Jan. 22, 2015
| NITTANY LIONS vs. WILDCATS | |
| 11-7-3 (5-2-1-0 B1G) | 9-8-5 (6-8-4 WCHA) |
| Friday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 24 at 4:30 p.m. | |
| PEGULA ICE ARENA | UNIVERSITY PARK | |
| GAME DAY CENTRAL |
| FRIDAY: GoPSUsports.com ($) | Live Audio ($) | |
| FRIDAY RADIO: Penn State Sports Network |
| SATURDAY: BTN2Go | Live Audio ($) | |
| TELEVISION: Big Ten Network (Sat. only) |
| SATURDAY RADIO: Penn State Sports Network |
| Men's Hockey Blog | 2014-15 Yearbook |
| Follow Us: @PennStateMHKY | Facebook | Instagram |
| TEAM STATISTICS Penn State | Northern Michigan |
| PROMOTIONS Saturday: THON Game & Teddy Bear Toss |
| TICKET EXCHANGE Buy & Sell Tickets to PSU Men's Hockey Games |
| INSIDE THE NUMBERS | ||
| PSU | MSU | |
| 11-7-3 | Overall Record | 9-8-5 |
| 5-2-1-0 | Conference Record | 6-8-4 |
| 70 | Goals Scored | 47 |
| 57 | Goals Allowed | 36 |
| 3.3 | Goals Scored/gm. | 2.1 |
| 2.7 | Goals Allowed/gm. | 2.0 |
| 846 | Shots | 595 |
| 40.3 | Shots/gm. | 27.0 |
| 108 | Assists | 77 |
| 17-79 | Power Plays | 15-78 |
| .215 | Power-Play Pct. | .192 |
| 54-67 | Penalty Kills | 76-89 |
| .806 | Penalty-Kill Pct. | .854 |
| 594 | Saves | 567 |
| 0 | Shutouts | 4 |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- The Nittany Lion men's hockey program looks to end its six-game home stand on a positive note against non-conference foe Northern Michigan Friday (7 p.m.) and Saturday (4:30 p.m.).
The Saturday contest will air live on Big Ten Network as Penn State hosts its annual THON Hockey Game. The Nittany Lions will wear special THON jerseys that will be auctioned off with the proceeds going to THON. PSU will also have its second annual Teddy Bear Toss during the second intermission with all bears being donated to THON families.
TICKET INFORMATION
A limited number of tickets remain on TicketMaster and the Penn State Ticket Exchange.
PARKING & TRAFFIC INFORMATION
Parking for hockey 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.
ABOUT NORTHERN MICHIGAN
The Wildcats are a first-time opponent for the Nittany Lions, but NMU carries a long and proud tradition on the ice.
Located in Marquette, Northern Michigan has been a varsity program since the 1976-77 season with three appearances in the NCAA Frozen Four (1980, 1981, 1991). The Wildcats captured the 1991 NCAA title. NMU last made the NCAA Tournament in 2010, the eighth appearance for the school.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northern Michigan (9-8-5, 6-8-4 WCHA) started strong this season, reaching as high as No. 17 in the USCHO.com poll, but has struggled as of late. Last weekend's sweep at Alabama Huntsville dropped the Wildcats' record to 1-5-4 in the past 10 games.
NMU went go 1-0-1 against No. 10 Michigan Tech (Feb. 9-10) after going 0-1-1 vs. No. 1 Minnesota State (Jan. 2-3) and 0-1-1 vs. No. 6 Bowling Green (Dec. 5-6). The sweep to Alabama Huntsville was first suffered by the Wildcats this season.
A battle tested team, Northern Michigan will face its largest crowd of the season at Pegula this weekend in its second-to-last non-conference series. The defensive-minded Wildcats are 14th nationally in goals against per game (2.14). The Wildcats allow the 18th fewest shots on goal per game (27.91), while goaltender Mathias Dahlstrom (.923) has the 25th best save percentage in the country with four shutouts. Dahlstrom has a paltry 2.01 GAA (18th) as well.
The penalty kill has a success rate of 84.9 percent (13-for-86), while the power play is 15-for-71 (21.1 percent). NMU is dangerous when it scores first, going 8-0-4 this season, but 1-8-1 when it gives up the first goal of the game.
Three Wildcats pace the scoring: Brock Maschmeyer (7 goals), Dominik Shine (6) and Darren Nowick (6). Shine (16 points), Nowick (15), Maschmeyer (12), Gerard Hansen (12) and Shane Sooth (10) are the team's top-five point scorers on the squad.
COMMON ENEMIES
Penn State and Northern Michigan have each played Wisconsin, Alaska and Alaska Anchorage. The Nittany Lions are 2-1-1 against those teams, while the Wildcats are 4-2-0.
NITTANY LIONS GRAB FOUR POINTS vs. MSU
For the second straight weekend, a slow start cost Penn State a victory on Friday night, while the Nittany Lions delivered a resounding victory on Saturday afternoon.
In Friday's 2-2 tie, PSU needed a game-tying goal from David Goodwin 7:49 remaining to force overtime. Eamon McAdam made 33 saves, while Eric Scheid pitched in with his 10th goal of the year. MSU took the shootout, 1-0, to earn the extra point.
Saturday's game had a different energy level as Casey Bailey scored after 71 seconds. Nonetheless, Michigan State fought back to stake a 2-1 lead going into the first intermission.
The rest of the game would belong to the Nittany Lions as Nate Jensen pulled PSU even on his first tally since March with 4:59 remaining in the second period. Two minutes later, Goodwin bagged his fourth goal in as many games off a pretty feed from Bailey for a 3-2 lead going into the second intermission.
The opening 2:32 of the third period put the game out of reach as Taylor Holstrom scored 93 seconds into the frame and Bailey added his second of the game 59 seconds later for the final 5-2 line. Goodwin and Bailey each had three points, while goaltender Matthew Skoff made 28 saves for his seventh win of the season.
GOODWIN GRABS B1G SECOND STAR
Fresh off a four-point weekend performance, sophomore forward David Goodwin was named Big Ten Second Star of the Week on Tuesday afternoon (Jan. 20). The award is Goodwin's first of his career.
Goodwin has tallied eight points during his four-game scoring run, splitting the points evenly between goals and assists. The Missouri native has already surpassed his point total from last season (18), gathering 22 in just 20 games.
Goodwin ranks in the top 10 in four offensive Big Ten categories: game-winning goals (tied-2nd with 3), goals (tied-5th with 10), points (6th with 22) and assists (tied-8th with 12).
TOP LINE REMAINS PRODUCTIVE, INTACT
Penn State has already used 35 different offensive line combinations through 21 games, but one thing has remained constant: David Goodwin-Taylor Holstrom-Casey Bailey will play and score.
The three have combined for 29 goals, 36 assists and a plus-34 rating. Currently, the line is 9-5-3 this season. During this current home stand, the trio has combined for 10 goals and 10 assists.
The threesome have been together in 17 of 21 contests (only times not together were Oct. 17 at Alaska, Dec. 5-6 at Wisconsin and Dec. 30 vs. Western Michigan), accounting for 65 of Penn State's 178 points (36.5 percent). No other line has more than 10 points.
ALL THINGS EQUAL, GOODWIN-HOLSTROM-BAILEY TOP THE CHARTS
The top line's production is even more staggering in even strength situations. As a whole, Casey Bailey (20), David Goodwin (19) and Taylor Holstrom (17) have 56 combined points during even strength play.
Bailey ranks second nationally in goals (13) and fourth in points (20); Goodwin is tied-fifth in points (19) and tied-sixth in goals (10); Holstrom tops the assist chart with 15 helpers.
BAILEY ONE OFF NATIONAL SCORING LEAD
Behind a Big Ten-leading 16 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.
Entering this week, Bailey is behind only Union's Daniel Ciampini (17 goals), while tied with Danny O'Regan of Boston University and AIC's Austin Orszulak.
Bailey is first on the team with eight multi-point games this season and has 16 in his Penn State career. He has tallied a point in 15 of 21 games this year.
ROLLING WITH HOLSTROM
Penn State's most productive passer has been Taylor Holstrom with five goals and 18 assists for 23 points.
His 18 assists are the most in a Penn State uniform in a single season. Holstrom is six 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 (1.15).
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 (16), while Holstrom is one off the Big Ten lead in assists with 18.
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 1-0-1 showing against Michigan State put PSU at 5-2-1-0 this season. The Nittany Lions have gone 9-10-2-0 vs. Big Ten competition since Feb. 8, 2014. Penn State has already surpassed its Big Ten win total from last season.
Penn State sits in first in the Big Ten on points (16) with Michigan. The Nittany Lions are the only Big Ten team to defeat the Wolverines this season.
MCADAM STARTS CAMPAIGN 4-2-1
Sophomore Eamon McAdam had a tough freshman season, going 0-9-0 against the third-toughest schedule in the nation. This season McAdam is 4-2-1 in eight 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. Two weeks ago, McAdam's 35 saves kept Ohio State at bay during PSU's 4-1 win before he made 33 vs. MSU in a 2-2 draw.
SCHEID CONTINUES TO SCORE
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, Jan. 10 against Ohio State.
While Scheid's five-game point streak came to an end in Saturday's 5-2 win over MSU, he threw in his fifth goal during that streak in Friday's 2-2 tie. Scheid is tied for second on the team with 10 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.
POWER PLAY WOES
The Nittany Lions were one of the top power play units in the nation, ranking as high as fifth in mid-December, however PSU has struggled on the man-advantage of late.
Since the holiday break, Penn State has staggered to a 1-for-19 stretch on the power play, slipping to 13th nationally in power play percentage (21.5).
FIRE AWAY!
Penn State likes to shoot the puck. A lot. The Nittany Lions lead NCAA Division I men's hockey with 40.29 shots per game, a full three shots more than second best Robert Morris (37.21) and almost six shots ahead of Michigan (34.55).
The Nittany Lions have out-shot their opponents in 18 of 21 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 9-6-3 when out-shooting its opposition.
The Nittany Lions have fired 50 or more shots on four occasions this season, going 3-0-1. Moreover, PSU has attempted 40 or more shots 11 times, going 7-3-1 in those games.
In games where PSU fails to shoot at least 30 times Penn State is 1-0-1 with a tie vs. Alaska Anchorage and a win at Michigan.
Northern Michigan ranks 47th nationally in shots per game with 27.05.
JUNIORS PROVIDING THE SCORING
Penn State's juniors have been the most productive scoring class this year with 37 goals and 39 assists for 76 points. The three other classes combined have totaled 33 goals and 69 assists for 108 points.
PACKING THE PEG
Penn State has played to a sellout crowd in 25-of-28 home games, including nine of 10 this season. More than 6,000 fans have filed into the arena on 14 occasions with a season-high 6,163 see Penn State beat Michigan State, 5-2, on Saturday, Jan. 17.
Currently, Penn State ranks sixth in average attendance (5,976) and lead the nation in building capacity percentage (103.4 percent). Only Quinnipiac (102.0) 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 70 goals through 21 games, an average of 3.33 goals as opposed to last year's 2.22 average.
Eight Nittany Lions have tallied 10 or more points so far this season: Casey Bailey (26), Taylor Holstrom (23), David Goodwin (22), Eric Scheid (13), Curtis Loik (13), Scott Conway (11), Dyland Richard (10) and Luke Juha (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 3.8 penalties per game and 9.0 minutes per game, resulting in 67 power play chances for its opponents (3.19 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 19.4 percent of the time. The result has been only 13 power-play goals against, the second fewest in the Big Ten.
BLOCKING SUCCESS
Penn State's defense has allowed an average of 31.0 shots per game to reach net this year in good part of the blocking ability of PSU's defensive corps, which has stopped 286 from reaching frame (13.62 per game).
Senior captain Patrick Koudys (37), junior Luke Juha (34) and sophomore David Thompson (29) lead the team in the category.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State plays its final non-conference game on Saturday, Jan. 31 against Vermont for the third annual Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff. The Nittany Lions and Catamounts have met twice before in the event, with PSU taking the inaugural meeting in 2012-13 and UVM grabbing the 2013-14 victory. Tickets are on sale at ComcastTix.com.