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Feb. 6, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's hockey team (4-17-1, 0-8-0-0 Big Ten) will play its eighth and ninth home games of the season against a ranked opponent when 10th-ranked Michigan (13-6-3, 5-2-1-1 Big Ten) visits Pegula Ice Arena for a two-game series beginning Friday, Feb. 7. Opening faceoff Friday is set at 7 p.m., while Saturday's game will broadcast live on ESPNU at 5 p.m.
HOW TO FOLLOW
Friday's game will be web streamed live on the Big Ten Digital Network, while the weekend finale will broadcast live on ESPNU and WatchESPN with John Buccigross and Dave Starman on the call. Fans can listen to the radio broadcast of both games on GoPSUsports.com and the Penn State Sports Network.
PARKING ADVISORY
Fans should be aware of a number of overlapping events in the Pegula/Holuba area on Saturday. Parking will be at a premium so leave extra time to find a place to park for your events. Women's hockey fans should look to park in the Yellow lots at Shields and Wagner Buildings, and men's lacrosse fans should look to park in Orange-F near Holuba or Orange-C near the old Greenberg Ice Rink. East Deck will also be available for both sets of fans. Regular game day parking operations will begin at 3 p.m. for the men's hockey games in all surrounding lots of Pegula plus Stadium West and Jordan East.
LIMITED BAG POLICY
Penn State has implemented a limited bag policy at all home athletic events this season. One clear plastic one-gallon plastic bag per person will be permitted for medical needs, child care needs and general items as needed. Items that can fit in a pocket should remain in patrons' pockets (i.e. keys, cell phone, wallet, glasses, camera, sunscreen, lip balm, make-up). General items of this nature, including those that don't fit in patrons' pocket, can also be placed in a clear plastic one-gallon plastic bag.
CANNING FOR THON
Penn State student-athletes will be canning for THON during Friday night's game at all three gates. All contributions will benefit THON, which is the largest student-run philanthropy in the world, and the Four Diamonds Fund. Since its inception in 1977, THON has raised more than $101 million in the fight against pediatric cancer.
For more information on THON, click here.
GETTING COMFORTABLE AT PEGULA
Friday night's game will be the first of four straight for the Nittany Lions at Pegula Ice Arena. After its series with Michigan, Penn State will host Michigan State Feb. 14-15 before hitting the road for its final two road trips (Michigan - Feb. 21-22, Minnesota - Feb. 28, March 1) of the regular season.
The Nittany Lions will be home for consecutive weekends for the first time since their season-high five-game homestand Nov. 8-Dec. 1.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines, who went 0-4-1 from Dec. 11-Jan. 11, will enter Hockey Valley unbeaten in their last four games (3-0-1). Michigan, which ranks seventh in the country in scoring defense (2.23), finished 1-0-1 against Wisconsin last weekend at Yost Ice Arena.
Freshman JT Compher (9g, 12a), who played against Penn State last season as a member of the U.S. National Under-18 Team, leads Big Ten rookies and ranks sixth in the nation among newcomers with 0.95 points per game. Classmate Zach Nagelvoort ranks fourth in the country with a .936 save percentage and sixth in goals-against average (1.91).
GLEN'S MATCH MEANS SECOND CHANCE FOR SOMEONE ELSE
On Jan. 28, sophomore forward David Glen concluded a five-day bone marrow donation procedure after learning he was a match through Be The Match, a National Marrow Donation Program.
The assistant captain participated in the Be The Match-facilitated Match4Kim Drive, which was held in support of Penn State men's lacrosse player's Drew Roper's mother, on campus November 2012. Glen does not know the identity of who will receive the donation.
According to Be The Match, the five-day peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation is a non-surgical procedure and is one of two methods of collecting blood-forming cells for bone marrow transplants. A 7-10 day timetable is typical for recovery for most PBSC donors and mild bone pain can result due to the excessive stem cell crowding within the bone marrow.
Glen missed the Nittany Lions' games against Boston College (Jan. 25) and Ohio State (Jan. 31, Feb. 1) for the procedure and recovery.
PACKING PEGULA
Nittany Lions fans have packed Pegula Ice Arena during the facility's inaugural season, filling the 5,782-seat arena with an average of 6,020 fans per game. Penn State has played to a sellout crowd in nine of 10 home games, with the Dec. 1 matchup against Union the lone exception.
More than 6,000 fans have filed into the arena on six occasions, including the season opener against Army (6,370) and the Nittany Lions' last home game against No. 2 Boston College (6,214).
BEST TEAMS IN HOCKEY VALLEY
Penn State will play its eighth and ninth home games against a ranked opponent after this weekend series against Michigan. Included in the opposition are three top-10 foes (No. 1 Minnesota, No. 2 Boston College, No. 10 Michigan).
SKATING THE GAUNTLET
Penn State is facing some of the best teams in the nation during its second NCAA season. This weekend will mark the 11th and 12th games against a ranked opponent in a 16- and 17-game span, respectively.
ALL-TIME VS. MICHIGAN
Although Penn State and Michigan have never met, four members of the Nittany Lions have experience against the Wolverines.
Redshirt juniors Taylor Holstrom (1g) and Nate Jensen helped Mercyhurst to a 4-4 tie against Michigan in 2010-11, while Max Gardiner played against the Wolverines during the same season as a member of Minnesota. Head coach Guy Gadowsky faced Michigan 12 times (4-8-0) when he served as head coach of the then-CCHA's Alaska Nanooks.
LOOKING AHEAD
Following their series with the Wolverines, the Nittany Lions will host Michigan State for a two-game series Feb. 14-15. Friday night's game will air live on BTN at 6:30 p.m., while Saturday's matchup will broadcast on ESPNews at 3:30 p.m.