Penn State men’s hockey to close out regular season in home series vs. Wisconsin

No matter what happens Thursday night, Carter Schade knows how Friday morning will feel.

“My body creaks,” Schade said. Typically, that feeling comes after the first of a two-game series for the Penn State men’s hockey team — and the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions host No. 11 Wisconsin to conclude the regular season Thursday and Friday.

Schade, a senior defenseman, has played in 29 games this season and 121 during his career. A steady contributor, and a steadying force as Penn State has maintained top-tier success despite numerous injuries, Schade has blocked 136 shots during his career.

Mental toughness has been the key for him when battling the creaks and finding a level of consistency. As one of the more experienced players on the team, a quiet leader, Schade has also mentored others during a season that has included many injuries.

Penn State might be feeling a little better this week, and center Charlie Cerrato could return to the lineup (he’s missed 13 games because of injury), but it’s far from a healthy or rested team.

Coach Guy Gadowsky has been mixing lines on game days, monitoring ice time during games and shortening practices to keep his players fresh. Although Penn State seems to have its spot in the NCAA Tournament secured, the coach still wants to help his team play its best hockey in the coming weeks.

“We always have a philosophy that we’d rather err on the side of being fresh rather than being overcoached, and when you have such a short roster right now that can happen in a hurry,” Gadowsky said. “We’ve been struggling with this for a little bit. It’s taking time, but it’s getting better.”

It’s certainly a different feel from the desperate push at this time last season, when a tournament berth was not certain. For an oft injured and potentially tired team, there’s certainly some scoreboard watching and a temptation to coast.

“It’s been very different,” Gadowsky said. “The feel of this stretch run from last year and this year is completely different. The plan should still be the same, whether you’re a lock for the tournament or not, but sometimes that’s easier said than done.”

Wisconsin arrives in Hockey Valley after an off week and with more at stake than Penn State.

A good series and some help across the conference and the Badgers could earn a home game in the conference quarterfinals next week. They certainly need a few more victories to nudge the NCAA Percentage Index, which determines the tournament field, in their favor. Penn State is fifth in those standings and Wisconsin 12th — a tenuous spot because of automatic qualifiers for the tournament.

Along with Penn State playing to polish or protect where its stands and Wisconsin making a push, there are some individual stakes during this series.

Michigan, which ranks No. 1 nationally and sits atop the conference standings, has completed its regular season schedule and is off this weekend. It’s top scorer, senior T.J. Hughes, leads the Big Ten with 36 points.

Penn State freshman Gavin McKenna also has 36 points, and Michigan State freshman Porter Martone has 33. In the past 14 games, Mckenna has 28 points — first in the conference during that time and second nationally. Martone has 23 during his last 14 games.

Only one senior has earned the conference scoring crown once (Michigan’s Zach Hyman in 2014-15). Four freshmen have done so, the most recent being Minnesota’s Logan Cooley and Jimmy Snuggerud who shared the title for the 2022-23 season.

No. 6 Penn State (20-10-2, 12-8-2 Big Ten) vs. No. 11 Wisconsin (19-11-2, 12-10)

Series: 7 p.m. Thursday, 7 p.m. Friday

Audio/Radio: GoPSusports.com, 103.7 FM, 104.3 FM

Streaming/TV: B1G+ (both days)

Notable: Penn State leads the all-time series, 31-25-3, and has a 17-13-2 advantage on its home ice. … Penn State has designed the second of this series as its Wear White game. … Wisconsin’s Gavin Morrissey, a sophomore forward who did not play in the teams’ first meetings earlier this season, leads the Badgers with 29 points (six goals, 23 assists). … Senior forward Christian Fitzgerald is Wisconsin’s top goal scorer (15). … Penn State continues to lead the conference in penalty minutes (616) but also boasts the Big Ten’s best penalty-kill unit, stopping opponents 83.5% of the time.