Nov. 18, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. --
P enn State men's hockey forwards Casey Bailey (Anchorage, Alaska) and Taylor Holstrom (Yorba Linda, Calif.) were named Big Ten First and Third Stars of the Week, respectively, on Tuesday morning.
Bailey was named the top star in the conference following a three-goal, four-point weekend at No. 4 UMass Lowell where Penn State earned a historic split with the River Hawks. Bailey scored and assisted on Friday night before tallying the first two goals in a 4-1 win at UML, the first victory over a top-five team in school history.
Bailey currently leads the Big Ten in goals per game (0.80) and shots per game (5.40). The weekly honor is the first for the Alaskan, who leads the team in goals (8) and is one off tying for the national lead.
Holstrom earned his first Big Ten weekly honor by dishing five assists in the split at UMass Lowell. On Friday, Holstrom tallied two helpers before giving out three more in Saturday's dominating win over the fourth-ranked River Hawks. In all five cases, Holstrom provided the primary assists.
The Californian leads the nation in assists per game (1.44), total assists (13), while tying for the national lead in total points (16), just one shy of his total from 2012-13 and 2013-14. Holstrom leads the conference in points per game (1.78), which ranks him second in the country.
The only other Nittany Lion to garner Big Ten weekly honors prior to this week was Matthew Skoff (McKees Rocks, Pa.) who has three accolades to his name, two of which have come this season. Sophomore Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) had an impressive weekend in relief of Skoff, allowing only two goals against 41 saves in 91 minutes of work against the highest scoring team in the country.
Penn State returns to the road this weekend to open Big Ten play at Michigan. The Wolverines' Andrew Copp was named this week's Second Star of the Week for his four-point weekend in a sweep over AIC.
Game time on Friday is slated for a 7:30 p.m. puck drop with the game televised by Fox Sports Detroit. A simulcast on BTN2Go will stream to mobile devices and computers for customers of the Big Ten Network. Check with your provider if this service is available to you.