Trending
UNIVERSITY PARK --- The fifth-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions return home after four-straight road games to open Big Ten play as they welcome No. 2 Michigan to Hockey Valley for a crucial conference clash on Friday and Saturday evening.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Dates: Friday, November 14 | Saturday, November 15
Place: Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa.
Tickets: Friday | Saturday
Time: 7 p.m. | 6 p.m.
Listen: LionVision
THIS WEEK'S MATCHUP
This week marks the 53rd and 54th meetings all-time between the two programs with Michigan holding the 31-20-1 edge in the series including the slim 12-10-1 mark at Pegula Ice Arena after sweeping the series last season in Hockey Valley. Michigan is 6-2-0 in games played at Pegula Ice Arena since the start of the 2021-22 season.
The Wolverines won the season series last year with a 3-1-0 record taking nine of 12 possible points, however, the Nittany Lions swept Michigan out of the Big Ten Tournament at Yost in the Big Ten Quarterfinals last March. Penn State leapt Michigan in the Pairwise rankings following that sweep essentially locking up an NCAA Tournament berth and forcing the Wolverines out.
The Penn State junior class has had insane success in their young careers against Michigan as Aiden Fink is averaging 2.00 points per game in 10 career games against the Wolverines with 10 goals and 10 assists while Reese Laubach is just shy averaging 1.55 points per game with seven goals and seven assists for 14 points in nine games. Matt DiMarsico has added four goals and seven assists for 11 points and Dane Dowiak has four goals and two assists for six points in nine games against the Wolverines.
As a group the class has 25 goals and 26 assists for 51 points in 10 career games against Michigan averaging 2.50 goals and 5.10 points per game against the Wolverines.
Both Charlie Cerrato (4-6–10) and JJ Wiebusch (6-4–10) each tallied 10 points in six games against the Wolverines last year with Wiebusch netting the first-ever postseason hat-trick in Penn State history in the opening game of the B1G Quarterfinals.
As a line with DiMarsico the B-T-B Boys combined for 13 goals and 12 assists for 25 points in the six games against Michigan averaging 2.17 goals and 4.17 points per game.
THE YOUTH OF COLLEGE HOCKEY
Six of the seven programs in the Big Ten are ranked among the 20 youngest teams in the nation.
Penn State is the fourth youngest team in the Big Ten and 13th youngest in the nation this season with an average age of 21 years and eight months while Michigan is the youngest team in the Big Ten and second youngest nationally with an average age of just 20 years and nine months.
SCOUTING MICHIGAN
The Wolverines enter the weekend coming off a split against No. 7 Wisconsin and sit at 10-2-0 overall, 3-1-0 in the Big Ten and ranked No. 2 in the polls.
Despite being the second-youngest team in the country this season, the Wolverines boast a balanced roster. It's nearly an even split between returners (13) & newcomers (14), and the returners are evenly distributed between seniors (5), juniors (5), and sophomores (6).
Michigan is the highest scoring team in the nation averaging 5.10 goals per game with 61 goals over its first 12 games of the season. The Wolverines are also only allowing 2.2 goals per game to rank just fourth in the Big Ten, but 11th nationally. Their 2.90 goal differential is just behind the 3.00 differential for Dartmouth, however, The Big Green have only played four games so far this season.
The special teams have also been exceptional, as the power-play unit is second-best in the country with a 34.6 percent (18-for-52) success rate while the penalty kill has largely been stout allowing just nine goals in 46 chances (80.4 percent) a mark good for middle of the pack nationally, however, the PK unit leads the nation with six shorthanded tallies.
Michigan's forward corps features college hockey's active career scoring leader in captain TJ Hughes whose 138 points are the most among active players. Hughes has contributed 16 points on five goals and 11 assists so far this season. Sophomore Michael Hage leads the team and ranks third in the Big Ten with 17 points on eight goals and nine assists, fourth in the nation in scoring. Other returners include Will Horcoff who is tied with Wiebusch for the national lead in goals with 11, and the co-leader in shorthanded goals with two, Josh Eernisse (5G, 4A).
Between the pipes freshman Jack Ivankovic leads the nation in wins and saves, having allowed just 25
goals through his first 12 games to boast strong numbers with a .911 save percentage and a 2.09 goals-against average.
Michigan has two first-round draft picks on this year's team (Michael Hage & Will Horcoff) out of just 17 across all of college hockey. U-M is one of five programs that can claim multiple first-round selections; this marks the ninth straight year that U-M has had at least one first-rounder rostered. In total, 13 of Michigan's skaters have been selected in the NHL Draft (compared to just seven last season).
TEDDY BEAR TOSS SATURDAY
Fans attending Saturday night's contest are encouraged to bring a new or slightly used stuffed animal to the game to toss onto the ice during the first intermission as part of our annual Teddy Bear Toss. All stuffed animals thrown on the ice will be collected and donated to THON and other local businesses to help children in need.
2025-26 AUDIO BROADCASTS
Audio broadcasts for all Penn State hockey games for the 2025-26 season are available on the Penn State Sports Network via radio affiliates and streaming on GoPSUsports.com.
Former Nittany Lion goaltender Chris Funkey and 2017-18 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year Trevor Hamilton will join play-by-play broadcaster Brian Tripp for most games throughout the season.
Funkey will be Tripp's broadcast partner this week with pregame coverage beginning 20 minutes prior to puck drop each night.
WHITEHORSE WIZARD
Freshman Gavin McKenna continues to pace the Big Ten for rookie scoring and is tied with Maine's Justin Poirer for the national freshman lead with 14 points.
McKenna scored Penn State's lone goal last weekend against MSU giving him four on the season to go along with 10 assists, the most among freshman nationally.
Overall, the freshman's 14 points are good for seventh in the Big Ten and tied for 16th nationally.
As a team Penn State has four of the top seven scorers in the Big Ten while each of the top-nine scorers will be represented this weekend In Hockey Valley between the Nittany Lions and Wolverines.
BLUE-LINE BEAUTY
Freshman Jackson Smith has impressed through the first month of his collegiate career with eight points in 10 games to rank fifth in the Big Ten for defensemen scoring and tied for 10th in the nation. Smith has two goals to go along with six assists on the year.
TENDER TANDEM
Both goaltenders, sophomore Kevin Reidler and freshman Josh Fleming, have impressed between the pipes so far this season posting a combined 2.73 goals-against average and a .918 save percentage. The .918 save percentage is good for fourth in the Big Ten and 15th in the nation.
Fleming's .932 save percentage is good for second in the B1G and tied for 14th nationally.
LEADERS OF THE PACK
Sophomore classmates JJ Wiebusch and Charlie Cerrato lead the Big Ten and are tied for third in the nation in scoring with 18 points through the first 12 games of the season.
Wiebusch is also tied for the national lead with 11 goals while adding seven assists for his 18 points. The sophomore is also tied for the Big Ten and national leads with six powerplay goals and three game-winning tallies to his credit through 12 games this season.
His 11 career powerplay tallies are tied with Dylan Richard '17 for the eighth-most all-time at Penn State while his six this season are currently tied for the third-most in a single-season at Penn State and just two shy of Aiden Fink's single-season record of eight achieved each of the past two seasons.
Cerrato's 18 points come off four goals and 14 assists, which are the most nationally.
The third member of that line is junior Matt DiMarsico who has added eight goals and seven assists for 15 points, a mark good for sixth in the Big Ten and tied for ninth in the nation while his eight goals are tied for third in the Big Ten and sixth nationally.
The three have combined for 51 points on 23 goals and 28 assists through the opening 12 games this season averaging 1.92 goals and 4.25 points per game even after being held off the statsheet last weekend.
Dating back to the end of last season, the trio has now been held off the score sheet just three times over the last 21 games.
Going all the way back to January that trio has skated in 36 games together registering 55 goals and 69 assists for 124 points.
NEXT UP
Penn State hits the road to close out the first semester of play with a trip to Minneapolis to battle the Golden Gophers at Mariucci next Friday and Saturday.