No. 18 Men's Hockey Hosts Wisconsin to Open Six-Game Homestand
Coming off a bye week the Penn State Nittany Lions resume Big Ten play as they welcome the Wisconsin Badgers for a pair of contests at Pegula Ice Arena to begin a stretch of six-straight home games in a 13-day span.
No. 18 Penn State vs. Wisconsin
4-3-0 | 0-2-0 B1G
2-8-0 | 1-5-0 B1G
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Coming off a bye week the Penn State Nittany Lions resume Big Ten play as they welcome the Wisconsin Badgers for a pair of contests at Pegula Ice Arena to begin a stretch of six-straight home games in a 13-day span.
Follow the Action
With Brian Tripp on the road with football, former Nittany Lion goaltender Chris Funkey '19 makes his return to the broadcast booth to provide color commentary for both games this weekend with Eric Ohlson sliding over to cover play-by-play duties.
Dates: Friday, November 15 | Saturday, November 16
Place: University Park, Pa.
Time: 7 p.m. | 7:30 p.m.
Series Breakdown
THIS WEEK’S MATCHUP
- This weekend marks the 54th and 55th meetings all-time between Penn State and Wisconsin as the Badgers are the most common opponent for the Nittany Lions in the first 12 years of the program.
- Penn State holds the 27-23-3 advantage including a 15-9-1 mark at Pegula Ice Arena, however, Wisconsin swept the season series last year taking 11 of 12 possible conference points while outscoring the Nittany Lions 19-6 for the year. Penn State had won the season series each of the prior two years heading into the 2023-24 season winning six of the previous eight contests following a heartbreaking overtime loss in the 2021 Big Ten semifinals. Those six wins came in succession from December 2021 through February 2023, but the Badgers enter the series this weekend riding a five-game winning streak against the Nittany Lions.
- Friday night’s game will serve as Throwback Night as Penn State will unveil a retro alternate uniform honoring the history of ice hockey on campus in University Park and celebrating the different eras of Hockey Valley.
- Saturday night’s contest will feature the annual Teddy Bear Toss, sponsored by Topline Heating & Air, during the first intermission. Fans are encouraged to bring new or gently used stuffed animals and toss them on the ice to be donated to THON and other children’s charities.
- Senior Danny Dzhaniyev leads Penn State with eight points on three goals and five assists in 12 career games against the Badgers while Ben Schoen returns to feast as he was averaging a point per game against Wisconsin with three goals and three assists in six games before being sidelined with his injury. Schoen has missed the last six games against the Badgers.
- This weekend pits two of the winningest coaches of all-time against each other as Guy Gadowsky sits 12th among active coaches and 35th all-time with 386 wins while Wisconsin’s Mike Hastings ranks 14th among active coaches and 45th all-time with 327 victories. Hastings is the active leader in win percentage as he leads his team to victory 70.5 percent of the time, a mark good for the fourth best winning percentage all-time. Gadowsky is just one win shy of tying longtime Michigan State and Michigan Tech Bench Boss, Amo Bessone for 34th all-time and is just four wins shy of former Minnesota head man Doug Woog (390) for 33rd.
- Penn State (21 years, 9 months) is the 3rd-youngest team in the Big Ten and 12th nationally while Wisconsin (22 years, 1 month) is the oldest team in the conference ranking 24th in the nation.
SCOUTING WISCONSIN
- The Badgers had their winningest season in recent memory in 2023-24 going 26-12-2 and reaching the NCAA Tournament before bowing out to Quinnipiac in the first round. So far this season, Wisconsin is just 2-8-0 with a 1-5-0 conference record.
- The Badgers are without three of its top-5 leading scorers from last season including each of the top two in Cruz Lucius and David Silye while leading goal scorer Carson Bantle also graduated. Bantle had 14 goals a season ago while Lucius had 13 and a team-best 34 points. Silye led the team with 23 assists and was second with 32 points.
- Simon Tassy is the leading returning point getter for the Badgers as he ranked third on the team with 12 goals and 28 points a season ago, however, through the first 10 games of 2024-25, Tassy has just one goal and three points as just eight different Badgers have found the back of the net through 10 games.
- Quinn Finley leads those eight players with seven goals, three on the powerplay, to rank tied for the conference lead while ranking third nationally. His team-leading 10 points are tied for seventh in the Big Ten entering the weekend. Finley scored in both games last weekend against Minnesota and had a three-game goal scoring stretch during the middle of October. Finley finished his freshman campaign last season with 10 goals and six assists for 16 points.
- The Badgers are also without the services of the 2024 Mike Richter Award winner, Kyle McClellan, between the pipes as returning sophomore William Gramme and RIT transfer Tommy Scarfone have split time evenly so far this season starting five games apiece. Gramme started each game last weekend against Minnesota after Scarfone played both games against Notre Dame the week before. The prior three series saw the two split time with Scarfone starting the opener and Gramme playing the finale.
- Both Gramme and Scarfone have similar numbers through 10 games this season each collecting one win with Gramme having a slightly better .886 save percentage to Scarfone’s .885, but the latter boasts a stronger goals-against average of 2.59 compared to Gramme’s 3.17.
- Specialty teams have been among their struggles this season as the Badgers rank last in the Big Ten and 50th out of 64 teams nationally on the penalty kill at 74.1 percent (20-for-27) while the powerplay has fared slightly better converting seven times on 37 chances (18.9 percent) to rank third in the conference, but only middle of the pack nationally. The Badgers had a string of four-straight games with a man-advantage tally snapped last Saturday against Minnesota.
NOT TOO BAD, A?
During the bye week, Penn State head coach Guy Gadowksy announced an addition to the leadership group as senior Danny Dzhaniyev was presented with a letter on his sweater as he will serve as an alternate captain for the remainder of the season joining fellow alternates Jimmy Dowd Jr. and Carson Dyck along with captain Simon Mack.
Letter on the sweater for Danny 🫡 #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/asaHn1PNpR
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) November 14, 2024
POSITIVE ON THE PK
Penn State leads the Big Ten and ranks third in the nation on the penalty kill this season killing off 96.9 percent (31-for-32) of opponent powerplay opportunities including a 28-for-28 streak to open the year prior to a Jimmy Snuggerud net front tip a few weeks ago.
The Nittany Lions have also scored three shorthanded goals to tie for the Big Ten lead and rank second in the country behind UConn’s four. Penn State is a +2 on the PK this season, one of just two teams in the country positive while a skating a man down, BC is +1 with one shorthanded goal and a perfect 100 percent penalty kill.
PSU had just one shorty last season and two in 2022-23. The program record for shorthanded tallies is 12 achieved in 2015-16.
CAPTAIN CONSISTENCY
Senior captain Simon Mack has been one of the most consistent players for Guy Gadowsky during his tenure in Hockey Valley and this year he currently leads all Nittany Lion blueliners with five points, with one goal and four assists, a mark good for third on the team.
Mack’s nine career goals ties for ninth all-time for Penn State defensemen while his 31 assists and 40 points are each just two shy of cracking into the top-10 all-time for Penn State blueliners.
Along with his defensive partner, freshman Cade Christenson, the duo is plus-9 on the season with Christenson leading the team at plus-5 and Mack tied for second with Aiden Fink at plus-4. Fink’s plus-4 rating is the best mark among Penn State forwards.
MEET US AT THE DOT
Penn State ranks second in the Big Ten and 11th nationally winning 55.1 percent of its faceoffs for the year behind only Wisconsin in the conference as the Badgers rank ninth in the nation winning 55.3 percent of its draws.
A pair of freshmen lead the way for the Nittany Lions as Keaton Peters ranks second in the Big Ten among true centermen winning 61.1 percent (58-for-95) of his draws while Charlie Cerrato sits fourth in the Big Ten at 60.6 percent (57-for-94).
Wisconsin’s Owen Lindmark leads the conference at 67.6 percent (96-for-142).
DOMINANT D-FENCE
Penn State has started the year strong on the defensive side of the puck allowing just 13 goals over the first seven games to rank third in the Big Ten and 14th nationally averaging 1.86 goals against per game.
The Nittany Lions have yet to allow more than three goals in a game this season and have allowed fewer than three in four contests through the first month of the year.
Penn State is also leading the Big Ten and tied for eighth in the nation allowing just 24.4 shots per game including just 12 two weeks ago against a Minnesota Gopher team who led the nation at the time averaging just under 40 shots per game and currently ranks second in the Big Ten and third nationally averaging 35.7 shots per game.
The 12 shots in a game ties a Penn State record for fewest shots allowed set against AIC on October 20, 2023, and it marks the fewest shots ever allowed by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game.
ARSI’S ON IT
Junior goaltender Arsenii Sergeev has played every minute between the pipes for PSU so far in his first season in Hockey Valley and is currently sixth in the Big Ten and tied for 16th in the nation with a 1.71 goals-against average, however, he ranks tied for second in the conference and seventh in the nation among goaltenders with at least seven games played.
Sergeev’s .929 save percentage places him sixth in the Big Ten and 21st nationally while ranking third in the B1G and 10th in the nation among goalies with seven or more games played.
Sergeev is the only Big Ten goaltender to play every minute of every game, aside from times where the net was empty, for his team through the first month and a half of the season.
PARKING & TRAFFIC
General parking for men's hockey games is located in the Stadium West and Jordan East parking lots across University Drive from Pegula Ice Arena.
Parking for all athletic events requires a valid university permit or payment of an applicable parking fee. Parking can be purchased in advance (by 11:59 p.m. the day prior to each game) at a discounted rate of $5.50 using Park Mobile. Or can be purchased on game day for $10.
PARKING IMPACTS FOR SATURDAY, November 16
Pre-paid parking via ParkMobileis required to park at the Stadium West, Jordan East, and Porter North parking lots near Pegula Ice Arena .
In the event any of the above lots reach capacity, please follow signage and event parking staff instructions to an available parking area.
Be aware of fraudulent parking permits being sold by third party resellers. Parking can only be purchased directly from parkmobile.io. If your license plate does not match what is listed on the permit, you have purchased a fraudulent permit, and you should return it and purchase parking directly from psu.parkmobile.io.
Day-of parking will only be available at the East and Nittany decks for $10.
Penn State permits will be valid at all event lots.
For questions related to parking, please contact Transportation Services at 814-865-1436 or email parking@psu.edu.
NEW THIS SEASON AT PEGULA ICE ARENA
Starting this season, fans will have the opportunity to purchase alcohol throughout the arena. Valid photo ID will be needed to purchase. Alcohol will be available to purchase at concession stands, portable stands and in premium areas.
Pegula Ice Arena is now a cashless venue.
NEXT UP
Penn State remains home for the second of three-straight home series as the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines visit Hockey Valley next Friday and Saturday.
For more information on the 2024-25 season, visit the men's hockey ticket page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.
Follow the Nittany Lions
Visit GoPSUSports.com for more information on Penn State men's ice hockey. Fans can keep up to date with all things Hockey Valley on X and Instagram @PennStateMHKY, in addition to the team’s Facebook page at facebook.com/pennstatemenshockey.