The Nittany Lions hockey team is looking optimistic coming off their bye week. After their strong showing against a struggling Michigan team at Madison Square Garden two weeks ago, Coach Guy Gadowski and his players are looking to finish the season strong enough to prepare for the Big Ten Tournament and hopefully earn a bid to the NCAA Hockey Tournament.
The Nittany Lions have been inconsistent at best this season with a 14-10-2 record and a conference record of 6-9-1. It has become a trend for the Lions to split their usual weekend series against their opponents. But the boys seem to feel very confident going to this weekend’s matchup against the Minnesota Golden Gophers here at Pegula.
This is the time of the season where every win matters for a chance at post-season play. A win over 3rd place Minnesota would be a great start. The Lions have had decent performances in the last two years with A Big Ten Tournament Championship just four years after the Division 1 program began playing in 2012.
Last season, the Nittany Lions went undefeated against the Gophers with a wonderful Thanksgiving series and a huge win in the Big Ten tournament. Both teams don’t have the strongest records currently, but they each have strong goaltending and are offensively stacked.
Bright spots for the Nittany Lions have come from individual performances throughout the current season, though the team as a whole hasn’t been performing to expectations due to how poor the defense has played. Goaltender Peyton Jones has a .899 save percentage so far this season but is playing very well. The poor defensive play has left him time and time again out to dry due to the overwhelming amount of scoring chances and shots he has to face every game. Evan Barrett leads the team with 35 points as he hopes to continue building up his highlight reel for on-looking NHL scouts.
Courtesy of keystonesportsnetwork.com
The Pegula Ice Arena is a really amazing venue! The student section is exciting and loud every night and has a similar feel to being at a football game. So if you love hockey or just want something to fill your weekend with, it’s definitely a “must-see.”
Tickets are usually anywhere from $10-40 depending on how early you buy them, so if you have a few bucks to spare, you should definitely head up to the arena tomorrow or Saturday to see some quality college hockey.
For team stats, check this out.