Michigan Returns Home to Host No. 6 Penn State, ALS Awareness Game

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PROMOTIONS
• Dec. 6: ALS Awareness Game, Ice ALS Rally Towel Giveaway
• Dec. 7: Winter Clothing Drive, Chuck-A-Puck, Santa Appearance
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The University of Michigan ice hockey team (5-9-2, 1-6-1-0 Big Ten) will return home after a five-game road swing to host No. 6-ranked Penn State (11-4, 6-2 Big Ten) in a pair of games at Yost Ice Arena. Friday night's (Dec. 6) ALS Awareness Game will be broadcast live on FS1 at 8:30 p.m., while Saturday's (Dec. 7) 7:30 p.m. game will be streamed live on BTN Plus with a night of prizes available for fans.

The Series

Michigan and Penn State will meet for the 28th time since the Nittany Lions joined the Big Ten for the 2013-14 season, with U-M holding a 15-12 advantage in the young rivalry. The two teams first met in February 2014 when Michigan traveled to State College, Pennsylvania, for their first trip as conference opponents. Michigan opened with a decisive 7-1 victory on the opener before falling to the young Nittany Lions, 4-0, on the following day. The teams last met in January when the Wolverines secured a win at Yost Ice Arena before falling to PSU at Madison Square Garden in the B1G Super Saturday.

Scouting the Nittany Lions

Penn State enters the weekend series ranked sixth in the nation coming off a split out east. The Lions easily won Friday's (Nov. 29) game at Merrimack before dropping Saturday's (Nov. 30) contest in overtime at UMass-Lowell.

PSU is led in scoring this season by senior Nate Sucese, who has 21 points (seven goals, 14 assists) in 15 games. Sam Sternschein is pacing the team in goal-scoring with nine on the year, while Chicago Blackhawks draft pick Evan Barratt leads Penn State in helpers with 15. Other leading contributors to the high-octane Nittany Lion offense up front include Alex Limoges, Brandon Biro, Liam Folkes and Denis Smirnov, along with help from Cole Hults and Minnesota transfer Clayton Phillips on the back end.

In net, senior Peyton Jones has played in 13 games, sporting a 2.40 goals-against average, .920 save percentage and a 10-3-0 record. Sophomore Oskar Autio, younger brother of former Nittany Lion defenseman Erik Autio, has played in two games and posted a 2.03 GAA with an .897 save percentage.

Wolverine Bites

Michigan split this past weekend at Wisconsin, falling 3-2 in Game 1 before a 3-1 win in Game 2. Senior Jake Slaker paced the offense with one goal and two assists, while senior Will Lockwood, junior Luke Morgan and sophomore defenseman Nick Blankenburg each had two-point weekends.

The Wolverine special teams accounted for four of the team's first goals with the power-play unit going 2-for-3 on Saturday (Nov. 30). The squad scored its first short-handed goal of the season on Sunday (Dec. 1) followed by a rare power-play empty-net goal.

Sophomore Strauss Mann is 5-8-2 on the season with a .927 save percentage, 15th in the nation, and a 2.13 goals-against average.

Freshman Johnny Beecher sits atop the scoring column with eight points, scoring four goals and four assists. He is followed by fellow rookie Cam York's seven points (three goals, four assists). Both are first round NHL draft picks.

Up Next

Monday, Dec. 30 -- vs. Ferris State - Great Lakes Invitational (Detroit, Mich.), 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 31 -- vs. Michigan State or Michigan Tech - Great Lakes Invitational (Detroit, Mich.), 11:30 a.m. or 2:30 p.m.