PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The sixth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions take the short trip down I-80 to Pittsburgh for a single-contest against the Robert Morris Colonials to close out the season series at PPG Paints Arena on Saturday evening.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Saturday, January 11
Place: PPG Paints Arena
Time: 7:05 p.m.
Tickets: Saturday
Streaming Video ($): Saturday
Listen: Saturday
Live Statistics: Live Stats
Game Notes: Penn State
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
- This weekend marks the 12th meeting all-time between the two teams and the sixth at PPG Paints Arena, formerly CONSOL Energy Center. Penn State leads the all-time series 7-4-0 including five-straight victories while RMU holds the slim 3-2-0 edge at PPG.
- The Nittany Lions squeaked out a slim 2-1 victory to open the season series back in October at Pegula Ice Arena after sweeping the series last season with 7-2 and 11-6 wins. During the current five-game winning-streak for Penn State, the Nittany Lions are outscoring Bobby Mo 32-15 averaging 6.4 goals per game.
- Senior Nikita Pavlychev leads all current Nittany Lions with 11 points in five games against the Colonials on five goals and six assists including a line of 4-3-7 during the two-game sweep last season, which led to Big Ten and NCAA First Star of the Week accolades.
- Senior Denis Smirnov has added three goals and four assists for seven points against RMU while junior Cole Hults has also added seven points on one goal and six assists. Senior Nate Sucese has chipped in with four goals and a pair of assists for six points in five games vs. Bobby Mo.
SCOUTING ROBERT MORRIS
- The Colonials enter the contest winless in their last seven games heading into the holiday break going 0-4-3 during that stretch and most recently dropped a 4-2 decision to Ontario Tech in an exhibition game one week ago. Overall, RMU sits 7-8-3 on the year.
- During this recent seven-game winless skid, Bobby Mo has failed to score more than two goals in any game while being shutout three times averaging just 0.86 goals per game over that stretch. Nationally Robert Morris is just 51st in scoring offense averaging 2.06 goals per game.
- Bobby Mo is paced on offense by junior Nick Prkusic with 12 points and a team leading five goals. Jacob Coleman has also added five goals for the Colonials to tie for the team lead while Justin Addamo is the only other scorer with double-digit points through the opening 18 games with a pair of goals and a team-leading eight assists for ten points.
- Between the pipes RMU is led by Ferris State transfer Justin Kapelmaster who ranks third in the nation with a .941 save percentage while his 2.22 goals against average is good for 20th. The senior is 7-6-2 on the year, but did not play in the Colonials' final series of December against Army West Point and also missed last weekend's exhibition contest.
- Junior Dyllan Lubbesmeyer played the Army series posting an 0-1-1 record and in five appearances this season has posted a .933 save percentage and a 2.30 goals against average.
- The RMU power-play has struggled through the first half of the season ranking 52nd in the nation converting at a 12.8 percent (11-for-86) clip including a 3-for-44 stretch over the last eight games.
- The PK, however, has been much better ranking third in Atlantic Hockey and 11th in the nation stopping 86.2 percent (75-for-87) of opponent man-advantage opportunities.
DEFENSIVE SHIFT
- Penn State has dropped its goals against average by more than a full goal per game from last season to 2.29 through the first 21 games of 2019-20 ranking third in the Big Ten and 15th nationally. Through 21 games in 2018-19 PSU was allowing 3.57 goals per game.
- The Nittany Lions have surrendered just 48 goals this season through 21 games compared to 75 last season at this point.
- With tighter defense and strong goaltending being key factors to the turnaround, Penn State has also excelled on the penalty kill this season ranking second in the Big Ten and tied for 13th nationally killing 85.9 percent (67-for-78) of opponent power-plays. Over the last five games Penn State is 15-for-15 on the PK.
- The Nittany Lions have also posted three shutouts this season tying the program record for most shutouts in a season set during the 2016-17 season when they also had three.
HIGH ABOVE
- At 6'8" senior Nikita Pavlychev is one of three players in the NCAA that share the distinction of tallest player joining Stephen Mundinger of Maine and Keenan Suthers of St. Lawrence. There are then six players at 6'7".
- The senior started the new decade fast last weekend registering three points on a pair of goals and one assist. In fact, Pavlychev's line was responsible for all five goals the Nittany Lions scored against Niagara as freshman Connor McMenamin added a pair and Sam Sternschein tacked on the other.
- Pavlychev's power-play goal on Saturday marked the 12th of his career putting him just one back of the Penn State all-time record for power-play tallies. The senior's 33 career goals are also just outside the top-10 in program history.
MAC ATTACK
- Freshman Connor McMenamin scored in both games last weekend against Niagara with each resulting in the game-winning goal. It marks the first time this season the rookie has scored in back-to-back games as he now has three goals and seven points on the season.
- Penn State hasn't had much scoring from the freshman class with only 25 combined points on eight goals and 17 assists coming from first-year players. However, the Nittany Lions are a perfect 7-0-0 when a rookie finds the back of the net this season.
BLUE-LINE BEAUTY
- Junior defenseman Cole Hults collected a pair of assists last weekend giving him 18 points this year to lead all defensemen in the Big Ten and rank tied for seventh nationally. Hults has at least one point in five of his last seven games.
- Hults also leads the entire Big Ten in plus-minus with a rating of +15 ranking tied for eighth nationally and fifth among defensemen while his 14 assists top the Big Ten among blue-liners and rank ninth in the nation.
- Hults has already surpassed the Penn State records for points (66) and assists (53) by a defenseman while his assist total ranks seventh all-time among all players in program history. Hults' 13 goals are the fourth most all-time by a defenseman at Penn State while his +40 career rating is currently the fifth best mark in Penn State history.
TURN UP THE AUTIO
- Sophomore Oskar Autio secured his second-consecutive shutout last Saturday against Niagara tying the Penn State single-season record for shutouts.
- Over his last four appearances, Autio has posted 140:35 of consecutive scoreless minutes and is a little more than half a period shy of the Penn State all-time scoreless streak record of 151:13 held by Matt Skoff from January 26 through February 9 of 2013.
OH HOW SWEEP IT IS
- The sweep of Niagara last weekend marks the fourth time this season Penn State has swept an opponent, which is already more than the three series sweeps they posted in 2017-18.
- Penn State's record for most series sweeps in a single-season is eight, registered during the 2016-17 season. The Nittany Lions registered five series sweeps in 2014-15 and four each in 2015-16 and 2017-18. PSU has a chance this weekend to earn their fifth series sweep this season with a win against Robert Morris.
B1G ADVANTAGE
- Penn State has a history of success against Atlantic Hockey teams compiling a 36-14-2 all-time record against the conference.
- In recent years that record is even stronger as the Nittany Lions are 18-2-0 against Atlantic teams since the start of the 2016-17 season with the only two losses coming during the 2017-18 campaign against AIC and Mercyhurst. In those 20 games Penn State is averaging 5.35 goals per game and is outscoring its opponents 107-51.
NEXT UP
- The Nittany Lions return to Big Ten play when they host the Michigan Wolverines for a pair of games next Friday and Saturday evening.
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.