No. 9/13 Men's Hockey Hosts Ottawa in International Game on SundayNo. 9/13 Men's Hockey Hosts Ottawa in International Game on Sunday

No. 9/13 Men's Hockey Hosts Ottawa in International Game on Sunday

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 9/13 Penn State Nittany Lions will open their season with the fifth installment of the International Game as they battle the Ottawa Gee Gees in an exhibition contest on Sunday afternoon inside Pegula Ice Arena with puck drop slated for 1 p.m.

TICKETS

  • Tickets will be general admission and are still available HERE for just $5.
  • Penn State Students with a valid ID will be allowed in for FREE at the student entrance.
  • Sunday also marks the Penn State men's ice hockey 800 strong game and student-athletes are encouraged to attend and support their fellow Nittany Lions on the ice.
  • Penn State Cub Club, the official kids club of Penn State Athletics, members will also be allowed in for FREE.

PARKING

  • Parking on Sunday will be available in the Shields, Wagner and Stadium West lots with each lot being free and first-come-first-served.

THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP

  • Penn State hosts Ottawa in the fifth annual International Game at Pegula Ice Arena to kick of the 2019-20 season on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m.
  • This marks Ottawa's second visit to Hockey Valley in the past three seasons as both teams met back in October 2017, a 4-3 overtime victory for the Gee Gees.
  • This game will not count toward official standings nor will the stats count. Penn State is 3-1-0 all-time in the International Game with the lone loss coming two seasons ago to Ottawa. The Nittany Lions hold a 19-8 scoring edge over the course of the International Game while outshooting opponents 203-89.

SCOUTING OTTAWA

  • The Gee Gees return three of their top-5 scores from last season's team that finished 22-6 bowing out to Queens in Round 2 of the OUA playoffs.
  • Ottawa is ranked No. 4 in the U SPORTS National Top-10 marking a program-record 20-straight weeks in the Top-10. The Gee Gees are ranked the highest of six OUA schools in the first Top-10 of 2019-20.
  • As a whole, Ottawa returns an extremely veteran group this season with only three newcomers. That roster includes 17 of the 21 players who dressed in the exhibition contest two seasons ago, a 4-3 overtime victory for the Gee Gees. Senior Quinn O'Brien scored the clinching goal just 1:23 into the extra session while classmate Cody Drover added a pair of goals for the visitors.
  • Drover and Kevin Domingue return for their final season at Ottawa. Drover paced the squad with 40 points on 15 goals and 25 assists while Domingue led the Gee Gees with 18 goals and was second with 37 points. Brendan Jacome also returns after netting 13 goals with 16 assists for 29 points.
  • Between the pipes Ottawa split Anthony Brodeur and Graham Hunt last season with Brodeur starting 15 games and Hunt 12. Hunt had a slightly lower goals against average and higher save percentage at 2.13 and .924, respectively, with Brodeur registering a 2.43 GAA and .919 save percentage. Both goaltenders collected double-digit win totals in 2018-19.
  • Brodeur, the son of Hall of Fame goaltender Martin Brodeur, was drafted in the seventh round (208 overall) of the 2013 NHL draft by the New Jersey Devils .
  • Last season, Ottawa led the OUA in power-play goals with 32 ranking third in the conference converting 24.1 percent of the time with the man-advantage. The Gee Gees only allowed 16 power-play goals for the opposition to rank fifth in the league while their 85.7 percent penalty kill ranked eighth.
  • Ottawa ranked second in the OUA in many offensive categories including goals (117), assists (202), goals per game (4.18) and shots per game (37.7).

FOUR LAND ON PRESEASON ALL-B1G TEAMS

  • Junior classmates Evan Barratt and Alex Limoges were named First-Team All-Big Ten by the league's coaches as part of the preseason awards while junior Cole Hults landed on the second-team and Kris Myllari was an honorable mention.
  • Barratt became just the fourth Nittany Lion to earn first-team All-Big Ten accolades following the 2018-19 season scoring 16 goals while adding 27 assists for 43 points, the third highest single-season total in program history. Barratt's 1.34 points per game led the Big Ten and ranked fourth in the nation setting a new single-season program record while his 43 points were good for fourth in the Big Ten and 13th nationally.
  • Hults' 28 points last season were the third-most by a Penn State defenseman in a single-season and ranked third in the conference for blueliners. His plus-19 rating was the second-best mark for defensemen in the Big Ten while his 68 blocked shots were good for ninth in the league. Hults enters his junior season seventh on the Penn State all-time points list for defensemen with 48, just 12 shy of Luke Juha's program record of 60.
  • Myllari ranked second in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation last season with 90 blocked shots while his 21 points were the ninth most in the conference for defensemen. The senior alternate captain set the Penn State career record for goals by a defenseman last season when he notched the 17th of his career at Michigan State.

NITTANY LIONS TABBED B1G FAVORITE

  • For the first time in program history Penn State was picked to win the Big Ten by the league coaches in the Preseason Poll.
  • After finishing in the cellar during the inaugural B1G season in 2013-14, Penn State has finished fourth in three-straight seasons and four of the last five mixing in a third-place finish in 2015-16.
  • The regular season champion receives home-ice advantage and a first-round bye in the Big Ten playoffs while the next three seeds earn home ice in the best-of-three quarterfinal round.
  • The semifinal and final are then single game contests at the higher-seeded school.

O CAPTAIN! MY CAPTAIN!

  • Senior Brandon Biro was selected by his peers as the seventh captain in program history for the 2019-20 season after serving as an alternate last season. Fellow senior Liam Folkes and Kris Myllari with serve as alternates.

RECAPPING 2018-19

  • Penn State narrowly missing its third-consecutive NCAA Tournament last season after posting a 22-15-2 record and advancing to its second Big Ten Championship game in the past three seasons. The 22 wins are the second most in a single-season in program history.
  • The Nittany Lions led the nation in several offensive categories during the 2018-19 campaign including goals (177), assists (301), points (478) and goals per game (4.54) each total set a new program record.
  • Penn State is returning 20 letter-winners from that 2018-19 roster including 82 percent of total offense. Nine newcomers will round out the 2019-20 roster.
  • Junior Alex Limoges became the first Nittany Lion ever to pace the country in scoring as his program record 50 points tied for the national lead. Limoges also set a program record with 23 goals, a total that led the Big Ten and tied for the second most nationally.
  • Junior Evan Barratt became the fourth Nittany Lion to secure Big Ten first-team All-Conference recognition after leading the league and ranking fourth in the nation averaging 1.34 points per game. He potted 16 goals while adding 27 assists for 43 points, the third highest single-season total in program history.
  • Along with Limoges and Barratt, Penn State had seven total players with double-digit goals and 11 players register 20 or more points including four with 40-plus points. Senior classmates Liam Folkes and Brandon Biro also had career years with 42 and 40 points, respectively.
  • Freshman Paul DeNaples led the Big Ten in plus/minus and ranked third in the nation at +31, the second-best single-season rating in program history.

NEXT UP

  • The Nittany Lions open the 2019-20 regular season with a weekend series against the Sacred Heart Pioneers of Atlantic Hockey on October 11-12.

 
For more information on the 2019-20 season presented by the Penn State Bookstore: the Official Bookstore of Penn State Athletics, visit the men's hockey page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.