Michigan
Penn State
Michigan Set for 'Super Saturday' Showdown with Penn State in NYC
1/26/2019 1:15:00 PM | Ice Hockey
THIS WEEK
Saturday, Jan. 26 -- vs. Penn State (New York, N.Y.), 7 p.m.
Live Stats | Listen | Watch | TV: Big Ten Network
• Social Media: Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Vimeo
The University of Michigan ice hockey team (9-9-6, 5-5-4-2 Big Ten) will take on No. 15-ranked Penn State (13-10-2, 5-9-1-1 Big Ten) on Saturday night (Jan. 26) at Madison Square Garden (New York, N.Y.) in the annual Big Ten Super Saturday. Puck drop is scheduled for 7 p.m., and the game will be broadcast live on Big Ten Network.
The Penn State Series
Michigan and Penn State will meet for the 27th time in program history, with U-M holding a 15-11Â record in the all-time series with the Nittany Lions. The teams faced off against one another at Madison Square Garden once before, Jan. 30, 2016, when Michigan defeated Penn State, 6-3, in a Big Ten Super Saturday matchup. With Michigan's win on Thursday (Jan. 24), the Wolverines have now defeated the Nittany Lions at Yost Ice Arena in the last eight contests, which dates back to the 2014-15 season.
The first game of this series went in U-M's favor, with Michigan taking a 5-1 win on Thursday (Jan. 24) at Yost. Michigan took a commanding lead in the second period, scoring four unanswered goals (three came in a span 52 seconds). The Wolverines allowed one Penn State goal in the third period and tacked on an empty-netter to seal the win. Goalie Hayden Lavigne turned away 37 of the 38 shots he faced and helped hold Penn State's high-scoring offense at bay.
Scouting the Nittany Lions
Penn State is led by head coach Guy Gadowsky, who is in his seventh season at the helm, in his 20th overall season as an NCAA Division I head coach. Gadowsky has led the Nittany Lions to two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. In the 2016-17 season, he led PSU program to its most successful season, compiling a record of 25-12-2 and winning the 2017 Big Ten Tournament. Prior to his stint at Penn State, Gadowsky was the bench boss at Princeton (2004-11) and Alaska-Fairbanks (1999-2004).
Penn State enters the game tied for seventh in the Big Ten standings with a 5-9-11 record (13-10-2 overall). The Nittany Lions came into the weekend after dropping a pair of games to Ohio State last weekend (Jan. 18-19) in State College, Pennsylvania.
Leading Penn State
Penn State is led by sophomore forward Evan Barratt, who leads the team with 14 goals and 32 points. His classmate, Alex Limoges, holds the team lead in assists (20) and is second on the team in points with 31.
In net, junior Peyton Jones has played in 18 games, sporting a 3.50 goals-against average and .896 save percentage to go with his 9-7-2 season record. Senior, Chris Funkey has played in six games, recording a 3.72 goals-against average and .876 save percentage to match his 4-1-0 season record.
Empire State of Mind
Saturday night's game at Madison Square Garden will mark Michigan's third trip to MSG, with the first being a 5-1 loss to Cornell in 2012, and the second in 2016, when Michigan defeated Penn State, 6-3.
Creating Chances
Michigan has taken 888 shots on goal which is the second most in the country behind Penn State (982). U-M ranks second behind the Nittany Lions (39.28) with a 37.00 shots-on-goal per game average. The Maize and Blue are outshooting opponents by an average of 9.33 shots per game and have taken 224 more shots than they have allowed, the fifth-best margin in the country.
Up Ahead
Friday, Feb. 1 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn ), 7 p.m. CST
Saturday, Feb. 2 -- at Minnesota (Minneapolis, Minn ), 7 p.m. CST
