It’s been a season of ups and downs so far for Penn State men’s ice hockey, but going into the Christmas break, the Nittany Lions have positioned themselves well for the second half of the season.
After a thrilling 5-4 overtime win in Madison, Wisconsin on Dec. 11 to defeat Wisconsin, Penn State improved to 11-8 on the season with a 3-7 record so far in Big Ten play.
Non-conference play has fared incredibly well so far for the Nittany Lions, going 8-1 in those games, including a 6-4 upset of then-No. 6 North Dakota in Nashville on Oct. 30.
Penn State is among the leaders in the Big Ten with 3.4 goals per game, a 21.9 percent power play conversion rate, 38.2 shots per game and a 51.5 faceoff percentage this season.
While the overall shot percentage for the team is low, the sheer number of shots is a positive thing that shows aggression toward the net and it has amounted to 65 goals so far.
Junior forwards Connor MacEachern and Kevin Wall are tied for the team lead with 17 points each and 11 goals, while senior forward Ben Copeland and sophomore forward Jimmy Dowd Jr. are tied for the team lead in assists, both with 11.
Six Nittany Lions players have 10+ points on the season, which is a fantastic dispersion of production so far. Another four are within two points of hitting the double-digit points mark on the year.
On the goalie side of things, senior starter Oskar Autio is 8-6 with a 2.73 goals against average and .901 save percentage and sophomore backup Liam Souliere is 3-2 with a 3.20 GAA and .890 save percentage.
The biggest thing for the second half of the season is bouncing back in conference play. If the Nittany Lions want to play in the NCAA Tournament, success against Big Ten opponents will help them get there.
Penn State returns to the ice on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day against the University of Maine.
--------------------------------------------------------------
• Subscribe to our YouTube Channel
• Talk about it inside The Wrestling Room Board
