Penn State men's hockey heads on the road to No. 18/18 Minnesota for the weekend. This will be both teams' first Big Ten matchup of the season with the two-game series scheduled on back-to-back nights.
The Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers are both on two-game win streaks entering the weekend after they each found their first set of wins on the season last week. The next time Penn State and Minnesota will meet is in the second half of the season when the blue and white host the Golden Gophers at Pegula Ice Arena on Friday, Feb. 12 and Saturday, Feb. 13.
Here's everything you need to know about Penn State's upcoming weekend at Minnesota.
How to watch Game 1 of Penn State vs. No. 18 Minnesota
- Date: Friday, Oct. 30
- Time: 8 p.m. ET
- Venue: 3M Arena at Mariucci (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- How to Watch (TV): Big Ten+
- Penn State record: 2-4
- Minnesota record: 2-3-1
How to watch Game 2 of Penn State vs. No. 18 Minnesota
- Date: Saturday, Oct. 31
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: 3M Arena at Mariucci (Minneapolis, Minn.)
- How to Watch (TV): Big Ten+
Penn State vs. Minnesota series history
The Golden Gophers have lost the last four matchups with the Nittany Lions, but they hold a 20-19-1 record over the blue and white all-time. The most recent victory for Penn State was in the Big 10 Quarterfinals at home on March 11. The Nittany Lions won that game 6-2.
At home, Minnesota does best with a 14-7 record compared to its 6-12-1 record at Pegula Ice Arena. In the last 10 matchups, the two teams are even with a 5-5 record.
Key Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers to watch
Penn State: Forward Justin Poirier and defenseman Jackson Smith
The sophomore forward and former Maine Blackbear has brought some of Hockey East's offensive prowess over to Happy Valley. Poirier has played in all six contests for the Nittany Lions so far and has eight points. The only game he didn't register a point in was against Quinnipiac. This past weekend, Poirier had his best performance with three points (one goal, two assists) across the two games. He also had two-point games vs. Robert Morris (two goals) and Sacred Heart (two assists).
The second-year Nittany Lion is an offensive defenseman with 22 shots on the season so far, including two five-shot games (Quinnipiac and Canisius Game 1). While Smith is certainly helpful on offense as a goal-scorer and creating plays for his teammates, holding off Minnesota's scoring is essential this weekend. Smith has 10 blocks on the season so far.
Minnesota: Forward Brodie Ziemer and defenseman Evan Murr
The junior forward currently leads the team in goals and points (tied with Wyatt Cullen) and has the most shots by far with 22. Cullen is tied for second with 13 shots. Ziemer also has four blocks, which is a decent amount through six games for a forward. It's his first season as the Golden Gophers' captain and his play is living up to it as well. He's coming off a three-point weekend against North Dakots where he had one goal and two assists.
Murr, the senior defenseman, is a new addition to the roster this season and has wasted no time fitting in. He leads defensemen on the team in points with four, which is tied for second on the team overall as well. Murr also has nine blocks through six games so far, which is good for third-most. He had his best defensive performance vs. North Dakota where he had five blocks (two in the first game, and three in the second) and was credited with two assists in the first contest.
Penn State hockey vs. No. 18 Minnesota weekend series prediction
- Game 1: 3-2, Minnesota
- Game 2: 4-1, Minnesota
The Nittany Lions are not ready for the Big Ten. The only pair of wins they've tallied were against Canisius, and that isn't necessarily a tough opponent to beat. While we're on the topic of "not so tough opponents," Penn State lost to Robert Morris before its series with the Griffins. There's a lot of young talent for head coach Guy Gadowsky to work with, but this team isn't a united front entering conference play.
Minnesota, on the other hand, has had plenty of tough battles even early on in the season. It started off the season with losses to Michigan Tech, which was No. 19/20 at the time and is currently No. 13 on the USCHO Poll, and a third to No. 9 Minnesota Duluth (now ranked No. 7). The Golden Gophers came back and tied the the Bulldogs in the second game of that series and it's only been up from there. Minnesota swept — yes, swept — No. 3 North Dakota. On top of that, those two games were at 3M Arena at Mariucci and the Golden Gophers won 5-3 both nights.
Penn State hasn't won a game on the road so far this season (0-2) and is barely competing with pretty much anybody in the country. It might be a slow first half of the season for the Nittany Lions.
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