Michigan Set to Open B1G Tournament Hosting No. 15 Penn State at Yost

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- The 2025 postseason gets underway this weekend as the No. 11-ranked and fourth seed University of Michigan ice hockey team (18-13-3) hosts No. 15-ranked and fifth seed Penn State (18-12-4) in a best-of-three Big Ten quarterfinal series at Yost Ice Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday (March 7) and Saturday (March 8). Sunday's (March 9) game, if necessary, is also scheduled for a 7 p.m. start. All three games will be streamed live on B1G+.

Notes

• Michigan went 3-1 against Penn State during the regular season, winning 6-5 and 10-6 in State College, Pa., in November. When the Nittany Lions visited Yost in late January, they took a 5-4 win on Friday before Michigan rebounded with a 7-3 win on Saturday. All-time, Michigan owns a 31-18-1 record in the 50 meetings played.

• Michigan and Penn State have met twice in the Big Ten Tournament, in 2014 and 2016. Penn State won the one-game quarterfinal in 2014, a 2-1 double-overtime game, and Michigan topped Penn State 7-2 in the 2016 semifinal. Both games were played in Saint Paul, Minn.

• This is the second season the Wolverines have been the fourth seed in the tournament. Michigan has competed in the Big Ten Championship game in the last three seasons, winning in 2022 and 2023 and falling in overtime in 2024.

• Head coach Brandon Naurato owns the best winning percentage in Big Ten Tournament history at 87.5 percent, going 7-1.

• The Wolverines are 18-13-3 on the season and sit 11th in the Pairwise Ratings. Offensively, U-M is led by junior T.J. Hughes, who has 36 points in 34 games this season, scoring a team-high 15 goals and a team-best 21 assists. Freshman Michael Hage has 33 points, including four game-winning goals. Evan Werner follows with 22 points, while Garrett Schifsky and defenseman Ethan Edwards have each reached the 20-point plateau.

• Penn State is 18-12-4 on the season and is led by Aiden Fink, who has 23 goals and 24 assists for 47 points. Freshman Charlie Cerrato has 31 points, followed by Reese Laubach with 29 and Danny Dzhaniyev with 28. Overall, the Nittany Lions have the ninth-best scoring offense in the NCAA, averaging 3.41 goals per game. After missing the start of the season with injury, Arsenii Sergeev is 15-7-4 with a .918 save percentage and a 2.57 goals-against average.

• In comparing special teams, Michigan's power-play unit ranks 11th nationally at 25 percent (28-for-112) and its penalty kill is at 81.7 percent. PSU's power play is 24th at 21.4 percent and its PK is at 79.4 percent.

• Michigan is 6-1-3 in overtime games, losing its first of the season last weekend at Ohio State. Jackson Hallum has scored two overtime game-winners, while Hage, Werner, Schifsky, and Edwards each have one.