ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The sixth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions remain on the road as they return to Big Ten Conference action with a pair of games at Yost Ice Arena against the Michigan Wolverines on Friday and Saturday evening.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Friday, December 6 | Saturday, December 7
Place: Yost Ice Arena
Time: Friday at 8:30 p.m. | Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Streaming Video: Friday | Saturday ($)
Listen: Friday | Saturday
Live Statistics: Live Stats (Both Games)
Game Notes: Penn State
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
- This marks the 28th and 29th meetings between Penn State and Michigan with the Wolverines holding the 15-12-0 all-time record. Michigan has won five of the last seven contests in the series, but the teams split the season series last year winning two games apiece.
- The Nittany Lions don't have much success at Yost Ice Arena holding just a 2-9-0 record in the building and after wins in each of the first two seasons in the Big Ten, Penn State hasn't been victorious at Yost in its last eight tries dating back to a 3-2 victory on November 21, 2014.
- Senior Nate Sucese leads all active Nittany Lions with 10 points in 13 career games against Michigan on four goals and six assists while both Evan Barratt and Liam Folkes have added five goals each against the Wolverines to pace the team. Barratt has nine points in eight career games while Folkes has eight points in 11 games against Michigan.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
- The Wolverines enter the weekend winners in just two of their last11 games averaging just 1.81 goals per game during that stretch. Overall, Michigan is 5-9-2 and just 1-6-1-0 in the Big Ten with its lone win coming last Sunday at Wisconsin.
- Michigan lost three of its top six scorers from last season's roster and do not have a single player with double-digit points through the team's first 16 games this season. Freshman Johnny Beecher is leading the team with just eight points while his four goals tie Will Lockwood and Jack Becker for the team lead.
- While offense hasn't been a strong point so far for the Wolverines ranking last in the Big Ten and 48th in the nation averaging just 2.12 goals per game, defense has been as Michigan ranks second in the Big Ten and 15th nationally allowing just 2.19 goals per game.
- The main reason for the strong defense has been between the pipes as sophomore Strauss Mann ranks third in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation with a .927 save percentage while his 2.13 goals against average is good for third and 22nd, respectively.
- Michigan's special teams have also struggled so far this season as its power-play ranks last in the Big Ten and 39th nationally converting just 16.9 percent of the time (11-for-65). The Wolverine PK has been more middle of the road ranking fourth in the Big Ten and 25th in the nation at 82 percent (41-for-50).
HULTSAMANIA
- Junior Cole Hults is currently tied for the Big Ten lead for points by a defenseman with 13 on four goals and nine assists this season.
- Last weekend at UMass-Lowell, Hults registered his 61st career point breaking a tie with Luke Juha '16 for the Penn State all-time record for points by a defenseman. The Junior is also just two assists shy of the program record for assists by a defenseman with 48, good for 11th all-time. His 13 goals also rank fourth in program history for blue-liners.
NATTY HATTY
- Last Friday, senior Liam Folkes became the ninth different player in Penn State history to register a hat-trick, but only the first to do so on the road and the first to score three consecutive goals for the natural hat-trick.
- At the time he extended his career-best goal-streak to five games, but saw that end on Saturday, however, the senior is still riding a career-long seven-game point streak (7-4-11).
- With his three goals, Folkes moved into a tie with Casey Bailey for fifth on the Penn State all-time goals list with 45 for his career while his 92 points are now good for seventh. Folkes also ranks sixth in the Big Ten and 20th nationally among active players with his 92 points while his 45 goals are good for eighth among active players in the nation and third in the Big Ten behind only teammates Nate Sucese (57) and Denis Smirnov (47).
EVAN ALMIGHTY
- Junior Evan Barratt had a slow start to the season with just five points in his first eight games, but is currently riding a seven-game point streak (4-11-15) and a three-game goal streak.
- Barratt's 20 points this season are just one back of Sucese for the Big Ten lead and rank tied for seventh in the nation.
- For his career, Barratt is averaging 1.03 points per game, the top mark in Penn State history while his 81 points are good for ninth all-time and his 49 assists are currently tied for ninth.
BFL STREAKING
- Along with Folkes and Barratt the third member of the BFL trio is junior Alex Limoges who is also currently riding a seven-game point streak (4-9-13) and his 18 points this season are tied for third in the Big Ten and 12th in the nation.
- Limoges, Barratt and Folkes have accounted for 41 percent of Penn State's goals and 38 percent of the total Nittany Lion offense during their seven-game point streaks which began on November 9. The trio has scored 15 goals while adding 24 assists for 39 points combined over that stretch. Barratt's 15 points during this streak tie for the national lead.
- Overall this season in 13 games together, the trio has combined for 18 goals and 32 assists for 50 points and an eye-popping +34 rating.
TOP 'NATE' DOGG
- Senior Nate Sucese continues to lead the Big Ten with 21 points this season, just one point clear of teammate Evan Barratt.
- Sucese is tied for the Big Ten lead among active players with 123 career points good for second nationally while his 57 career goals are just one shy of Minnesota State's Marc Michaelis for the national lead.
- Sucese enters the weekend just five points shy of the Penn State program record of 128 held by David Goodwin '17.
- Last Saturday the senior scored an extra attacker goal to tie the game at two with just 23.3 seconds remaining against UML. The extra attacker goal was the first for the Nittany Lions in over a year dating back to November 3, 2018 against Arizona State, also scored by Sucese. The goal also came on Sucese's 409th career shot on goal, good for third in program history.
B1G LEADERS
- Penn State is three points clear of Ohio State and Notre Dame leading the Big Ten with 18 points and a 6-2-0-0 record. The Nittany Lions also have the top six scorers in league games this season led by Evan Barratt's 11 points in eight games while Sam Strernschein's eight goals in eight games leads the conference.
- The Nittany Lions also have the top three scorers overall in the Big Ten with Sucese, Barratt and Limoges having 21, 20 and 18 points, respectively. Brandon Biro ranks tied for seventh in the Big Ten with 15 points while Folkes is tied for ninth with 14.
- Penn State is averaging 4.75 goals per game over its eight conference games this season to lead the Big Ten a full 2.13 goals clear of second place where Minnesota and Ohio State are tied at 2.62 goals per game. The Nittany Lions have also made a vast improvement this season and are allowing just 2.75 goals per game in conference action compared to 4.00 last season.
- Nationally, Penn State ranks second in the nation in scoring averaging 4.60 goals per game while allowing just 2.38.
WE'VE GOT THE POWER'PLAY'
- Penn State has scored at least one power-play goal in seven-straight games and eight of nine leading the nation with 20 power-play goals this season and a 32.8 percent success rate.
- In conference only games the Nittany Lions are converting at 44.4 percent (12-for-27) through the first eight games this season with man-advantage tallies in seven of those games.
SECOND PERIOD SURGE
- Penn State's strongest period this season has been the second period as they are outscoring opponents 26-12 over the middle 20 minutes including an 15-5 mark over the past three weekends.
- The Nittany Lions lead the Big Ten with their 26 second period goals and a +14 differential as they look to keep that trend going against Michigan who has allowed its most goals this season during the second period with 14 and have a -2 differential over the middle 20 minutes.
NEXT UP
- The Nittany Lions close out the fall semester with the final two games of a season-long six-game road trip when they travel to South Bend for a pair of games against No. 9 Notre Dame next Friday and Saturday evening. Friday's contest will be broadcast nationally on the NHL Network.
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.