Oct. 23, 2014
| PENN STATE vs. HOLY CROSS | |
| 1-1-2 (0-0-0-0 B1G) | 1-2-1 (1-0-1 AHA) |
| Friday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m. | |
| Sunday, Oct. 26 at Noon | |
| Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY CENTRAL |
| FRIDAY: Live Video ($) TV: BIG TEN NETWORK --> | Live Audio ($) | |
| SUNDAY: Live Video ($) TV: BIG TEN NETWORK --> | Live Audio ($) | |
| Men's Hockey Blog | 2014-15 Yearbook |
| Follow Us: @PennStateMHKY | Facebook | Instagram |
| TEAM STATISTICS Penn State | Holy Cross |
| PROMOTIONS Friday: Students Receive PSU Hockey Signs from The Pointe Sunday: Pre-game Student Fan Fest at 10 a.m. & free t-shirts |
| TICKET EXCHANGE Buy & Sell Tickets to PSU Men's Hockey Games |
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | HC | |
| 1-1-2 | Overall Record | 1-2-1 |
| 0-0-0-0 | Conference Record | 1-0-1 |
| 15 | Goals Scored | 8 |
| 10 | Goals Allowed | 9 |
| 3.8 | Goals Scored/gm. | 2.0 |
| 2.5 | Goals Allowed/gm. | 2.2 |
| 147 | Shots | 141 |
| 36.8 | Shots/gm. | 35.2 |
| 23 | Assists | 11 |
| 4-11 | Power Plays | 1-11 |
| .364 | Power-Play Pct. | .091 |
| 8-10 | Penalty Kills | 9-11 |
| .800 | Penalty-Kill Pct. | .818 |
| 106 | Saves | 106 |
| 0 | Shutouts | 0 |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State men's hockey team welcomes the Crusaders of Holy Cross for a rare Friday, Sunday series at Pegula Ice Arena this weekend. The opening game is slated for 7 p.m., while the series will conclude Sunday at Noon.
Both games this weekend will be carried via live stream for fans to watch if they can't make it to Pegula Ice Arena on GoPSUsports.com through CBS College Sports Live (GoPSUsports.com/College Sports Live). PSU will be hosting its second and third of eight home games on GoPSUsports.com/College Sports Live.
PEGULA ICE ARENA BAG POLICY
Fans attending Penn State men's hockey games at Pegula Ice Arena will have to comply with the updated Penn State University Bag Policy. Fans are advised that no backpacks or briefcases may be brought into the arena. For more information visit the Safety Policy SY44 Page or Penn State's Bag Policy Page.
PARKING & TRAFFIC INFORMATION
Parking for the games is $5 in the Jordan East and Stadium West Lots if you do not have a parking permit that came with your season tickets. Fans are reminded of other events going on in the area: Friday women's soccer at 7 p.m. and Sunday women's soccer at 11:30 a.m.
LIONS RETURN TO PEGULA ICE ARENA
Penn State hosts the first of four straight home games at Pegula Ice Arena beginning with Friday's matchup vs. Holy Cross (7 p.m.). The home stand concludes with Sunday's game against the Crusaders (Noon) and a Thursday-Friday series with Bentley. Penn State is 1-0-1 this year at Pegula Ice Arena and 5-12-2 all-time at Curtin and University.
SCOUTING THE CRUSADERS
Holy Cross (1-2-1, 1-0-1 AHA) enters Friday's game following a 3-2 comeback win over AIC on Saturday, Oct. 18, and a 2-2 tie with AIC the night before. Holy Cross scored five of its eight goals this season against AIC, registering a shot percentage of .057 in the early going.
The Crusaders, who are under first-year head coach David Berard, have chucked 35.2 shots per game on net in the first four contests, while allowing 28.8 per game to their opponents. HC has been a slow-starting team with just a single goal in four first period chances, despite out-shooting opponents, 51-33.
The team features four Crusaders who have double-digit goals in their careers (junior Castan Sommer, 16; sophomore Mike Barrett, 12; senior Tim Driscoll, 12; senior Jake Youso), while this year's team has sophomore Brett McKinnon atop the heap with two tallies. Junior forward Matt Vindal and sophomore defenseman Logan Smith each have three assists this year, with Vindal leading the team with 25 career helpers.
In net, senior Matt Ginn has started every game with a .922 save percentage and 2.21 GAA. No other netminder on the team has seen time at the collegiate level.
SERIES HISTORY WITH HOLY CROSS
All-Time Series: Holy Cross leads 2-0-0
PSU Streak: 2 losses
First Meeting: 12/7/2012, HC 5-4 (OT)
Last Meeting: 12/8/2012, HC 4-1
Last PSU Win: n/a
Last HC Win: 12/8/2012, 4-1
Last Tie: n/a
Largest PSU Win: n/a
Largest HC Win: 3-1, 10/6/1973
NANOOKS ROAR BACK TO BEAT PSU
Penn State staked a 3-2 lead at Alaska Saturday night (Oct. 18), but couldn't hold on as UAF's Austin Vieth scored two third period goals to win the Brice Goal Rush, 4-3, at the Carlson Center. Defenseman Connor Varley tallied a goal and an assist to pace the Nittany Lion offense.
Up 3-2 with six minutes left in the game, the Nittany Lions had a turnover that allowed Vieth to rush in unimpeded and beat Matthew Skoff to his stick side to tie the score at three apiece with 5:57 to go. Just 27 seconds later, a two-on-one allowed Vieth free passage to the net and to score the game-winner.
It was a game of quick goals as UAF took a 1-0 lead just 4:53 into the contest, but Eric Scheid responded 33 seconds later to even the score from Varley and James Robinson.
In the second, it was the same, UAF scoring 4:17 into the frame and Varley responding just 68 seconds later to even the score at two.
After a five-minute major, PSU cashed in with just 32 seconds remaining on a Max Gardiner left-winged shot that went top-shelf assisted by defensemen Mike Williamson and Luke Juha.
SEAWOLVES DRAW NITTANY LIONS
On Friday, Oct. 17, Penn State earned a pair of two-goal leads, but couldn't hold on in a 3-3 tie with Alaska Anchorage in the Brice Alaska Goal Rush opener.
Curtis Loik scored his first goal of the season with a top-shelf shot just 4:33 into the game. Four minutes later, Dylan Richard doubled the lead on the power play from Nate Jensen and Taylor Holstrom. UAA cut the lead in half on the power play wtih 3:46 left in the first.
In the second period, Casey Bailey scored a power-play goal with 2:07 left to regain PSU's two-goal advantage from Jensen and Holstrom.
The third period was tilted in UAA's favor as the Seawolves out-shot Penn State, 10-2, eventually cutting into the lead with 5:41 remaining on another power-play goal. Austin Coldwell would even the score with 69 seconds left and the extra attacker on the ice to force overtime, where the two teams finished deadlocked.
POWER PLAY UNIT CLICKS IN THE LAST FRONTIER
Penn State's power play was steady and efficient in its weekend trip to Alaska, finding the back of the net three times in six opportunities. Penn State wen 2-for-3 against Alaska Anchorage on just five shots, while going 1-for-3 on eight shots against Alaska the next night. For the season, Penn State is 4-for-11 (36.4 percent), scoring four goals in its past nine power-play chances.
The specials team carry a plus-three goal differential into this weekend's series with Holy Cross. The Nittany Lions are plus-four on the 5-on-4 power play, while conceding two goals on the power play, but tallying a short-handed tally vs. UConn.
BALANCED NITTANY LION SCORING
Penn State has 15 goals through four games, an average of 3.75 goals as opposed to last year's 2.22 average.
Moreover, 11 different Nittany Lions have already registered a goal this season with a total of 18 Lions recording a point. In 2013-14 alone, 16 Lions scored goals with 21 total earning points.
BLOCKING SUCCESS
Penn State's defense has allowed an average of 29.0 shots per game to reach Matthew Skoff's net this year in good part of the blocking ability of PSU's defensive corps, which has stopped 47 from reaching frame.
Sophomore David Thompson leads everyone with seven blocks in three games, missing the Alaska contest due to an injury suffered late vs. UAA. Fellow defensemen Patrick Koudys and Luke Juha each have five blocks, with Juha's total coming in just three games, missing the UAA game. Mike Williamson is fourth in the category with four blocks and Connor Varley has three. Dylan Richard leads all forwards with three stops.
SKOFF GETS THE NOD IN 2014-15
Proclaimed the starter by head coach Guy Gadowsky in the offseason, junior Matthew Skoff started the final 11-of-15 games for the Nittany Lions last season, while compiling an 8-13-2 record with a 2.95 goals-against average, .906 save percentage and a shutout.
This season, Skoff has started all four games becoming the goalie of record in a career-best seven straight games dating to last season.
Skoff's career record stands at 18-22-4, starting 1-1-2 this year. He has a 2.42 GAA and a .914 save percentage this season.
NITTANY LIONS EARN TIE, WIN VS. UCONN
Penn State (1-0-1) needed an extra-attacker goal by David Goodwin on opening night (Oct. 10) to earn a 2-2 tie with UConn before erupting for a 7-1 victory on Saturday (Oct. 11).
Goodwin was the lone Nittany Lion to score in both contests as Tommy Olczyk opened the team's scoring account with a second-period penalty shot Friday night. In Saturday's game, PSU killed off a first-period UConn power-play lasting 6:18, including 78 seconds of 5-on-3 play, which included 10 saves from Matthew Skoff. After a 1-0 lead in the opening frame, PSU unloaded a five-goal outburst in the second that led to the 7-1 victory, matching the most goals by the squad (1942 vs. Carnegie Tech, 7-0).
Taylor Holstrom scored twice and pitched in an assist on Saturday, while line mates Goodwin and Casey Bailey had a goal and two assists each. David Glen, Eric Scheid and Jonathan Milley each scored, while Luke Juha had two assists. Skoff finished with 28 saves, 14 of which were in the frenzied opening period.
SKOFF EARNS BIG TEN HONOR
Junior goaltender Matthew Skoff was named the third star of the week by the Big Ten Conference on Tuesday morning (Oct. 14).
Skoff put together crucial performances that allowed Penn State to achieve its best opening weekend in the Division I era. Skoff stopped 94.7 percent of the shots he saw and posted a GAA of 1.44 as the Nittany Lions went 1-0-1 against UConn.
Skoff stopped 26 shots on opening night (Oct. 10) to earn the tie. On Saturday, he was even better, saving 28 shots, 14 of which game in a furious first period that saw UConn on a 5-on-3 for 1:20, which led into the final three minutes of a five-minute major. Skoff saved 10 shots during that 6:20 of UConn power-play and the Nittany Lions rolled to victory.
The weekly honor is the second of Skoff's career, who picked up the second star of the week Feb. 11, 2014 following a 4-0 shutout of Michigan. Minnesota sophomore forward Hudson Fasching and senior forward Tanner Fritz were named first and second stars, respectively.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State continues its four-game home stand with a two-game series with Bentley Thursday-Friday, Oct. 30-31. The two games are the final home games for the fall semester as the Nittany Lions embark on a nine-game stretch away from Hockey Valley until Jan. 9-10 vs. Ohio State.