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Nov. 13, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lion men's hockey team (3-3-1) will welcome the first ranked opponent to Pegula Ice Arena when No. 13/16 UMass Lowell (6-4-0) visits Hockey Valley for a two-game series Nov. 14-15. Opening faceoff for both matchups is set at 7 p.m.
TICKET INFORMATION
A limited number of standing-room only tickets are available for Thursday and can be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center Ticket Office or 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. If tickets are still available when gates open, they will be available at Pegula Ice Arena Gate A.
Additional tickets for both Thursday and Friday nights can be purchased using TicketExchange on GoPSUsports.com.
PARKING ADVISORY
Due to a concert being held at the Bryce Jordan Center and NCAA women's soccer at Jeffrey field Friday, higher than normal traffic congestion is expected. In addition to the normal lots that serve as general hockey parking, East Parking Deck located near the corner of Curtin Road and Bigler Road is also available.
Parking will be available at the East Deck for the same $5 as the commuter lots. For fans with a parking voucher, show the attendant your voucher upon entering and exiting the deck to avoid paying the fee.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Both matchups against the River Hawks will be video streamed on GoPSUsports.com (see links above). Fans can also listen to Penn State Hockey on the radio on the Penn State Sports Network.
PENN STATE FACES FIRST RANKED OPPONENT
The Nittany Lions will face their first ranked opponent of the season when UMass Lowell enters Hockey Valley. Penn State is 1-3-0 all-time against ranked foes, but defeated then-No. 16 Wisconsin, 3-2, in overtime in its last matchup of 2012-13.
LIONS CONTINUE HOMESTAND
The Nittany Lions will host the River Hawks in the midst of their season-high five-game homestand. Penn State started the homestand with a 2-1 victory against Sacred Heart Nov. 8.
PENN STATE VS. HOCKEY EAST
The Nittany Lions are 1-1-0 all-time, including 0-1-0 in 2013-14, against Hockey East opponents. Penn State fell to Hockey East foe Vermont, 5-2, in the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff Oct. 25.
UMASS LOWELL VS. THE BIG TEN
The River Hawks have gone 2-0-0 against Big Ten foes, defeating both Michigan State (4-1) and Michigan (2-1), in 2013-14.
SCOUTING THE RIVER HAWKS
UMass Lowell, which began the season at No. 1 following the team's first Frozen Four berth, will play three games in four days after facing Princeton Tuesday, Nov. 12. The River Hawks opened their season with a 2-1 setback against Sacred Heart, whom the Nittany Lions defeated last week.
PENN STATE AT HOME
The Nittany Lions are 2-0-1 at home in 2013-14 and have sold out each game at Pegula Ice Arena. Freshman David Goodwin leads the Lions with four points (2g, 2a), while sophomore Curtis Loik (2g), classmate Eric Scheid (1g, 1a) and freshman Zach Saar (2a) have recorded two points each.
Sophomore goaltender Matthew Skoff has started all three games at home, going 2-0-1 with a 1.62 goals-against average and .931 save percentage.
NITTANY LION STREAKS
Sophomore defenseman Luke Juha (2g, 1a), junior forward Tommy Olczyk (2g, 1a) and freshman forward Ricky DeRosa (1g, 2a) extended their point-scoring streaks to three games against Sacred Heart Nov. 8.
POWER-PLAY LEADER
Sophomore defenseman Luke Juha has scored three goals -- all on the power play -- in 2013-14. The Mississauga, Ont., native leads all Big Ten blueliners and is tied for 11th in the country in power-play markers.
STEADY SKOFF
With a win against Sacred Heart, sophomore goaltender Matthew Skoff improved to 9-3-1 with a 2.53 goals-against average and .920 save percentage in his last 13 games. The McKees Rocks, Pa., native has collected at least 31 saves -- including a career-high 48 stops against Robert Morris. Nov. 1, 2013 -- six times (5-1-0).
LOOKING AHEAD
The Nittany Lions will conclude their five-game homestand with a two-game series against Union Nov. 30-Dec. 1.