Penn State hockey set to face off with Vermont in Philadelphia

The Penn State men’s hockey team has fond memories of the Wells Fargo Center.

From a late-game comeback to a big day for hockey in general, the Nittany Lions put up a few highlights in the arena in south Philadelphia.

No. 20 Penn State (7-2-3), off to its best start to a season, will try to add to those memories at 1 p.m. Sunday when it tangles with Vermont (3-8-2) in their fourth annual meeting in the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff.

Last season, the Catamounts took an early 2-0 lead before Penn State stormed back. The winning goal came from a combination of Philadelphia-area natives. Ricky DeRosa of Aston, fed the puck to David Thompson for the winner. Thompson is from Glen Mills, part of a collection of five Lions from the Philly area.

When the teams met in 2013, the Nittany Lions also prevailed 4-2. That afternoon game, in front of a packed house of mostly Penn State fans, ended up being the undercard for the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins that night. It was the first game of a strike-shortened NHL season.

The Catamounts won the game in 2013 5-2.

While there are no historical memories on the slate this time, the Nittany Lions are hoping to stay on the roll they have been enjoying lately. They are unbeaten in their last five games, have the nation’s third-best offense (4.17 goals per game), third-best power play (28.8 percent conversaion rate) and are second in power-play goals (15).

Penn State is led by seven men in double figures in scoring, including eight goals and five assists for freshman Chase Berger and four goals and nine assists for linemate Curtis Loik.

Penn State will be looking for a boost with the Big Ten schedule around the corner. The Nittany Lions host Michigan State next weekend to start conference play.

The Catamounts are having a rough start to the season, with just one win in the last seven games. They are paced offensively by Mario Puskarich’s five goals and seven assists, Alex Privitera’s two goals and five assists and Jarrid Privitera’s five goals and one assist.

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 8:03 PM with the headline "Penn State hockey set to face off with Vermont in Philadelphia."