THIS WEEK’S MATCHUP

• This weekend marks the 54th and 55th meetings all-time between Penn State and Ohio State with the Buckeyes being the second most common opponent all-time for the Nittany Lions behind Wisconsin.
• Ohio State holds the 27-22-4 edge, including the slim 10-8-2 mark in Hockey Valley, however, the Nittany Lions have won three of the last four meetings at Pegula Ice Arena including a sweep last season. Each of the past four games in Hockey Valley have been one-goal contests.
• Penn State enters the weekend unbeaten in six of its last seven games dating back to a 4-1 win over Army to close out the first semester of play while the Buckeyes are 6-2-0 in their last eight games dating back to the series sweep of the Nittany Lions in Columbus to open December.
• Ohio State swept the Nittany Lions in Columbus back in December after Penn State swept the Buckeyes last season earning all 12 points in the season series marking the first time ever the Nittany Lions even swept a series against Ohio State.
• The season sweep in 2023-24 marked just the third time in program history the Nittany Lions have won all four games of a season series against one opponent and the first time against the Buckeyes. It was the first time Penn State swept a season series since beating Michigan State all four games in 2016-17 with the other occurrence coming against Wisconsin during the 2014-15 campaign.
• Penn State has won nine of the last 15 games between the two schools dating back to the 2022 Big Ten Quarterfinals.
• Excluding empty net goals, 14 of the last 17 meetings between the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes have been one goal contests.
• Goaltender Arsenii Sergeev missed the series in Columbus with an injury, but does have one career start against Ohio State when he was a freshman at UConn. He outdueled Jakub Dobes stopping 28-of-29 shots he faced during a convincing 6-1 victory
• Graduate student Jimmy Dowd Jr. leads all Nittany Lions with 14 points in his career against the Buckeyes scoring three goals while adding 11 assists in 22 career games.
• Senior Danny Dzhaniyev and graduate student Tyler Paquette have each scored four goals against Ohio State to pace the Nittany Lions while Dylan Lugris and Aiden Fink have each added three goals and a pair of assists for five points.

SCOUTING OHIO STATE

• The Buckeyes come into the weekend after a bye week and as winners of six of their last eight dating back to a series sweep against Penn State in Columbus to open December. Ohio State is ranked No. 9/8 in the respective polls heading into the series marking the seventh and eighth meetings for Penn State against a top-10 team this season. The Nittany Lions are 0-5-1 in the previous six.
• Ohio State is paced offensively by Northeastern transfer Gunnarwolfe Fontaine. Fontaine enters the weekend riding an eight-game point streak with goals in five of those games including three-straight. Fontaine leads the team with 24 points this season on a team-best 11 goals to go along with 13 assists. His 11 goals are tied for sixth in the Big Ten while his six powerplay tallies are tied for the third most in the conference and seventh nationally.
• Max Montes has added nine goals for the Buckeyes while both Riley Thompson and Davis Burnisde have chipped in with eight as 18 different players have registered at least one goal for a team averaging 3.18 goals per game ranking fourth in the Big Ten and tied for 16th nationally.
• At the beginning of the season the Buckeyes had Kristoffer Eberly and Logan Terness splitting time between the pipes, however, dating back to the series against Penn State in Columbus, Eberly has started seven of the last eight games posting a 6-1-0 record in those seven. Overall Eberly is 11-2-0 this season with a .929 save percentage and a 1.80 goals-against average ranking third in the Big Ten and 13th in the nation in save percentage and second in the conference and eighth nationally in GAA. Eberly has allowed three or more goals in just three games this season, however, two have come in the last three games including five two weeks ago against Minnesota in just 33:55 of game action.
• Ohio State’s man-advantage is converting at 21.5 percent (17-for-79) a mark that sits just sixth in the Big Ten, but ranks 24th nationally. The penalty kill unit on the other hand has struggled killing off just 77.8 percent of opponent powerplays ranking fifth in the Big Ten and 42nd nationally.
• The Buckeye defense has been very stingy all year long allowing just 2.18 goals per game to rank third in the Big Ten and ninth in the nation.