After sweeping the Wisconsin Badgers to start Big Ten play, the No. 13 Penn State Nittany Lions look to carry that momentum into one of their toughest challenges this season. The top ranked Michigan Wolverines come to Pegula Ice Arena to try and cool down the undefeated Lions.
Michigan went 4-0 against the Nittany Lions last year. The first two games at Pegula were blowouts. This series is going to be an offensive output. The Wolverines lead the nation with 5.2 goals per game and the Nittany Lions sit right behind them at 4.2 goals per game. The coaching staff feels that the scoring depth of Penn State will lead to success.
"I think we were a completely different team at that time," coach Guy Gadowsky said. "It's a process. It starts with the culture of the team and how we feel about each other and what we're doing off the ice."
Penn State swept Wisconsin in pretty convincing fashion, with wins of 2-1 and 4-0. Liam Souliere collected his first career shutout with 32 saves in Game 2. Souliere was also named the Big Ten Second Star of the Week. The junior goaltender leads the Big Ten with 1.50 goals-against average and a .945 save percentage.
He will be going up against fifth-year goaltender Erik Portillo, who was one of the best goalies in the conference last year. Solid goaltending is going to be critical in this series.
"The team has a better goaltending is going to have a big advantage," Gadowsky said. "I think was really nice to see the team defense that we played, but there were times where we did make mistakes and he showed up big."
The Nittany Lions were terrific on the defensive side of the puck against Wisconsin. Penn State blocked 21 shots and were 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
"We worked hard at improving our team defense," Gadowsky said. "It's been a bit of a process and we felt that this was our best weekend with a number of components."
Ashton Calder and Carter Schade both returned to the lineup after sustaining injuries against St. Thomas and Mercyhurst respectfully. Calder had a power-play goal, which ended a streak of 15 consecutive attempts without scoring a goal on the man-advantage.
"Not every power play was very good in Wisconsin, but there were a few that that gave us [looks] we wanted," Gadowsky said. "It looked good. It created tempo."
The Lions have gotten the majority of their offense from Ture Linden, Ryan Kirwan, Kevin Wall and Ben Schoen. However, it was the line of Christian Sarlo, Xander Lamppa and Tyler Paquette that led the charge in the series.
Lamppa had three points (one goal, two assists) and was excellent in the faceoff circle. Paquette had the game-winning goal in Game 1 and also tallied an assist.
"We all know our roles. We play hard and I think we all contribute to each other's games," Paquette said. "It is easy for me to play with them because [Sarlo and Lamppa] have really good minds."
Most people thought the Wolverines would take a step back because of what they lost. Their big three players from last year, Owen Power, Matty Beniers and Kent Johnson, all went to the NHL. However Luke Hughes, who was named Big Ten First Star of the Week, returning for his sophomore season was a big plus. Hughes, the fourth overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, currently has eight points (two goals, six assists).
Michigan has relied heavily on its underclassmen. Freshman Adam Fantilli currently leads the nation with 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) and is a projected top three pick in the 2023 NHL Draft. Rutger McGroarty is also having a strong start to his freshmen season with 10 points (four goals, six assists) along with defenseman Seamus Casey, who has nine points (three goals, six assists). Don't count out sophomore Mackie Samoskevich as well. He is second on the team with 12 points (six goals, six assists).
The Wolverines however will be without Frank Nazar, who underwent surgery due to a lower-body injury over the offseason. Nazar was drafted in the first round by the Chicago Blackhawks in 2022.
The program also went through managerial changes. Mel Pearson was fired over the summer due to allegations of creating a "toxic locker room culture". Interim head coach Brandon Naurato has fit into Pearson's position easily.
Michigan also has one of the best power plays in the nation. The Wolverines are 30% on the power play, which leads the conference and is fifth in the nation. However, they have coughed up nine power-play goals which is the most in the Big Ten.
Prediction: Michigan sweeps Penn State
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