{"id":455448,"date":"2026-02-12T10:06:14","date_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:06:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/455448\/"},"modified":"2026-02-12T10:06:14","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T10:06:14","slug":"penn-state-mens-hockey-heading-to-ann-arbor-with-we-want-our-payback-mentality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/455448\/","title":{"rendered":"Penn State Men’s Hockey Heading To Ann Arbor With ‘We Want Our Payback’ Mentality"},"content":{"rendered":"

Three months after a 7-1 loss to Michigan<\/a> sparked a players-only meeting, No. 6 Penn State men\u2019s hockey approaches its rematch with No. 2 Michigan believing it\u2019s not the same team from November.<\/p>\n

The Nittany Lions split the opening series at Pegula Ice Arena, responding the following night with a 4-2 win<\/a> that showed what the team could look like when playing from in front. Still, the Wolverines\u2019 blowout victory remains a point of reference. Now, with the regular season entering the final stretch, the setting shifts to Yost Arena with heavy stakes on the line.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we\u2019re a totally different team than we were in the fall,\u201d captain Dane Dowiak said. \u201cWe\u2019ve been taking from wins and losses \u2014 we\u2019ve been taking lessons that we have to implement in our game if we want to be successful.\u201d<\/p>\n

The task is clear against a Michigan team that leads the nation in scoring margin at +2.39 goals per game and ranks third nationally on the power play. For Penn State, this weekend isn\u2019t just about matching the Wolverines\u2019 offense, but proving the adjustments made since that November loss will hold up on the road.<\/p>\n

As of late, Penn State has focused on tightening details defensively rather than trying to go blow-for-blow with the nation\u2019s best offenses.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou learn things every weekend, win or lose,\u201d head coach Guy Gadowsky said. \u201cWe\u2019ve learned a couple things since January 5 from a defensive side of the puck that we really can improve. And this is a great opportunity to see if the work that we put in recently will stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Against a Michigan team that thrives on early momentum and special teams, Gadowsky stressed that the approach isn\u2019t about trading chances but staying disciplined for 60 minutes.<\/p>\n

The Wolverines\u2019 power play is a major factor entering the weekend. They move the puck quickly and capitalize on momentum swings, especially at home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019ve been consistent. The power play is excellent,\u201d Gadowsky said. \u201cIt\u2019s certainly a big part of any series, against Michigan, it seems to be even bigger. So there\u2019s two ways to handle that: to play disciplined hockey, which we plan to do. And also, you are going to have to kill [a penalty] eventually, so to be prepared.\u201d<\/p>\n

At Yost Arena, the student section sits directly behind the visiting bench, creating an environment built to disrupt teams.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey like to chirp at us and do anything to get us off our game, but we\u2019re focused on what we\u2019ve got to do,\u201d Dowiak noted. \u201cWe\u2019re not going to listen to the fans. We\u2019re not going to overreact to any situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Penn State will continue to adjust its lineup without Alex Servagno, who is out for the remainder of the regular season after undergoing surgery Wednesday morning. In his absence, Casey Aman is expected to continue in the fourth-line role after stepping in against Michigan State.<\/p>\n

\u201cI do expect that to continue,\u201d Gadowsky said of Aman. \u201cHe\u2019s adjusted great\u2026 we have full confidence in him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gadowsky also noted that Gavin McKenna will play in this weekend\u2019s series and continue to participate in all \u201cathletically related activities\u201d moving forward.<\/p>\n

As for the crease, Penn State is set to continue its current rotation between Kevin Reidler and Josh Fleming.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn our opinion, right now, if it\u2019s not broke, we\u2019re not going to fix it,\u201d Gadowsky said. \u201cWe\u2019re not committed to it for the whole year. That can still change, but as of right now, I think we\u2019re going to stick.\u201d<\/p>\n

Between the structure in net and the adjustments defensively, the message in the locker room stays the same.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want our payback for sure,\u201d Dowiak said. \u201cWe are confident we\u2019re the best in the country\u2026 We\u2019ve got to be our best if we want to go to Yost and get out of there with two wins.\u201d<\/p>\n

Michigan\u2019s offense starts with TJ Hughes, who centers the top line alongside Nick Moldenhauer and Jayden Perron. Hughes enters the weekend among the nation\u2019s top point producers and fuels much of the Wolverines\u2019 tempo.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s very cerebral. He has really good vision on the ice, but his skills are excellent as well,\u201d Gadowsky said. \u201cHe\u2019s a talented player who has a nose for the net.\u201d<\/p>\n

Gadowsky, who previously coached Hughes overseas, understands firsthand how dangerous the senior can be.<\/p>\n

\u201cI enjoyed having him on our bench,\u201d Gadwosky added. \u201cI don\u2019t like it so much when he\u2019s on the other [side].\u201d<\/p>\n

Hughes is far from Michigan\u2019s only offensive threat, though. Michael Hage gives the Wolverines another dynamic option down the middle. Like Hughes, Hage ranks among the national leaders in points and thrives in transition by creating space off the rush and forcing defenders to collapse.<\/p>\n

Size also plays a factor. Will Horcoff\u2019s presence around the crease and along the boards was evident in the November series, especially in the Wolverines\u2019 7-1 win. When Michigan established an early lead that night, its top forwards controlled the pace and limited Penn State\u2019s ability to generate pressure.<\/p>\n

On the back end, Tyler Duke and Luca Fantilli anchor a blue line that moves the puck efficiently and isn\u2019t afraid to join the rush when opportunities open up. <\/p>\n

Jack Ivankovic is expected to make his second appearance since returning from injury. Ivankovic had not played since January 10 before returning last week against Michigan State.<\/p>\n

His return came unexpectedly, as Michigan did not indicate his status until lineups were announced before puck drop.<\/p>\n

Before the injury, Ivankovic had been one of the best goaltenders in the country. He enters the weekend with a 17-5 record, a .925 save percentage, and a 2.02 goals-against average, ranking among the nation\u2019s leaders in both winning percentage (.773) and goals-against average.<\/p>\n

Penn State saw both sides of Ivankovic during the series at Pegula Ice Arena. In the opener, he stopped 26 shots in a 7-1 Michigan win, but the following night, the Nittany Lions put four pucks past Ivankovic on 27 shots to pull away with a 4-2 win.<\/p>\n

The Nittany Lions will look to apply the same pressure that led to the November split, this time doing so with the adjustments they believe have made the difference recently.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Three months after a 7-1 loss to Michigan sparked a players-only meeting, No. 6 Penn State men\u2019s hockey…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":455449,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[377],"tags":[2144,13621,35747,766,2145,55336,5,5608,471,38546,26190,3564,3397,2146,2149,55337,55338,55339,55340,55341,55342,2150,2151,55343,10671,5084],"class_list":{"0":"post-455448","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-hockey","8":"tag-big-ten","9":"tag-big-ten-hockey","10":"tag-dane-dowiak","11":"tag-gavin-mckenna","12":"tag-guy-gadowsky","13":"tag-hage","14":"tag-hockey","15":"tag-hughes","16":"tag-jackson-smith","17":"tag-jj-wiebusch","18":"tag-josh-fleming","19":"tag-michigan-hockey","20":"tag-ncaa-hockey","21":"tag-onward-state","22":"tag-penn-state-hockey","23":"tag-penn-state-lineup","24":"tag-penn-state-michigan","25":"tag-penn-state-michigan-preview","26":"tag-penn-state-starting-goalie","27":"tag-penn-state-vs-michigan","28":"tag-penn-state-vs-michigan-hockey","29":"tag-psu","30":"tag-psu-hockey","31":"tag-psu-vs-michigan","32":"tag-reese-laubach","33":"tag-review"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nhl\/116057105111826297","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=455448"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/455448\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/455449"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=455448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=455448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nhl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=455448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}