UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Following three-straight road games to open the season the No. 12 Penn State Nittany Lions begin a six-game homestand at Pegula Ice Arena against the AIC Yellow Jackets this weekend.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates Friday, October 20 |Saturday, October 21
Place: University Park, Pa.
Time: 7 p.m. | 5 p.m.
Tickets: Friday | Saturday
Streaming Video: Friday | Saturday
Listen: Friday | Saturday
Live Statistics: Live Stats
Game Notes: Penn State
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
- This weekend marks the seventh and eighth meetings all time between Penn State and AIC and the first in six years. The all-time series sits in favor of the Nittany Lions at 4-2-0, however, a pair of overtime wins by AIC bookend the current series.
- AIC was Penn State's first-ever Division I opponent back on October 12, 2012, a 3-2 overtime victory for the Yellow Jackets at Greenberg Ice Pavilion. The following night in Wilkes-Barre, the Nittany Lions secured their first NCAA victory with an overtime win of their own, 4-3.
- While no current members of either team have competed against one another there is a unique connection between the two as Yellow Jacket senior forward Jordan Biro is the younger brother of former Nittany Lion captain Brandon Biro '20.
- Penn State is 47-15-2 all-time against Atlantic Hockey opponents averaging 4.36 goals per game in such contests.
- The Nittany Lions have won 20-straight non-conference games dating back to a 4-1 loss against Canisius over two years ago on October 8, 2021. That loss is the only setback against an Atlantic Hockey team in the last 23 contests.
- Penn State is 3-0-0 to begin the season for the second-straight year and the fourth time in the first 12 years of the program.
- Penn State is 7-3-1 all-time in home openers including a 7-2-1 mark at Pegula Ice Arena and have won two-straight and six of the last seven home openers.
- With an average age of 22 years 2 months, Penn State boasts the oldest team in the Big Ten. AIC is the sixth oldest team in its own conference, but the 14th oldest nationally with an average age of 22 years 9 months.
SCOUTING AIC
- AIC is coming off an 18-14-7 season losing to Holy Cross in a best-of-three Atlantic Hockey Quarterfinal series to snap a streak of four-consecutive Atlantic Hockey Championships.
- The Yellow Jackets return most of its offensive firepower from a season ago with 10 of their top-12 scorers back on the roster in 2023-24, with the only exceptions being Blake Bennett who Paced AIC with 22 goals and 35 points last season and Nicholas Cardelli who ranked fourth on the team with 22 points, but was one four Jackets with double-digit goals finishing tied for second on the team with 11.
- AIC does return both Jordan Biro and Dustin Manz who added 11 and 10 goals, respectively, while producing 31 and 24 points.
- Alexandros Aslanidis returns between the pipes for the Yellow Jackets after making 13 starts a season ago posting an 8-3-1 record with a .923 save percentage and a 2.14 goals-against average, however, freshman Nils Wallstrom has started all three games for AIC so far this season posting an .831 save percentage and a 4.65 goals-against average.
- AIC is averaging just 1.67 goals per game in its first three games with five different goal scorers. On the defensive side the Yellow Jackets are allowing 5.33 goals per game including an 8-0 shutout in its last game against Quinnipiac.
- AIC has yet to convert with the man-advantage opening the year on an 0-for-15 skid while allowing four powerplay goals of its own on 10 chances.
STREAKING START
- Junior Ryan Kirwan was named the B1G Third Star of the Week following a two-goal, three-point weekend in the North Country.
- Kirwan has scored a goal in each of the first three games of the season becoming just the third Nittany Lion in program history to start the season with goals in three or more games joining Andrew Sturtz '20 (2016-17) and Kevin Wall '23 who accomplished this feat twice, first in 2020-21 and against last season when he scored in four-straight games to begin the year, the current program standard.
- Kirwan's three goals are tied for second in the Big Ten and seventh in the nation while his five points place him tied for sixth in the conference and 17th nationally. His current three-game goal streak is also a new career-long.
- Junior classmate Danny Dzhaniyev is also riding a three-game point streak to open the season just one shy of his career-long. Dzhaniyev's four assists through three games pace the team and are tied for second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally.
ISN'T THAT SPECIAL
- The Nittany Lions will be the first to admit that their specialty units a season ago were not the strength of the team. With a full offseason and preseason of work, the new look special teams have opened the year strong.
- Penn State has scored a powerplay goal in each of its first three games posting a 3-for-13 clip (23.1 percent) to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 16th in the nation.
- Last season Penn State failed to have a three-game stretch when scoring at least one man-advantage goal in each game. This is the first such stretch in almost two years dating back to a three-game powerplay goal streak from 11/23/21 through 12/3/21.
- The Nittany Lion PK has also been solid allowing just a single powerplay tally by the opposition in nine chances (88.9 percent) to rank third in the Big Ten and tied for 18th nationally.
HE'S A SOUL-Y MAN
- Senior goaltender Liam Souliere is second in the Big Ten and 13th in the nation with a 1.67 goals-against average to open the season, however, he ranks fourth in the nation in save percentage among goaltenders who have played at least three games.
- Souliere's .924 save percentage is good for third in the Big Ten and 25th nationally.
- With his 4-1 victory at St. Lawrence last Saturday, Souliere became just the third Nittany Lion goaltender to reach 30 career wins as he now sits at 30-25-2 in 59 appearances.
NEXT UP
- Penn State returns to Hockey Valley for its home opening series against the American International College Yellow Jackets next Friday and Saturday marking the start of a six-game homestand.
For more information on the 2023-24 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.