Oct. 9, 2014
| PENN STATE vs. UCONN | |
| Fri., Oct. 10 (7 PM) // Sat., Oct. 11 (3 PM) | |
| Pegula Ice Arena (5,782) | University Park, Pa. | |
| GAME DAY CENTRAL |
TV: ESPN2 -->FRIDAY: BTN Plus Video ($) | Listen ($) |
SATURDAY: College Sports Live Video ($) | Listen ($) |
Men's Hockey Blog | 2014-15 Yearbook
Follow Us: @PennStateMHKY | Facebook | Instagram2013-14 Statistics: Penn State | ConnecticutPromotion (Friday): Student rally towels from The Pointe
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Penn State men's hockey team opens its 2014-15 campaign when it hosts Connecticut for a two-game series beginning Friday night (7 p.m.) at Pegula Ice Arena. Saturday's game is slated to begin at 3 p.m.
Both games this weekend will be carried via live stream for fans to watch if they can't make it to Pegula Ice Arena. Friday's game will be hosted by BTN Plus through BTN2Go, while Saturday's game will be on GoPSUsports.com through CBS College Sports Live. Each service requires a different subscription (GoPSUsports.com/College Sports Live | BTN2Go Sign Up). PSU will have will have six home games on BTN Plus with the possibility of non-televised road contests vs. Big Ten teams on the platform, while eight home games will be 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 bags larger than backpacks may be brought into the stadium grounds. This includes duffle bags and purses larger than 8.5" x 11" x 6" and all bags will be searched. 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 advised of increased traffic around Pegula Ice Arena with Cirque de Soleil & women's soccer Friday night.
SCOUTING THE HUSKIES
The Connecticut Huskies are coming off an 18-14-4 season under new head coach Mike Cavanaugh, who will lead the squad into Hockey East this year. The Huskies were picked 12th in HEA this season by the league's coaches.
Connecticut won an exhibition game against Dalhousie, 3-1, lsat week to prepare for the Penn State game. Senior Ryan Tyson will serve as the team's captain this year, while Trevor Gerling and Patrick Kirtland are acting as alternate captains.
The Huskies feature 11 newcomers, while junior Shawn Pauly and Gerline are the returning leading scorers wtih 21 and 20 points, respectively. Each scored nine times last year, while Ryan Segalla is the returning assist leader, dishing 13 helpers. Pauly, Segalla and Joey Ferriss scored against Dalhousie.
In net, Rob Nichols played 13 times last year and is slated to be the starter, after playing 20 minutes of shutout hockey with seven saves in the exhibition. He split even time with Tom Comunale (eight saves) and Steve Thulin (seven saves, 1 GA).
PENN STATE-UCONN HISTORY
The Nittany Lions skated twice against Connecticut in Storrs during the inaugural Division I season. Penn State dropped a hard-fought 4-3 win before falling 4-1 the next day.
B1G/HOCKEY EAST CHALLENGE RETURNS
For the second straight season, the Big Ten Conference and Hockey East Association will compete on the ice in a 20-game series dubbed the Big Ten/Hockey East Challenge.
Penn State-UConn as well as Ohio State-Providence kick off the series that will see 10 games played in Big Ten arenas and 10 played in Hockey East Arenas until Nov. 29.
The Nittany Lions will compete four times with two road games at UMass Lowell counting toward the tally. Teams earn two points for a win, a bonus point for road wins and one point for a tie. Shootouts will not be calcuated into the point system.
JUHA NAMED BIG TEN PLAYER TO WATCH
Junior defenseman Luke Juha was among 16 student-athletes named to the Big Ten Preseason Players to Watch List, the conference announced Wednesday, Sept. 24.
The Academic All-Big Ten member skated in 26 games during the 2013-14 season and collected career highs in goals (4), assists (11), points (15) and power-play goals (4). One of four defenseman to appear on the list, the Mississauga, Ontario, native led Big Ten blueliners with four power-play markers, while tying for the team lead in assists and power-play points (8).
During his career, the defenseman has collected 22 points (5g, 17a) in 45 games.
OH CAPTAIN, MY CAPTAIN
On June 6, head coach Guy Gadowsky announced that redshirt-senior defenseman Patrick Koudys was named team captain. Redshirt-senior defenseman Nate Jensen (third season) and junior forward David Glen (second year) will reprise their roles as alternate captains.
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.
The McKees Rocks, Pennsylvania, native turned aside a career-high 52 shots in Penn State's 2-1 double overtime victory against Michigan in the Big Ten Quarterfinals before stopping 32 of 34 shots in a semifinal loss to Wisconsin.
Skoff's career numbers stand at 17-21-2 with a 2.75 goals-against average, .913 save percentage and three shutouts.
NITTANY LIONS TABBED SIXTH
The Penn State squad was picked to finish sixth in the Big Ten by the conference coaches. PSU finished sixth last season in the conference's inaugural campagin.
STUDENTS SELL OUT IN THREE MINUTES
Nittany Lion men's hockey fans will pack the nearly 1,000-seat Roar Zone student section for the 2014-15 season as student season tickets sold out in just three minutes Thursday (Sept. 11) morning.
PACKING THE PEG
Nittany Lion fans packed Pegula Ice Arena during the facility's inaugural season, filling the 5,782-seat arena with an average of 6,011 fans per game.
Penn State played to a sellout crowd in 16-of-18 home games. More than 6,000 fans filed into the arena on 11 occasions.
The Nittany Lions were one of five NCAA Division I programs to play at more than 100 percent capacity at their home events.
LOOKING BACK AT THE 2013-14 SEASON
The Nittany Lions' 2013-14 season concluded with a 2-1 loss to second-seeded and eventual Big Ten champion Wisconsin in the semifinal round Friday, March 21. Penn State advanced to the second round with a 2-1 double-overtime victory against Michigan in the quarterfinals March 20.
LIONS FOUND B1G 2ND-HALF SUCCESS
Penn State, which opened conference play at 0-9-0-0, finished the first Big Ten season at 3-7-1-0. The Nittany Lions defeated Michigan (twice) and Ohio State in league play.
PENN STATE'S IRON MEN
Four Nittany Lions: Kenny Brooks, Taylor Holstrom, Patrick Koudys, Eric Scheid, appeared in all 36 games last year.
SKATING THE GAUNTLET AGAIN
Last season, the Nittany Lions faced some of the hardest competition in the country during their second NCAA season. Penn State played seven of 16 NCAA tournament teams and hosted all four No. 1 seeds at Pegula Ice Arena, earning the third-toughest schedule according to the RPI.
This year looks to be difficult as well. Penn State is slated to play games against four 2014 NCAA tourney teams (11 games) with the potential for Colgate to be a fifth opponent in the Three Rivers Classic.
According to the USA Today/USA Hockey poll, Penn State will face four ranked teams this year: No. 1 Minnesota, No. 9 Michigan, No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 14 Cornell, for a total of 13 games.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State takes its first trip to the Frontier State next weekend to play in the Brice Goal Rush Tournament hosted by the University of Alaska in Fairbanks. The Nittany Lions will play Alaska Anchorage Friday night (9:07 p.m. ET) and then the Alaska Nanooks on Saturday night (11:07 p.m. ET).