Fresh off a Halloweekend sweep over Ohio State, No. 3 Penn State travels to East Lansing to take on No. 1 Michigan State. The Nittany Lions will be in a battle of two top five teams for the first time in program history. While Penn State’s 9-1 start has been bumpy at times, this is likely to be the first litmus test of where the team stands in the Big Ten.
Who: Michigan State Spartans
When: Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8
Where: Munn Ice Arena, East Lansing, MI
Times: 7pm (Friday), 4pm (Saturday)
TV: Big Ten Plus (both games)
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Matt DiMarsico-Charlie Cerrato-JJ Wiebusch
Gavin McKenna-Ben Schoen-Reese Laubach
Lev Katzin-Luke Misa-Shea Van Olm
Dane Dowiak-Nic Chin-DeGraves-Braedon Ford
Jackson Smith-Jarod Crespo
Nick Fascia-Mac Gadowsky
Carter Schade-Casey Aman
Josh Fleming
Kevin Reidler
Michigan State is coming off a bye week after starting the season 5-1. The Spartans dropped their season opener to New Hampshire but have been perfect since, including two road wins against a struggling- but uber-talented- Boston University. This weekend’s games mark the Spartans first home games since the opening series against New Hampshire.
Michigan State has 14 NHL Draft picks on its roster, by far the most of any team Penn State has faced this season. First-round selections Porter Martone (3 goals, 6 assists) and Charlie Stramel (3 goals, 3 assists) have had a strong start to the season. Tommi Mannisto leads the team with five goals so far. Thirteen different skaters have scored a goal for the Spartans, giving this roster a bevy of scoring options. Cayden Lindstrom is off to a bit of a slow start (1 goal, 1 assist), but like Gavin McKenna at Penn State, is likely to find his groove eventually. Michigan State is 10th in the NCAA in scoring (3.8 goals/game) and tied for 4th in shots on goal per game (38).
The Spartans boast a strong defense, led by senior Matt Basgall (2 goals, 3 assists). As a team, Michigan State allows only 23 shots on goal per game, good for 9th in the NCAA. Trey Augustine has been outstanding in his third season as the Spartans’ starting goaltender, posting a .923 save percentage and 1.78 GAA in his first five starts. Penn State has never scored more than three goals in a game against Augustine.
Michigan State is tied for 27th in the NCAA on the power play (21.1%) and tied for 20th on the penalty kill (83.3%). Penn State was able to crack open a tough Ohio State penalty kill last weekend, and the power play will need to stay hot for the Lions to win this series. Penn State (22.3 PIM/game) and Michigan State (20.2 PIM/game) are two of the three most penalized teams in the country. If trends hold, we will see plenty of man advantages for both teams.
Penn State’s 9-1 start has been more smoke and mirrors than I might like to admit. The depth scoring and defense have been inconsistent. Michigan State is certainly the team’s biggest test so far, and Munn Ice Arena is not an easy place to play. The defense will need to play its best games of the season for Penn State to win the series. Without Aiden Fink, the offense beyond the Cerrato line needs to pick up the pace.
As is often the case in hockey, goaltending will be the key. Arsenii Sergeev was able to steal two wins for Penn State in East Lansing last year. Josh Fleming and Kevin Reidler have been quietly solid in net for Penn State, but are they ready for this type of environment?
Michigan State 4-2, Penn State 4-3