ROSEMONT, Ill. – Senior Liam Folkes (Scarborough, Ontario) and junior Evan Barratt (Bristol, Pa.) were named the Big Ten Conference First and Second Stars of the Week earlier Tuesday morning for their performances last weekend during the inaugural Turkey Leg Classic.
Folkes earned First Star recognition and his first-ever weekly award after netting a natural hat-trick to begin a 7-0 onslaught at Merrimack on Friday night. The senior added an assist on Saturday for a four-point weekend where he finished with a plus-five rating.
The hat-trick was the first of his career and the ninth in Penn State history but was just the first road hat-trick and natural hat-trick ever recorded by a Nittany Lion. Folkes is now tied with Casey Bailey for fifth on the Penn State all-time goals list with 45 while his 92 career points are good for seventh.
The senior is currently riding a career-best seven-game point streak (7-4-11) while his five-game goal streak following Friday night's contest was also a career-best.
Barratt secured his second weekly honor this season and the fourth of his career after leading the entire Big Ten and ranking tied for third in the nation with five points over the weekend, on a pair of goals and three assists. The junior tied his career-high with four points on Friday night, including a career-best three assists and one goal, before adding another tally the following night. The junior now has a seven-game point-streak (4-11-15) while his 20 points are good for second in the Big Ten and tied for sixth nationally.
The Chicago Blackhawks draft pick has now cracked the top-10 all-time scorers at Penn State ranking ninth with 81 career points while his 49 assists are tied for ninth and his 32 career goals rank just outside the top-10. Barratt's 1.03 points per game for his career is now the top mark in program history.
The sixth-ranked Nittany Lions remain on the road this weekend as they resume Big Ten play with a trip to Ann Arbor to battle the Wolverines on Friday and Saturday evening. Friday's contest will air nationally on FS1 at 8:30 p.m. and the series will conclude on BTN+ with a 7:30 p.m. puck drop on Saturday.
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.
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