Dec. 5, 2017
ROSEMONT, Ill. - Junior Andrew Sturtz (Buffalo, N.Y.) was named the Big Ten Conference Second Star of the Week following a two-goal, three-point weekend against No. 11 Ohio State as announced by the league office on Tuesday morning.
Sturtz paced Penn State to a five-point weekend on the road as they secured a pair of points on Friday night with a 1-0 shootout win following a 5-5 tie and a 4-0 victory on Saturday night.
The junior secured the primary assist on the game's first goal on Friday night before scoring with 0.7 seconds remaining in regulation to tie the contest and send the game into overtime. After a scoreless extra session, Sturtz shot first and secured the lone shootout goal to earn the extra point for the Nittany Lions.
The following night, Sturtz scored the eventual game-winning goal as he notched his third shorthanded tally of the season, which leads the nation, in the second period. The tally extended his own program record for shorthanded goals to nine.
Sturtz currently leads the team with 10 goals and 22 points to rank first and second in the Big Ten, respectively. His goal and point totals also rank tied for ninth and third in the entire nation, respectively. The junior is also now 2-for-2 in shootouts this season.
Sturtz is currently riding a four-game point-streak (3-3-6) and has registered at least one point in 12 of his last 15 games played after being held off the scoresheet during the opening weekend of action against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.
This marks just the second time in his career he has earned a weekly award and the first since November 23, 2015 when he was also named Second Star during his freshman campaign. Sturtz joins sophomores Brandon Biro (Third Star) and Denis Smirnov (Second Star) who have also been honored with a weekly accolade this season.
The 18th-ranked Nittany Lions return to action this weekend as they play a home-and-home series with Robert Morris on Friday at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh and Saturday at home in Pegula Ice Arena. Both games are set for 7 p.m. puck drops.
FULL BIG TEN RELEASE