury.
As a complement to his efforts, the team has played a slightly different style of hockey than coach Guy Gadowsky has pushed as the program’s identity under his direction. It’s winning hockey, but it’s not the always-outshoot-your-opponent approach that kept the Nittany Lions at the top of the nation’s shooting charts for much of the past decade.
Still, Penn State ranks 11th nationally in shots on goal overall and ninth in scoring offense (3.42 goals per game).
Hobey Baker Award nominee Aiden Fink has 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) and averages 1.38 goals per game, second in the nation.
Penn State’s offensive productivity goes beyond him, though.
Fellow sophomores Reese Laubach and Matt DiMarsico have produced 29 and 25 points, respectively. Freshman Charlie Cerrato has 31 points with 14 goals and 17 assists. And steady senior Danny Dzhaniyev has 28, with 11 goals and 17 assists.
Michigan won three of four games in the season series, outscoring Penn State, 27-19 in those games.
The conference’s other quarterfinal series this weekend feature Notre Dame at Minnesota and Wisconsin at Ohio State. Top seed Michigan State gets a bye to the semifinals that will be contested March 15.
If Penn State’s season were to end in the quarterfinal round, it would have to wait until the NCAA Tournament field gets announced later this month in hopes of earning a spot at the regional the university will host March 27-30 at the PPL Center in Allentown.
No. 15 Penn State (18-12-4) at No. 11 Michigan (18-13-3)
Series: 7 p.m. Friday, 7 p.m. Saturday, 7 p.m. Sunday (if necessary)
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Notable: The Wolverines lead the all-time series 31-18-1 and have a 16-5 advantage in games played on their home ice. … Michigan has the most efficient power-play unit in the conference, converting on 25% of its opportunities. … T.J. Hughes and Michael Hage lead Michigan with 36 and 33 points, respectively. … Teammates Evan Werner and Garrett Schifsky each have 11 goals.