Weekend Preview: Penn State hockey set for difficult road series against Wisconsin

Life in the Big Ten conference is never easy, but the Penn State hockey team is in the midst of a brutal stretch that sees them getting set to take on their fourth straight ranked conference opponent. Out of the eight games against ranked Big Ten foes dating back to November 10, only two of them have been on home ice. The Nittany Lions (9-5-3, 2-3-3 B1G) have handled it well, picking up at least a tie in every series. But arguably their toughest test awaits at the Kohl Center in Madison, WI this weekend. They get ready to face the Wisconsin Badgers, the highest ranked team in the Big Ten in both the USCHO.com poll and the Pairwise at No. 6 in both rankings. They also sit just one point behind Michigan State in the conference standings. With Penn State only seven points behind the Badgers and a chance at quality road wins, this is the biggest series to date for the Nittany Lions.

Series Preview: Wisconsin Badgers (12-3-0, 6-2-0 BIG)

All-Time Series History: 27-10-3 Penn State hockey leads

Last Played: February 25, 2023 (2-1 Wisconsin win)

There are few teams in college hockey that the Nittany Lions have had more success against then the Badgers. However, that is thrown out the window now. While Wisconsin is one of the more historically dominant programs in college hockey, with six national titles to their name, things haven’t been so great for them since the formation of the Big Ten conference. They only have two NCAA tournament appearances since the formation of the conference and are looking for their first winning season in a non-COVID year since 2017. 

What makes the Badgers so dangerous is what they did this offseason.  In March, they fired longtime head coach Tony Granato after a 105-129-16 record in seven years with the program. He was the first full-time head coach at Wisconsin to have a losing record for his career since 1935. His replacement came in the form of Mike Hastings from Minnesota State. Hastings ran a dominant program for the Mavericks since he got there in 2012, never winning more than 20 games and making the Frozen Four twice. While many expected it to take a few years for Hastings to have success, it has been immediate in Madison. The team is off to a hot start and has already been ranked No. 1 in the nation this season and looks like a true national title contender. 

The team is loaded with NHL draft picks, including a few who transferred from Minnesota State. There are 13 players on the roster who have already been selected to NHL teams. Their scoring attack is led by sophomore Cruz Lucius, a fourth-round pick of the Carolina Hurricanes. He has posted eight goals and six assists so far this season. He is complemented with long time Badgers Matthew De St. Phalle and Christian Fitzgerald. Some of their young talent is also blossoming and helping the offense. Sophomore defenseman Ben Dexheimer leads the team in assists with 11.

Where Wisconsin has really found success, this season has been in the net. Senior goaltender Kyle McClellan, a transfer from Mercyhurst, is putting up spectacular numbers. He has started all but one of the Badgers 16 games, posting an 11-4-0 record with a 1.74 GAA and a .934 SV%. Overall, the Badgers are only allowing 1.68 goals per game this season, the best mark in the country, this will be the best goaltender and defensive structure the Nittany Lions have faced to date and will be a tough challenge for a team that relies on offense to win games more so than its own defense. On special teams, Wisconsin excels on the penalty kill where their 89.83% kill rate is fifth best in the national. They are not so sharp on the power play where they only convert 17.65% of the time, 35th in the nation. 

Prediction

This is going to be a gut-check series for the Penn State hockey team, who have been able to get away with splitting series through the first half of the year. The Nittany Lion’s ability to score is one of the best in the nation, scoring an average of 3.94 goals per game, which ranks fifth nationally. This series will come down to goaltending and defense, where there is a major advantage for Wisconsin. Penn State’s ability to keep the puck out of its net has been shaky at best this year and it is hard to see that changing in a tough road environment. Wisconsin has already shown they can shut down other high-flying offenses, like Michigan and Minnesota, this year. I think Penn State is going to struggle in this series, fail to make a statement nationally, and put themselves further behind the eight ball in the national tournament picture. They get swept for the first time this year.

Prediction: Wisconsin sweeps