UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 15 Penn State Nittany Lions are in the middle of a three-week, six-game homestand and will welcome Alaska-Anchorage to Hockey Valley this week for a Thursday-Friday series at Pegula Ice Arena
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates Thursday, October 26 |Friday, October 27
Place: University Park, Pa.
Time: 7 p.m. | 7 p.m.
Tickets: Thursday | Friday
Streaming Video: Thursday | Friday
Listen: Thursday | Friday
Live Statistics: Live Stats
Game Notes: Penn State | Alaska-Anchorage
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
- This weekend marks the seventh and eighth meetings all time between Penn State and Alaska-Anchorage but the first since November 2016, a series sweep for the Nittany Lions. All-time Penn State holds the 3-1-2 record against the Seawolves with the 2016 sweep being the only two games played in Hockey Valley in the series history.
- UAA resumed play for the 2022-23 season as an independent after the WCHA was rebranded into the new CCHA prior to the 2021-22 season leaving out both Alaska schools and Alabama-Huntsville. Penn State is 19-4-2 all-time against Division I Independents
- Last Saturday's loss snapped a 21-game non-conference winning streak for the Nittany Lions and was their first loss to an Atlantic Hockey opponent in the last 25 contests dating back to a 7-4 loss to Mercyhurst on November 3, 2017.
- With an average age of 22 years 2 months, Penn State boasts the oldest team in the Big Ten. Alaska-Anchorage is the 13th oldest team nationally with an average age of 22 years 9 months.
- Four of Penn State's first five opponents this season have been in the top-14 oldest teams in the nation for average age while the Nittany Lions rank 36th overall with each of the remaining six BIg Ten schools 43rd or lower in average age.
SCOUTING THE SEAWOLVES
- Without a conference after the WCHA disbanded to form the new CCHA, Alaska-Anchorage didn't participate in 2020-21 and 2021-22. The Seawolves returned to competition last season as an independent finishing the year 8-19-1. UAA is off to a solid start this season with a 3-3-0 record picking up splits in each of the first three weekends of play.
- Maximilion Helgeson paced the Seawolves last season with 11 goals and 22 points and is off to a fast start in 2023-24 with four goals and seven points in UAA's first six games to once again lead the team. He has points in five of the first six games including four-straight. and is coming off a three-point weekend against Air Force with goals in each game and his first multi-point game with one goal and one assist in the series finale.
- Along with Helgeson, UAA returns each of its top-5 scorers from last season including fellow top-liner Ben Almquist who paced the team with 14 assists and ranked second with 20 points a season ago. Almquist has six points on two goals and four assists through the first six games this season alongside Helgeson. Vermont transfer Porter Schachle is second on the team with three goals and third with five points.
- The Seawolves are without goaltender Nolan Kent who started more than half of their games a season ago posting a 4-8-1 record with a .906 save percentage and 3.13 goals-against average, however, they do return both Joey Lamoreaux and Jared Whale, the latter has started five of the first six games so far this season posting a 3-2-0 record with a .925 save percentage and a 2.16 goals-against average, good for the top third in college hockey for both categories.
- Anchorage has had early success on specialty teams posting an 88.5 percent penalty kill and a 22.2 percent powerplay to rank 18th and 17th in the nation, respectively.
- Four of the Seawolves first six games have been decided by a goal or less including a pair of overtime affairs. UAA is 2-2-0 in such games after posting a 3-6-0 record in one-goal games a season ago.
GUY'S OUR GUY
- In his 12th season behind the Nittany Lion bench, head coach Guy Gadowsky enters the week with 198 victories at Penn State. Under his guidance PSU has posted five 20+ win seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament on three occasions with a pair of Big Ten Championships mixed in.
- With 371 total wins in his 24-year coaching career, Gadowsky ranks 35th among Division I coaches all-time and 11th among active NCAA Division I coaches, two wins clear of Bemidji State bench boss Tom Serratore.
OUT OF THE GATES STRONG
- Junior Ryan Kirwan became just the second Nittany Lion all-time to begin a season with goals in four-straight games matching Kevin Wall's '23 start to last season. Even though he failed to light the lamp himself last Saturday he assisted on Danny Dzhaniyev's goal to run his point-streak to five games, two shy of his career-long seven game streak from his freshman season.
- Kirwan's four goals and seven points through the first five games of the season place him tied for third and tied for seventh in the Big Ten, respectively, while ranking tied for 11th and tied for 15th in the nation through the first three weeks of the season.
- Freshman Aiden Fink scored his first career goal last Friday and now has points in three-straight games and four of his first five as a Nittany Lion.
- Senior Xander Lamppa has assists in three-straight games a new career-long streak and just one game shy of his career-long point streak of four games achieved last season.
- Graduate transfer Jacques Bouquot has points in four-straight games and with assists in each of those games now has a new career-long assist streak and is just one game shy of his career-long point streak of five games which dates back to his freshman season at Vermont.
SOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUL
- Senior goaltender Liam Souliere secured career win No. 31 last Friday against AIC placing him just one shy of Matt Skoff '16 for second all-time at Penn State. Peyton Jones '20 is Penn State's all-time wins leader with 76.
HIT US WITH YOUR BEST SHOT
- The 12 shots allowed by the Nittany Lions last Friday against AIC are the fewest shots allowed in a single-game in program history breaking the previous mark of 13 which had been achieved twice before.
- Penn State allowed just a single shot in the third period alone which ties the mark for fewest shots allowed in a single period in program history.
- Through the first three weeks of the season, Penn State is allowing just 20.4 shots per game to lead the Big Ten and rank fourth in the nation for fewest shots allowed.
ONE HUNDRED
- Earlier this season against LIU senior captain Christian Berger skated in his 100th career game. The senior hasn't missed a game since stepping foot on campus and has now played in 104-straight.
- Graduate transfer Tanner Palocsik is hoping to join Berger in the 100-game club this week as he currently sits at 98 career games played with 93 of those coming at Dartmouth prior to his time in Hockey Valley.
NEXT UP
- Penn State remains home to close out its three-week, six-game homestand and begin Big Ten Conference play with a Saturday-Sunday series against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish.
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.