Penn State Hockey to enter Big Ten play against Wisconsin this week
No. 16 Penn State Hockey is going into its first conference game undefeated. While its out of conference record remains impressive, there is nothing like conference play.
“Everything's a little more jacked up with a better team,” coach Guy Gadowsky said. “Everything's a little bit tougher, faster and louder.”
Wisconsin started the season with a tough schedule and is currently 2-4-0. The Badgers started their season off with a Big Ten matchup against Ohio State, with two very close losses, that included letting go of a 3-0 lead in Game 2.
They then played St. Cloud State, who is currently ranked second, losing both of those games as well.
This past weekend they pulled off a stunning upset sweeping Minnesota Duluth. With the Badgers coming off hot the Nittany Lions are going to have a tough fight.
Wisconsin is led by Corson Ceulemans and Mathieu De St. Phalle. Each of them lead the Badgers with five points. Freshman Cruz Lucius leads the team with three goals. Furthermore, Brock Caufield (two goals, two assists) and Jack Gorniak (two goals, two assists) are other weapons that the Badgers bring.
Last season Penn State went 3-1 against the Badgers. In the series that took place in Madison, the Nittany Lions lost their first game, but came out with an overtime win in their second contest. In the second series in University Park, Penn State swept the Badgers, 4-1 and 7-2.
When facing the Badgers, Penn State goaltender Liam Souliere has a 1-1-0 record including a 40 save outing where he only let in one goal in a 4-1 victory. Souliere is currently 4-0 in the 2022-2023 season with a .920 save percentage.
The Badgers also have a veteran netminder, Jared Moe who has a 2-3-0 record this season and the a .923 save percentage landing him third in the Big Ten and 18th nationally.
The Nittany Lions are leading the nation with 5.2 goals per game and 31 overall this season. Getting goals quickly will be the key to their success, they went 16-4-1 in the 2021-2022 season when they scored first.
“We talk a lot about playing fast, getting pucks behind the defensemen, not getting caught on the forecheck and quick transitioning pucks,” Simon Mack said. “That's how we like to play. That's how we need to win."