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Feb. 20, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Nittany Lions men's hockey team will hit the road for the first time in three weeks when they visit No. 10/10 Michigan for a two-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 21. Opening faceoff at Yost Ice Arena Friday is set for 6:30 p.m., while puck drop Saturday (Feb. 22) is at 7 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Both games against the Wolverines will be televised and available through BTN2go.com. Friday night's matchup will air live on BTN, while Saturday's game will broadcast on Fox Sports Detroit Plus. In addition, fans can listen to the radio broadcast on GoPSUsports.com and the Penn State Sports Network.
LAST TIME AGAINST THE WOLVERINES
Backed by a 32-save performance by sophomore goaltender Matthew Skoff, Penn State won its first Big Ten game with a 4-0 victory against then-No. 10 Michigan Feb. 8. The Nittany Lions scored three first-period goals, courtesy of Zach Saar, David Glen and Casey Bailey, and added a Ricky DeRosa marker in the third stanza as they became just the second team this season to shut out Michigan.
Penn State out shot Michigan, 40-32, and went 0-for-3 on the power play. The Nittany Lions successfully killed off the Wolverines' lone power-play chance.
ALL-TIME VS. MICHIGAN
Penn State and Michigan split their first weekend series in State College Feb. 7-8. The Wolverines captured the series opener, 7-3, before Penn State won its first league game, 4-0, the following night.
LAST WEEKEND VS. MICHIGAN STATE
The Nittany Lions went 0-1-1-0 vs. Michigan State last weekend, tying Friday night's game, 2-2, before suffering a 2-1 setback Feb. 15. The Nittany Lions held leads in both games before Michigan State made its comebacks.
SKATING THE GAUNTLET
Penn State is facing some of the best teams in the nation during its second NCAA season. Based on the current USCHO.com rankings, the Nittany Lions have faced the Nos. 1, 2, 3, 7, 8, 10 and 16 ranked teams in the country.
BAILEY FINDS GROOVE
Sophomore forward Casey Bailey, who registered four points in the Nittany Lions' first 19 games, has recorded four points (3g, 1a) in the last five games. The Anchorage, Alaska, native notched a four-game point-scoring streak from Feb. 1-14 for his first four-game streak since a seven-game point-scoring streak Dec. 29, 2012-Jan. 26, 2013.
HEATING UP
Freshman Ricky DeRosa (2g, 2a), redshirt junior Taylor Holstrom (3a) and redshirt sophomore Eric Scheid (1g, 3a) have all recorded three points in the last four games.
RETURNING HOME
Penn State boasts three Michigan natives - Jacob Friedman (West Bloomfield), Zach Saar (Richland) and Mark Yanis (Grosse Pointe Woods) - on the roster.
PLAYING WITH THE LEAD
Despite going 1-3-1 in its last five games, Penn State held a lead in four of those contests. The Nittany Lions never led in the six games prior to their Feb. 1 matchup against Ohio State
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
Michigan, which is 0-3-0 in its last three games, boasts a 7-1-2 record in 10 home games. The Wolverines have allowed 1.5 goals per game at Yost Ice Arena this season.
Freshman JT Compher is tied for fourth in the NCAA in shorthanded goals (3) and fifth among rookies in points per game (1.00). Classmate Zach Nagelvoort ranks 13th in the country in save percentage (.930) and 14th in goals-against average (2.12).
LOOKING AHEAD
Following their series with Michigan, the Nittany Lions will visit No. 2/2 Minnesota in their final road trip of the regular season Feb. 28-March 1.