Penn State (16-7-3 overall, 6-4-0-0 Big Ten) at Minnesota (13-12-6 overall, 8-2-0-0 Big Ten)
Game 26: Gophers vs. Penn State
Date: Friday, Feb. 5
Puck Drop: 7:03 p.m. CT
TV: Big Ten Network
Stream: BTN2Go, FOX Sports Go
Radio: 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network
Game 27: Gophers vs. Penn State (Hockey Day Minnesota 2016)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 6
Puck Drop: 4:05 p.m. CT
TV: FOX Sports North
Stream: BTN2Go, FOX Sports Go
Radio: 1500 ESPN, Gopher Radio Network
Inside the Matchup
It’s certainly not an old series with Penn State, but the Gophers hold an 8-2-0 all-time advantage.
The Big Ten rivals met earlier this year in State College with the Gophers earning the split; PSU took the opener 3-2 in OT and Minnesota responded with a 7-1 romping to close it out.
Justin Kloos has been hot for the Gophers lately, and could continue the trend against PSU. Kloos has six goals and ten points in his career against the Nittany Lions.
Coming into the game, the Nittany Lions, like the Gophers, are trying to right their season. PSU is losers of three straight, and gave up an average of six goals per game in that span.
Storyline Central
Last weekend against Michigan, the Nittany Lions could not keep the puck out of their own net. In the opener, the Wolverines dominated with a 7-4 victory. Saturday’s matchup wasn’t much better with Michigan winning, 6-3. John Petrolias of the Daily Collegian has a look at how PSU will try to shore up their porous defense.
Also from the Daily Collegian, Colin Piatt takes a look at Penn State’s freshmen making an impact this season.
Unfortunately for PSU, one of their top freshman, Andrew Sturtz, won’t be suiting up for the first game this weekend. Sturtz was suspended after a vicious flying hit to the head last weekend. It’ll be a big blow for the Nittany Lions as Sturtz leads the team with 13 goals. Chris Dilks of SBNation College Hockey has the latest on the suspension, as well as a couple looks at the hit itself.
Notes and Quotes
Don Lucia
On the series with the Nittany Lions:
“This is a big weekend with Penn State. They’re right behind us in the Big Ten standings. It’s an opportunity for us to put some distance between themselves and ourselves, put us in the best position come the end of the year.”
Vinni Lettieri
On Justin Kloos scoring goals in seven straight games:
“That’s big for us. The top two lines to need keep producing like they are. They’ve been impacting our team greatly the whole year. It’s my line and the fourth line that needs to definitely pick up our game and contribute to the wins because when we do that we’re a different team, we’re a lot better.”
On what’s holding his line back:
“We’re just not very consistent. Just us not bringing it every night or just not playing aggressive enough. We have to continue to get shots because you can’t score unless you shoot the puck. We have to continue to get more shots each period and just hopefully contribute to our team.”