UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State Nittany Lions return home to begin a brief four-game homestand over the next two weekends with a pair of contests this Friday and Saturday evening against the Wisconsin Badgers inside Pegula Ice Arena.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Friday, January 21 | Saturday, January 22
Place: Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa.
Time: Fri: 7:00 p.m. | Sat: 6:00 p.m.
Tickets: Friday | Saturday
Streaming Video: Friday | Saturday
Listen: Friday | Saturday
Live Statistics: Live Stats
Game Notes: Penn State | Wisconsin
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
- Penn State will once again to battle against its most common opponent as the Nittany Lions host the Wisconsin Badgers this weekend at Pegula Ice Arena. This marks the 44th and 45th meetings all-time with Penn State holding the 22-18-3 advantage. The teams split earlier this season in Madison. The Nittany Lions are 12-6-1 all-time against Wisconsin at Pegula Ice Arena including a 6-3-0 mark over the last three seasons.
- During a span of three seasons from the start of the 2014-15 season culminating with Penn State's first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship in 2017, the Nittany Lions won 12-of-14 games between the two schools, however, since that double-overtime victory Wisconsin has evened the playing field holding the 10-9-3 edge over the last 22 meetings including a 4-1-0 record against Penn State last season.
- Senior Paul DeNaples leads all current Nittany Lions with eight points on three goals and five assists in 18 career games against Wisconsin including the overtime game-winning goal back in December to split the series. Junior Connor McMenamin had a career-game against Wisconsin last season racking up a Penn State single-game record five points on one goal and four assists and has seven points in 11 career games against the Badgers. Junior Kevin Wall has added three goals and three assists in 10 career games against Wisconsin.
WEAR WHITE SATURDAY
- Penn State's annual 'Wear White' game will return to Pegula Ice Arena for the first time in 721 days on Saturday night. Penn State is just 1-5-1 in 'Wear White' games dating back to the 2013-14 season with Saturday's game being the eighth annual. The Nittany Lions have lost five in-a-row with the lone victory in a 'Wear White' game coming against these Badgers back on February 6, 2015.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
- The Badgers enter the weekend coming off a sweep over Michigan State and having lost just once in their last six games since the mid-December series against Penn State at the Kohl Center. This streak includes being crowned champions of the Kwik Trip Holiday Face-off they hosted in Milwaukee following the Christmas holiday.
- It has been 61 days between true road games for Wisconsin as the Badgers haven't left the Badger State since a trip to East Lansing on November 19-20. The Badgers are just 1-7-0 this season on the road.
- Wisconsin has been playing good hockey since the two teams last met as entering that weekend in December the Badgers had been winless in its last seven games and were averaging just 1.6 goals per contest prior to a 4-1 victory over the Nittany Lions on December 10. Including that weekend, Wisconsin is 4-2-2 in its last eight games averaging 3.25 goals per game over that stretch.
- Wisconsin is paced by rookie defenseman Corson Ceulemans who has points in six of his last eight games including three of his four goals on the season. Ceulemans leads the Badgers with 16 points and 12 assists. His 16 points are tied with Kirwan for sixth in the Big Ten among freshman and third among rookie blue-liners.
- Senior Tarek Baker is second on the team with 15 points on five goals and 10 assists and has registered points in eight of his last 11 games including three assists this past weekend at Michigan State.
- Mathieu De St. Phalle leads the team with seven goals each coming in his last eight games after scoring his first goal of the season, the eventual game-winner, in a 4-1 victory over Penn State on December 10. The sophomore scored three goals last weekend against Michigan State including his first career multi-goal game last Friday and was named the Big Ten's Third Star of the Week for his efforts.
- Minnesota transfer Jared Moe has started each of the last eight games between the pipes for the Badgers allowing more than two goals just twice, both losses, to Penn State (12/11) and Ohio State (1/8). Over his last eight games, Moe has a 2.20 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. For the year, Moe ranks fourth in the Big Ten and 12th nationally with a .925 save percentage while his 2.50 goals-against average is good for sixth in the conference and 28th in the nation.
CLOSE, BUT NO CIGAR
- Penn State's last seven Big Ten losses have come by a combined 11 goals with three of those goals being empty netters. The Nittany Lions are just 1-4-0 in games decided by one goal this season and have lost three-straight one-goal games.
RY GUY
- Freshman Ryan Kirwan is currently riding a four-game point-streak (0-5-0) and has registered at least one point in 10 of his last 12 games including a career-best six-game point streak from November 12 through December 3.
- Kirwan has five goals and 11 assists to lead all Nittany Lion rookies with 16 points this season amark tied for the sixth-most in the Big Ten among first-year players.
DOWD AND IN
- Sophomore Jimmy Dowd Jr. scored twice during a 5-4 overtime loss to Notre Dame two weeks ago marking his first career multi-goal game.
- Dowd is currently in the middle of a career year with three goals and 12 assists for 15 points surpassing each of his totals from a season ago when he scored twice while adding eight assists for 10 points as a freshman.
- Dowd's 15 points are tied for sixth in the Big Ten among defensemen while his 12 assists are tied for the fourth most among blue-liners in the conference.
- Dowd's 15 points are also just two points shy of the 10th-most by a defenseman in a single-season in Penn State history shared by Kevin Kerr, Erik Autio and Kris Myllari. With 21 career assists, Dowd is also just one assist shy of Nate Jensen for 10th all-time at Penn State.
PHILLY SPECIAL
- Senior defenseman Clayton Phillips is also in the middle of a career year with five goals and six assists for 11 points and a plus/minus rating of +10 to tie for the team lead. His goal and point totals are new single-season bests
- With 10 goals and 17 assists for 27 points in 69 career games as a Nittany Lion, Phillips is just two points shy of Nate Jensen for the 10th most points by a defenseman in program history. His 10 goals are the sixth most by a Nittany Lion defenseman all-time and are two shy of Trevor Hamilton for fifth. Phillips' five goals this season are also tied for the ninth most in a single-season by a Nittany Lion blue-liner.
NEXT UP
- Penn State concludes its brief four-game homestand with a pair of Big Ten contests against No. 15 Ohio State next Friday and Saturday evening.
For more information on the 2021-22 season presented by the Penn State Bookstore: 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.