Jan. 15, 2015
| NITTANY LIONS vs. SPARTANS | |
| 10-7-2 (4-2-0-0 B1G) | 7-10-1 (1-2-1-1 B1G) |
| Friday, Jan. 16 at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 17 at 5 p.m. | |
| PEGULA ICE ARENA | UNIVERSITY PARK | |
| GAME DAY CENTRAL |
| FRIDAY: BTN Plus ($) | Live Audio ($) | |
| FRIDAY RADIO: Penn State Sports Network |
| SATURDAY: WatchESPN | Live Audio ($) | |
| TELEVISION: ESPNU / TSN2 (Canada) |
| SATURDAY RADIO: Penn State Sports Network |
| Men's Hockey Blog | 2014-15 Yearbook |
| Follow Us: @PennStateMHKY | Facebook | Instagram |
| TEAM STATISTICS Penn State | Michigan State |
PROMOTIONS
Friday: Gadowsky 200th Win Celebration
Sunday: Student Hockey Mask Giveaway // Costume Contests -->TICKET EXCHANGE
Buy & Sell Tickets to PSU Men's Hockey Games
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | MSU | |
| 10-7-2 | Overall Record | 7-10-1 |
| 4-2-0-0 | Conference Record | 1-2-1-1 |
| 63 | Goals Scored | 41 |
| 53 | Goals Allowed | 46 |
| 3.3 | Goals Scored/gm. | 2.3 |
| 2.8 | Goals Allowed/gm. | 2.6 |
| 756 | Shots | 549 |
| 39.8 | Shots/gm. | 30.5 |
| 96 | Assists | 66 |
| 17-71 | Power Plays | 10-72 |
| .239 | Power-Play Pct. | .139 |
| 48-60 | Penalty Kills | 53-63 |
| .800 | Penalty-Kill Pct. | .841 |
| 533 | Saves | 452 |
| 0 | Shutouts | 1 |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Penn State men's hockey welcomes back the student body for a two-game series with Michigan State beginning Friday at 7 p.m. Saturday's game will commence at 5 p.m. with a nationally televised game on ESPNU where Penn State will debut their new third jerseys.
Penn State (10-7-2, 4-2-0-0 Big Ten) sits in a tie for first place in the Big Ten with Michigan at 12 points. The Wolverines have a game in hand, while Michigan State plays its first conference games since Dec. 13 when the Spartans tied Minnesota and won the ensuing shootout.
TICKET INFORMATION
A limited number of tickets remain on TicketMaster and the Penn State Ticket Exchange.
PARKING & TRAFFIC INFORMATION
Friday: With Winter Jam 2015 taking place across the street at the Bryce Jordan Center, heavy traffic will face visitors coming to the sports complex. Pegula Ice Arena will open its doors at 5:30 p.m. for fans that wish to come early and beat the traffic. (Read More!)
Premium parking lots in Shields, Wagner and Orange F lots will not be affected by any parking changes.
Hockey fans are encouraged to park in the East Parking Deck and the Eisenhower Parking Deck located off Bigler Road. Parking will be $5 and season-ticket parking vouchers will be accepted. Parking at Jordan East and Stadium West Lots will be $10 if you do not have your season-ticket parking voucher.
More information about Friday parking and traffic patterns can be found on the Penn State Transportation Services website.
Saturday: 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.
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.
SCOUTING THE SPARTANS
For the first time in 19 days, Michigan State (7-10-1, 1-2-1-1 Big Ten) will play a regular-season game when it takes on Penn State Friday night. MSU defeated the US U-18 team in a home exhibition last Friday by a 4-1 score.
The stingy Michigan State defense allows the fewest shots in the Big Ten (27.7 per game), while holding opponents to just 2.6 goals a game. On offense, the Spartans tally 2.3 goals and fire 30.5 shots per game, averages that are a slight uptick from the 2013-14 season (2.2 & 29.0, respectively).
The games at Pegula Ice Arena are the first for MSU outside the state of Michigan since Nov. 28-29 when the Spartans split a series at Princeton. In MSU's last regular-season appearance, the Spartans fell 2-1 in the Great Lakes Invitational Final to Michigan after beating Ferris State, 2-0, the night before.
On offense, Michael Ferrantino is the team's leading scorer with eight goals and 14 points, while Matt Berry (7g, 6a), Mackenzie MacEachern (5g, 6a), Joe Cox (2g, 8a) and Travis Walsh (2g, 8a) are all double-digit scorers. Three of Ferrantino's tallies have come on the power play, while Berry has two PPG.
In net, Jake Hildebrand has been the lone goaltender with a 7-10-1 record. He has a shutout this season along with a 2.52 GAA and a .909 save percentage, both of those numbers below his career averages of 2.43 and .923.
SERIES HISTORY WITH MICHIGAN STATE
All-Time Series: Michigan State 4-1-1
PSU at home vs. MSU: 0-1-1
PSU Streak: 1 loss
First Meeting: 1/25/13, MSU 5-3
Last Meeting: 2/15/14, MSU 2-1
Last PSU Win: 1/26/13, 3-2
Last MSU Win: 2/15/14, 2-1
Last Tie: 2/14/14, 2-2 (MSU-SO)
Largest PSU Win: 3-2, 1/26/13
Largest MSU Win: 3-0, 1/17/14
NITTANY LIONS SCORE EIGHT OF FINAL 10 GOALS TO SPLIT WITH THE BUCKEYES
Penn State's 70-day odyssey away from Pegula Ice Arena looked like it would be a letdown after falling four goals down a little less than three minutes into the third period. Despite facing its largest deficit of the season, Penn State roared back to force overtime, only to fall 5-4 in overtime to Ohio State on Friday, Jan. 9.
In the comeback, Casey Bailey tallied his first collegiate hat trick, scoring two goals with 13:03 and 11:54 remaining in regulation. Bailey's linemate, David Goodwin, who assisted both the first goal, put away a Luke Juha feed with 5:53 remaining to pull the Lions within one. Goodwin finished with three points of the night.
With the extra skater on the ice, Eric Scheid shoveled the puck out of the corner, off Goodwin in front of the net as it fell to Bailey on the left dot as he cranked it home with 22 seconds remaining to set Pegula into a frenzy.
In OT, PSU out-shot Ohio State 6-1 with less than a minute remaining as the puck ran out of the zone to Erik Autio. Autio would be hooked from behind, falling to the ice and losing the puck, but no call was made as Anthony Greco skated in unopposed and scored the game-winner with 46 seconds remaining in overtime.
The next day, Penn State took its first lead of the weekend on a Curtis Loik power-play goal from Scheid and Scott Conway just 43 seconds shy of the first-period horn. Ohio State knotted things up 4:45 into the second on a 5-on-3 power-play goal by Matthew Weis.
The Nittany Lions would turn the game around in a 50-second span as Goodwin scored on a Taylor Holstrom feed with 7:51 remaining and Scheid would put away a Conway offering with 7:01 left for a 3-1 advantage. Scheid added an empty netter with less than two minutes to go in the game for the 4-1 victory.
MCADAM COLLECTS FIRST WEEKLY AWARD
Sophomore Eamon McAdam was named Big Ten Third Star of the Week on Tuesday, Jan. 13.
McAdam earned his third Big Ten win in four starts by saving 35 of 36 shots sent his way in Saturday's 4-1 victory over Ohio State. McAdam had 27 saves in the final two periods, allowing just one goal on a 5-on-3 power play.
McAdam's .972 save percentage was the best in the Big Ten this week and he boasts a .935 save percentage and a 2.01 goals-against average in his last three starts. The win on Saturday improved the Nittany Lions to 4-2-0-0 in the Big Ten and in a tie for first place with Michigan at 12 points.
Overall, McAdam has a 2.77 GAA and a .918 save percentage to accompany a 4-2-0 record. The sophomore has experienced a turnaround from his freshman campaign where he lost nine decisions and had a GAA of 4.09 and save percentage of .882.
MCADAM STARTS CAMPAIGN 4-2-0
Sophomore Eamon McAdam had a tough freshman season, going 0-9-0 against the third-toughest schedule in the nation. This season McAdam is 4-2-0 in seven appearances.
The netminder rebounded nicely in 2014-15, holding the then-nation's best scoring squad (UMass Lowell) to two goals over 90 minutes and earning a win over the fourth-ranked team in November.
McAdam's stellar play continued to Michigan as he earned his first Big Ten win over the Wolverines on Nov. 21. Despite a poor outing the next night, McAdam earned his second Big Ten win Dec. 5 over Wisconsin, allowing two goals and saving 22 shots. Last week, McAdam's 35 saves kept Ohio State at bay during PSU's 4-1 win.
IMPROVING IN BIG TEN PLAY
The Nittany Lions started 0-9-0-0 in Big Ten play last season, but finished the year going 3-7-1-0 down the stretch before going 1-1 in the Big Ten Tournament.
Last weekend's split with Ohio State put PSU at 4-2-0-0 this season. The Nittany Lions have gone 8-10-1-0 vs. Big Ten competition since Feb. 8, 2014. Penn State has already surpassed its Big Ten win total from last season in just six games.
Penn State sits in a tie for first in the Big Ten on points (12) with Michigan. The Nittany Lions are the only Big Ten team to defeat the Wolverines this season.
TOP LINE REMAINS PRODUCTIVE, INTACT
Penn State has already used 33 different offensive line combinations through 19 games, but one thing has remained constant: David Goodwin-Taylor Holstrom-Casey Bailey will play and score.
The three have combined for 24 goals, 30 assists and a plus-19 rating. Currently, the line is 8-5-2 this season.
The threesome have been together in 15 of 19 contests (only times not together were Oct. 17 at Alaska, Dec. 5-6 at Wisconsin and Dec. 30 vs. Western Michigan), accounting for 54 of Penn State's 159 points (34 percent). No other line has more than nine points.
BAILEY ONE OFF NATIONAL SCORING LEAD
Behind a Big Ten-leading 14 goals, junior forward Casey Bailey has regained his scoring form from 2012-13 that saw him tally 14 goals during his freshman campaign. Last season, Bailey tallied nine goals in 32 games.
Bailey was in a tie for the nation's lead after a hat trick Friday night against Ohio State. Entering this week, Bailey is behind only Union's Daniel Ciampini and Austin Orszulak of AIC.
Bailey is first on the team with seven multi-point games this season and has 15 in his Penn State career. He has tallied a point in 13 of 19 games this year.
ROLLING WITH HOLSTROM
Penn State's most productive passer has been Taylor Holstrom with four goals and 16 assists for 20 points.
His 16 assists are the most in a Penn State uniform in a single season. Holstrom is eight dishes away from matching his freshman performance in 2010-11 at Mercyhurst.
Currently, Holstrom is second in the nation with 1.00 assist per game, trailing only Jack Eichel of BU (1.17).
BAILEY, HOLSTROM UP FOR HOBEY BAKER
The forward tandem of Casey Bailey and Taylor Holstrom were nominated for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award, as announced Wednesday, Jan. 7. Fan voting, which accounts for one percent of all voting, continues through March 8 before the finalists are named.
Bailey leads the Big Ten in goals (14), while Holstrom has the Big Ten lead in assists (16).
SHIFTY SCHEID SLIDES TWO HOME
Forward Eric Scheid missed six games and returned to the ice in impressive fashion, tallying four points in two games including a three-point game on Saturday against Ohio State.
Scheid scored two goals on Saturday, solidifying his spot as the team's second-leading scorer with nine goals. The Nittany Lions went 2-4-0 in during his absence.
Scheid ranks tied for ninth in the nation with three game-winning goals this season, earning his third by scoring 16 seconds after PSU's game-tying goal vs. Bentley on Halloween in the third period.
ERIK THE PASSER
Prior to the season, head coach Guy Gadowsky identified freshman defenseman Erik Autio as one of Penn State's best passers. It took four games, but Autio registered an assist in three straight contests all on the power play. Overall, Autio has six assists this season, second among PSU defenseman.
FIRE AWAY!
Penn State likes to shoot the puck. A lot. The Nittany Lions lead NCAA Division I men's hockey with 39.79 shots per game, a full three shots more than second best Robert Morris (36.59).
The Nittany Lions have out-shot their opponents in 16 of 19 games this year. Thanks two shots in the final seconds, Ohio State became the second team to out-shoot the Nittany Lions when PSU won, 4-1. Michigan out-shot PSU in both games this season. PSU is 8-6-2 when out-shooting its opposition.
The Nittany Lions have fired 50 or more shots on three occasions this season, winning all three contests. Moreover, PSU has attempted 40 or more shots nine times, going 6-3-0 in those games.
In games where PSU fails to shoot at elast 30 times Penn State is 1-0-1 with a tie vs. Alaska Anchorage and a win at Michigan.
Michigan State ranks 26th nationally in shots per game with 30.50. The Spartans allow the 17th fewest shots per game (27.67), which is best in the Big Ten.
JUNIORS PROVIDING THE SCORING
Penn State's juniors have been the most productive scoring class this year with 34 goals and 33 assists for 67 points. The three other classes combined have totaled 29 goals and 63 assists for 92 points.
PACKING THE PEG
Penn State has played to a sellout crowd in 23-of-26 home games, including five of six this season. More than 6,000 fans have filed into the arena on 12 occasions with a season-high 6,043 see Penn State beat Holy Cross, 3-1, on Oct. 24.
Currently, Penn State ranks sixth in average attendance (5,942) and lead the nation in building capacity percentage (102.8 percent). Only Quinnipiac (101.5) can boast a capacity percentage over 100.
Last season, 108,193 total fans packed Pegula Ice Arena during the facility's inaugural campaign, filling the 5,782-seat arena with an average of 6,011 fans per game.
BALANCED NITTANY LION SCORING
Penn State has 63 goals through four games, an average of 3.3 goals as opposed to last year's 2.2 average.
Seven Nittany Lions have tallied 10 or more points so far this season: Casey Bailey (22), Taylor Holstrom (20), David Goodwin (18), Eric Scheid (12), Curtis Loik (12), Scott Conway (10) and Dyland Richard (10). Last season 12 Lions garnered at least 10 points or more in 36 contests.
Moreover, 15 different Nittany Lions have already registered a goal this season with a total of 22 Lions recording a point. In 2013-14 alone, 16 Lions scored goals with 21 total earning points.
AVOIDING THE PENALTY BOX
Penn State has been penalized fewer times in 2014-15, averaging 3.7 penalties per game and 8.9 minutes per game, resulting in 60 power play chances for its opponents (3.16 per game).
Last year, The Nittany Lions were committing 5.3 penalties for 12.3 minutes per game and teams were capitalizing on 18.9 percent of the resulting power plays (4.42 chances per game). This year's penalty kill is allowing goals 20 percent of the time. The result has been only 12 power-play goals against, the second fewest in the Big Ten.
BLOCKING SUCCESS
Penn State's defense has allowed an average of 30.8 shots per game to reach net this year in good part of the blocking ability of PSU's defensive corps, which has stopped 266 from reaching frame.
Senior captain Patrick Koudys (35), junior Luke Juha (32) and sophomore David Thompson (25) lead the team in the category.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State takes on Northern Michigan for a two-game set beginning Friday, Jan. 24 (7 p.m.) and concluding Saturday, Jan. 25 (4:30 p.m.). Saturday's game will be televised live on Big Ten Network with a later start time than originally announced.