ROSEMONT, Ill. – Junior Cole Hults (Stoughton, Wis.) was named the Big Ten Third Star of the week as announced by the league office on Tuesday morning following a four-point weekend during a road split at then-No. 19 Michigan State this past Friday and Saturday.
Hults earns his second career weekly award and his second Third Star accolade this season after garnering the same distinction following opening weekend back in October. The junior factored in each of the four goals scored by the Nittany Lions this weekend including the primary assist on each goal during a 2-1 overtime victory on Saturday night. Hults added his fifth goal of the year along with one assist in the series opener on Friday.
The Stoughton, Wisconsin native currently leads the Big Ten with a +17 rating, a mark good for seventh nationally, following a +3 weekend. His 24 points are also the most among defensemen in the conference and tied for sixth overall while ranking sixth in the nation for blue-liners.
In conference only games, Hults' 15 points in 16 games is the most among defensemen and are tied for fourth overall while his 14 assists lead the league. The junior is currently riding a mini three-game point-streak and has recorded at least one point in eight of the last ten games. Hults is tied for the team lead with seven multi-point games this season including five in Big Ten play.
Hults has already set program records this season for points by a defenseman (72) and assists by a defenseman (58), a mark that is good for sixth overall at Penn State while his 14 goals are the fourth-most all-time by a Nittany Lion defenseman.
The junior's 72 points are the most among active defensemen in the Big Ten and tied for the 11th most among active defensemen across the country. Hults is just four points shy of his single-season career-high achieved last season and sits only six points back of Vince Pedrie's single-season program record for points by a defensemen of 30 set during the 2016-17 season.
Penn State returns home for a pair of games this weekend against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish with puck drop slated for 6 p.m. each night. Saturday night during the annual Wear White game, the Nittany Lions will wear football inspired all-white 'White Rush' uniforms. Verified re-sale tickets are available for each game by visiting ticketmaster.com or you can secure a standing room only ticket by calling 1-800-NITTANY.
FULL BIG TEN RELEASE
