Jan. 17, 2017
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Sophomore center Chase Berger (St. Louis, Mo.) has been tabbed the Big Ten Conference First Star of the Week for his performance during a sweep over Michigan State as announced by the league office Tuesday morning.
Berger becomes the fourth different Nittany Lion to earn weekly honors this season and the third to be named First Star joining freshman classmates Peyton Jones (Langhorne, Pa.), who has earned this distinction twice, and Denis Smirnov (Moscow, Russia).
Over the weekend, Berger tied for the conference lead with three goals while adding a single assist for a league best four points. The St. Louis native has now scored at least one goal in three straight games and has a three-game point streak (four goals, one assist).
Berger scored the opening goal for Penn State on Friday night while adding an assist before potting a pair of scores on Saturday including the eventual game-winning goal. He now has 10 goals on the season, which is good for third on the team and tied for eighth in the Big Ten.
The sophomore was also exceptional in the faceoff circle winning 40-of-55 draws (72.7 percent) over the two games. His 40 wins were the most in the conference over the weekend while his win percentage also topped the Big Ten for players who took 10 or more draws.
Berger is currently tenth in the entire nation with a 62 percent face-off win percentage on the year.
The Nittany Lions return to action this weekend as they welcome Ohio State to Pegula Ice Arena for a pair of contests on Friday and Saturday evening at 7 p.m. On Friday all fans attending are encouraged to "Wear White" and be loud.