If you need proof of how good the Big Ten is this season, look no further than sixth-place Penn State.
Since the start of the calendar year, the Nittany Lions are 5-2-3, having most recently split a pair of games on the road against No. 13 Michigan. The other loss in that stretch came at home against No. 2 Michigan State Jan. 10, and Penn State rebounded the following night to tie the first-place Spartans and take the extra shootout point.
Also in that span, the Nittany Lions took five of a six possible points when they hosted No. 9 Ohio State Jan. 24-25.
The Nittany Lions needed a strong January after a rough first half in which they hadn’t yet registered a conference win. Their second half has been fueled by the return of goaltender Arsenii Sergeev, who suffered an injury in a Nov. 16 game against Wisconsin and resumed play Jan. 3 in the Big Ten’s Frozen Confines event held in Wrigley Field.
“Obviously, Arsenii came back after Christmas, which is a big help,” said Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky.
After tying Notre Dame 3-3 in Wrigley Field, the Nittany Lions finally got their first B1G win of the season two nights later, a 3-0 shutout in South Bend in which Sergeev made 34 saves. In his 10 games back since injury, Sergeev is 5-2-3 with two shutouts and a 91.1 save percentage.
“Arsenii coming back has made a big difference to our mentality,” said Gadowsky.
With six freshmen seeing significant playing time and three sophomores among Penn State’s scoring leaders, Gadowsky said that there may have been some things to get used to in the first half of the season.
“I think we’re just settling into it,” said Gadowsky. “We have a lot of young players playing some key roles and learning.”
Among the younger players making a significant impact for the Nittany Lions this season is sophomore Aiden Fink, whose average of 1.42 points per game is second-best in the nation. Fink had 15 goals and 19 assists in 34 games last season. Through 18 games this season, Fink has 18 goals and 18 assists. Against the Wolverines last weekend, Fink had two goals in the win and a very pretty shorthanded marker in the third period of Saturday’s loss.
Saturday’s game looked a lot closer than the 7-3 score would indicate. With a 3-2 lead at the start of the third, the Wolverines broke open the game with three even-strength goals scored within a span of just under two minutes and 30 seconds early in the period.
“You certainly don’t have to give up a lot of chances to pay for them,” said Gadowsky, who added that the Nittany Lions played better in Saturday’s loss than Friday’s win. That Saturday loss halted Penn State’s six-game unbeaten streak.
“The players in this league are very skilled. They’re going to find a way to finish, so I think the margin of error is a lot thinner right now because any mistake can end up on the back of your net very quickly.”
Gadowsky lauds the overall depth of the Big Ten and is quick to point out that the conference has had an interleague win percentage that’s topped .700 for three seasons running. There is a significant difference this year, though, from seasons past in terms of scoring.
Five of the nation’s top 12 points leaders play in the Big Ten. Michigan State’s Isaac Howard leads the nation with an average of 1.43 ponts per game, followed immediately by Fink. Minnesota’s Jimmy Snuggerud (1.37) is fifth. Notre Dame’s Cole Knuble (1.23, 11th) and Wisconsin’s Quinn Finley (1.21, 12th) round out that five among the top dozen.
There are only three conferences represented among the top 15 points scorers nationally – Big Ten, Hockey East, NCHC – and the only players in that list whose teams are currently unranked in the USCHO Poll and not among the top 20 teams in the PairWise are Fink and Knuble.
“It’s an extremely competitive conference,” said Gadowsky. “It’s fantastic. Obviously, it’s great for fans, it’s great for development and I think it’s a big reason why a lot of players come here.
“Every night is extremely important and going to be extremely competitive, and you have to be playing your best hockey to win. You don’t win in this league by playing well. You have to play very well to win in this conference and it certainly keeps you on your toes.”
This weekend, the Nittany Lions travel to play No. 19 Wisconsin, another B1G team looking for a little second-half redemption. The Badgers have improved significantly as the season has progressed, but January hasn’t rewarded them much for that effort. Last weekend, Wisconsin dropped two games to No. 3 Minnesota, and Wisconsin 1-4-1 in Big Ten games since Jan. 3.
None of that matters, said Gadowsky.
“You’re not going to play one game in the Big Ten that’s going to be a cakewalk,” he said. “Not one.”
The Nittany Lions will be looking for their first win against Wisconsin since a 6-1 home win over the Badgers Feb. 24, 2023. That’s a streak of seven consecutive Wisconsin wins in this series.
The Badgers are in fifth place in the Big Ten with 24 points, one behind fourth-place Michigan. In the conference playoffs, the top seed gets a first-round bye and the next three teams host a first-round series, so the Badgers have some added incentive in this series, especially since the Wolverines are playing at Michigan State Friday and against the Spartans at Little Caesars Arena Saturday.
Gadowsky said that the Nittany Lions know what’s in store for them this weekend in the Kohl Center.
“We expect the same thing we get every weekend from the Big Ten,” said Gadowsky. “It is very special, it’s very intense, there’s a lot up for grabs, and it is a lot of fun.
“It’s not great for the color of coaches’ hair, but it’s really good entertainment.”
Friday’s game begins at 7 p.m. CT with Saturday’s game starting an hour earlier. Both games will be streamed online on Big Ten Plus.
