ROSEMONT, Ill. – Freshman Ryan Kirwan (DeWitt, N.Y.) was named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week as announced by the league office earlier Wednesday morning following his performances during a series sweep against Wisconsin this past weekend.
Kirwan paced the Big Ten with four goals for the week tallying a pair of goals in each game including a string of three-straight goals from Friday to Saturday marking the first two multi-goal games of his career. The rookie is currently riding a six-game point streak to tie his career long achieved earlier this season while having registered at least one point in 12 of his last 14 games played.
This marks the first career weekly award for the freshman as he joins teammates Tyler Paquette, Jimmy Dowd Jr., Kevin Wall, Clayton Phillips and Connor MacEachern who were each honored earlier this season.
Kirwan is now third on the team with 20 points and nine goals marking the most points by a Nittany Lion freshman since the 2017-18 season when Alex Limoges '21 registered 21 points. His nine goals are also the most by a Penn State freshman since Evan Barratt registered 11 during that same 2017-18 campaign.
Kirwan's 20 points are tied for the 11th most in program history for a freshman while his nine goals place him ninth for rookies in Penn State history. His 20 points are also tied for the ninth in the country and 6th in the Big Ten among freshmen while his nine goals are tied for fourth and second, respectively.
Penn State remains home this weekend as the Nittany Lions welcome the Big Ten leading and 12th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes to Pegula Ice Arena for a pair of 7 p.m. tilts on Friday and Saturday.
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.
