COLUMBUS, Ohio – The 9th-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions look to rebound and get back to their winning ways this weekend with a trip to No. 7 Ohio State for a Big Ten Conference series in Columbus on Friday and Saturday evening.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Friday, February 3 | Saturday, February 4
Place: Value City Arena | Columbus, Ohio
Time: FRI: 7 p.m. | SAT: 6:30 p.m.
TV: FRI: N/A | SAT: B1G Network
Streaming Video: Friday | Saturday
Listen: Friday | Saturday
Live Statistics: Live Stats
Game Notes: Penn State
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
- This weekend marks the 43rd and 44th meetings all-time between the two programs with Ohio State holding the 22-16-4 edge including an 11-9-2 record in Columbus. The two teams split their series earlier this season in Hockey Valley in a pair of one-goal games with Penn State winning the opener 2-1 and Ohio State securing the 4-3 victory the following night.
- The Buckeyes won the season series last year taking 10 of the 12 possible points with a 3-0-1 record in the four regular season battles, however, Penn State defeated Ohio State two games to one in the best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinals in Columbus last March becoming the first road team in Big Ten history to win a best-of-three quarterfinal series.
- Senior Kevin Wall leads all Nittany Lions with five career goals against Ohio State while adding four assists for nine points in 15 games while Jimmy Dowd Jr. has added nine points on a pair of goals and seven assists in 10 career games. Both Connor McMenamin and Connor MacEachern have each added five points against the Buckeyes.
- Junior Liam Souliere has seven career starts against the Buckeyes posting a 3-3-1 record with a 2.71 goals-against average and a .908 save percentage.
- Both teams rank near the top of the NCAA in goals-against average with Ohio State leading the Big Ten and ranking ninth in the nation allowing just 2.35 goals per game while Penn State is third in the Big Ten and 25th nationally with opponents scoring just 2.68 goals per game.
- Ohio State has allowed more than three goals just eight times in 26 games this season and are just 2-6-0 when doing so. Penn State has also allowed more than three goals just eight times this season, including three of its last five games, posting just a 1-6-1 record in such games.
- On the other hand, Ohio State is 10-2-1 this season when allowing two or fewer goals with one of those losses coming against Penn State back in December, a 2-1 Nittany Lion win. Penn State is 15-1-0 when allowing two or fewer goals with the lone loss coming in a 2-1 setback against Notre Dame two weeks ago.
SCOUTING OHIO STATE
- The Buckeyes enter the weekend having split their last two series against Michigan and most recently Wisconsin, both coming on the road as they return to Value City Arena where they have a 9-2-0 record this season.
- Ohio State is ranked No. 7 in both polls this weekend and are currently eighth in the Pairwise.
- Coming off his third shutout of the season and the sixth of his career against Wisconsin last Saturday, goaltender Jakub Dobes has a 16-9-1 record this season with a 2.18 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage to rank second in the Big Ten in both categories and 18th and 15th nationally.
- Freshman Stephen Halliday leads the Buckeyes with 25 points on seven goals, six of which have come with the man-advantage, and 18 assists while both Davis Burnside and Cam Thiesing pace Ohio State with 11 goals each. Sophomore Mason Lohrei leads all Buckeyes with 19 assists.
- Along with Halliday, six of Travis Treloar's seven goals have come on the man-advantage as Ohio State is 24-for-111 (21.6 percent) on the powerplay this season ranking third in the Big Ten and 25th nationally, compared to Penn State's Big Ten worst 17.2 percent powerplay which ranks 42nd nationally.
- The Buckeyes have been very undisciplined on the other end of the ice ranking second in the Big Ten and 10th in the nation averaging 12.6 penalty minutes per game, however, Ohio State boasts the best penalty kill in the Big Ten at 88.5 percent (92-for-104) a mark good for second in the nation just 0.1 percent lower than Michigan Tech.
LIGHT THE LAMPPA
- Junior Xander Lamppa entered last weekend with three goals on the season and he doubled that total in Ann Arbor including his first career multi-goal game on Friday night. Lamppa is now tied for fifth on the team with his six goals which are also a new career-high to go along with his career-best 10 assists and 16 points.
- Of his six goals this season all but one have come in his four games played against Michigan as he scored at least one goal in each game. His other goal came against Wisconsin during a career-high three game goal streak back in November.
THE BROTHERS GRATTON
- Last Saturday brothers Dylan and Tyler Gratton connected for a goal for the first time this season as the younger Dylan found the elder Tyler for the opening goal of Saturday's game just 36 seconds in.
PICK SIX
- Penn State tallied twice in just six seconds in the first minute of last Saturday's game at Michigan marking the fastest back-to-back scores in program history surpassing the previous mark of nine seconds set over seven years ago against Michigan State on January 14, 2017, when Dylan Richard and Chase Berger tilted a close game late in the third period.
NEXT UP
- Penn State takes a week off before closing out the regular-season with four-straight home games starting with a series against No. 1 Minnesota on February 17-18.
For more information on the 2022-23 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.