The Big Ten, being one of the most competitive leagues in college hockey, is nothing new, and with that often comes a grueling conference slate, no matter who’s on the schedule. No. 8 Penn State is set to begin a gauntlet of Big Ten contests, facing three of the top five teams in the next trio of series.
The Nittany Lions start by traveling to Madison, Wisconsin, to face the No. 5 Badgers, set for an 8 p.m. puck drop Friday and an 8:30 p.m. puck drop Saturday, both hosted at the Kohl Center.
Scouting Wisconsin
This is the first time the two teams have met since the blue and white swept the Badgers in the midst of its red-hot second half last season.
Wisconsin has been exceeding expectations this season. After finishing with a 7-16-1 conference record last year and debuting at No. 20 in the preseason poll, third-year head coach Mike Hastings has led the Badgers to a consistent top-five spot since late November.
Freshman goaltender Daniel Hauser anchors Wisconsin, posting a .913 save percentage and a 2.10 goals against average in his inaugural season.
The Badgers’ offense is led by forwards Gavin Morrissey and Quinn Finley.
Morrissey paces Wisconsin with a point per game, tallying three goals and 18 assists on the year. The sophomore arrives off a monster first collegiate season, including being named a Hobey Baker Memorial Award fan vote nominee, a top-3 finalist for Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earning a spot on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team.
Finley, drafted No. 78 overall by the New York Islanders in 2022, sits in second place with 19 points this season.
This won’t be the first time the junior has seen a handful of Nittany Lions this year, as he was a part of the inaugural U.S. Collegiate Selects team that competed in the Spengler Cup back in December, led by Guy Gadowsky.
McKenna’s return
Penn State star freshman Gavin McKenna ended the first half of the season with 18 points, and while his 14 assists led all first-years nationally, his performance fell short of what many expected the projected No. 1 overall NHL pick this year to do.
Forward Gavin Mckenna (72) carries the puck at the Penn State men’s hockey game against Michigan in Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday, Nov. 15, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Nittany Lions beat the Wolverines 4-2.
Aayan Hamdani
McKenna spent the holiday break earning a bronze medal with Team Canada in the World Junior Championships, where his four goals and ten assists were good for second in the tournament scoring.
Since his return to the blue and white’s lineup, the Whitehorse, Yukon native logged six points in four games, and most recently recorded his first multi-goal game, potting two in the 6-3 win over Notre Dame on Saturday.
The forward’s newfound momentum earned him the Big Ten Third Star of the Week this week, after pacing all players nationally with five points over the weekend.
Injuries loom
Penn State has been hit with the injury bug early in its second half.
In last weekend’s first contest with Notre Dame, the Nittany Lions were forced to skate only 11 forwards after multiple skaters went down with injuries in the series prior. After defenseman Mac Gadowsky exited early after a hard hit, the blue and white entered without an extra skater for Saturday’s rematch.
Forward Charlie Cerrato (15) does a faceoff during the Penn State men’s hockey game against Michigan in Pegula Ice Arena on Friday, Nov. 14, 2025 in University Park, Pa. The Wolverines beat Nittany Lions 7-1.
Megan Miller
Charlie Cerrato has been the biggest hole in the blue and white’s roster, leading the team in points before his injury. Guy Gadowsky was hesitant to provide an update for this weekend’s series, labeling him as “doubtful”.
Mac Gadowsky, as well as forwards Shea Van Olm and Casey Aman, who were previously injured, are both still “day-to-day.”
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