Michigan
Penn State
Michigan to Host Nittany Lions on Thursday to Open Weekend Series
1/22/2019 7:45:00 PM | Ice Hockey
THIS WEEK
Thursday, Jan. 24 -- vs. Penn State (Red Berenson Rink at Yost Ice Arena), 7:30 p.m.
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Saturday, Jan. 26 -- vs. Penn State (New York City, N.Y.), 7 p.m.
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The University of Michigan ice hockey team (8-9-6, 4-5-4-2 Big Ten) continues conference play this weekend when it hosts No.15 Penn State (13-9-2, 5-8-1-1 Big Ten) on Thursday night (Jan. 24) at 7:30 p.m. The teams then will travel to Madison Square Garden in New York City to close out the series on Saturday evening (Jan. 26). Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m. on Saturday and will be televised on Big Ten Network.
The Penn State Series
Michigan and Penn State will meet for the 26th time in program history, with U-M holding a 14-10-1 record in the all-time series with the Nittany Lions. The Wolverines hold an 8-2-0 home record against the Penn State, having won the last seven matchups at Yost Ice Arena -- including both games last season. The two teams faced off against one another at Madison Square Garden once before, Jan. 30, 2016, when Michigan defeated Penn State, 6-3, in a Big Ten Super Saturday matchup.
The teams last met Nov. 16-17, 2018, in State College, Pennsylvania, and split the weekend series. U-M scored four unanswered goals in the third period of the opener to defeat Penn State, 6-4.
The following evening, Michigan dropped a high-scoring, 7-6, overtime battle. U-M overcame a pair of two-goal deficits to push the game to an extra frame, where Penn State found the back of the net six seconds into overtime.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
The Nittany Lions are led by head coach Guy Gadowsky, who is in his seventh season at the helm at Penn State, and his 20th overall season as an NCAA Division I head coach. Gadowsky has led the Nittany Lions to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In the 2016-17 season, he led PSU to its most successful season in program history, compiling a record of 25-12-2 and winning the 2017 Big Ten Tournament. Prior to his stint at Penn State, Gadowsky was the bench boss at Princeton (2004-11) and Alaska-Fairbanks (1999-2004).
Penn State enters the weekend sitting seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 13-9-2 overall record and a 5-8-1-1 mark in conference play. The Nittany Lions come to Ann Arbor after dropping a pair of games to Ohio State last weekend (Jan. 18-19) in State College.
Leading Penn State
Penn State is led by sophomore forward Evan Barratt, who leads the team with 14 goals and 32 points. His classmate, Alex Limoges, holds the team lead in assists (20) and is ranked second on the team with 31 points.
In net, junior Peyton Jones has played in 18 games, sporting a 3.50 goals-against average and .896 save percentage to go with his 9-7-2 season record. Senior Chris Funkey has played in six games, recording a 3.72 goals-against average, .876 save percentage and 4-1-0 season record.
#Hughes43Hobey
Quinn Hughes is among the initial nominees for the Hobey Baker Award. The first round consists of fan voting, which will run through March 10. Classmate Josh Norris was among the nominees before suffering a season-ending injury. » Vote
Norris to Miss Remainder of Season
Sophomore forward Josh Norris will miss the remainder of the 2018-19 season due to an injury sustained during the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship that will require surgery. Norris was having a breakout sophomore campaign, appearing in 17 games with 19 points (10 goals, nine assists). His 10 goals are tied for a team high, and he ranks second in points behind classmate and World Junior teammate Quinn Hughes.
Ohio State Recap
Michigan is coming off a weekend road split against rival Ohio State. The Wolverines overcame a first period deficit on Friday (Jan. 11) to win, 2-1, but were unable to complete the sweep and fend off a three-goal third period by the Buckeyes on Saturday (Jan. 12), which resulted in a 4-2 loss.
Empire State of Mind
The Wolverines will travel to New York City to take part in the Big Ten's annual "Super Saturday" event (Jan. 26) at Madison Square Garden. This is Michigan's third trip to MSG, with the first being a 5-1 loss to Cornell in 2012. In 2016, Michigan defeated Penn State, 6-3.
Milestone for Mel
Head coach Mel Pearson coached in his 300th career game against Merrimack on Jan. 9. Pearson has now coached 62 of his 302 career games at Michigan.
Quinn-tesential Blue-Liner
Hughes has tallied 22 points (three goal, 19 assists) this season which is the tied for the sixth-highest point total of any defenseman in the NCAA. He is tied for second amongst all blue-liners in assists, ranks fourth amongst all skaters in the country and is tied for third in the Big Ten.
The Fastest Gun in the Midwest
Will Lockwood has scored five first-period goals this year which is tied for the second highest total of any player in the Big Ten. Lockwood has scored in three of his last four games, including both games against Ohio State.
Taking Advantage
Michigan's Jake Slaker, Will Lockwood and Nick Pastujov each have four goals on the power play this year. They are tied for fourth most in the Big Ten and contribute to Michigan's 19 power play goals this year, the eighth most in the NCAA.
Offensive Defensemen
The defensive duo of Hughes and Cecconi have a combined 39 points, the third-highest point total of any defensive pairing in the country behind Quinnipiac's Chase Priskie and Brandon Fortunato (51), and Ferris State's Cooper Zech and Nate Kallen (42).
Scoring Touch
Michigan has had 19 goal-scorers thus far, which includes six first-time scorers.
Winning the Draw
The Wolverines have won 51.8 percent of their draws, going 773-719 in the circle. Juniors Adam Winborg and Nick Pastujov lead the team with 56.2 percent and 56.1 percent rates, respectively.
Creating Chances
Michigan has taken 852 shots on goal, which is the third-most in the country behind Penn State (944) and Ohio State (856). U-M ranks second behind the Nittany Lions (39.33) with 37.04 shots on goal per game. The Maize and Blue has outshot its opponents by an average of 9.83 shots per game and has taken 226 more shots than they have allowed this year, the third-best margin in the country.
Just Shoot It
Michigan has outshot its opponent in all but five games this season, with two of them coming against Penn State -- which leads the nation in total shots and shots per game. The other three games came against Lake Superior State (twice) and Wisconsin.
Up Ahead
Friday, Feb. 1 -- at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CST (Minneapolis, Minn.)
Saturday, Feb. 2 -- at Minnesota, 7 p.m. CST (Minneapolis, Minn.)
