The Michigan hockey team is hitting the road after a bye week and will look to extend its winning streak to six games against the Penn State Nittany Lions:
The No. 5 Michigan Wolverines (7-2-1) return after a bye week and are heading east to face the Penn State Nittany Lions (4-5-0, 0-4-0 Big Ten). Losers of four straight, Penn State will be looking to turn things around against the white-hot Wolverines.
Leading the charge for Penn State is star sophomore forward Aiden Fink (4G, 8A). Last season, Fink was a Big Ten Freshman of the Year finalist and has been the brightest spot for the Nittany Lions’ middling offense. Helping support Fink is fellow forward Danny Dzhaniyev (4G, 4A) who is also the shortest player in D-1 hockey at 5’5, but you would never know by his playing style.
Defensively, the Nittany Lions are bolstered by senior captain Simon Mack (1G, 7A) who leads the team in plus/minus (+7). Doing the dirty work for Penn State on the blue line is junior Jarod Crespo (2G, 2A). Despite his pedestrian scoring numbers, Crespo leads the team with 19 blocked shots and brings a much-needed ferocity to the blue line.
In net, transfer junior Arsenii Sergeev (.908 SV%) has taken over the starting role after Liam Souliere transferred to Minnesota. Sergeev spent his first two years of college hockey playing for UConn and is a former USHL goaltender of the year. Sergeev has experienced his share of ups and downs through his eight starts but has posted a career-best goals-against-average (2.34) despite a career-low save percentage.
For the Wolverines, the song remains the same this weekend. Michigan will look to continue the tune of victory behind its emerging depth and rising star in net.
Freshman sensation Michael Hage (5G, 4A) still leads the team in scoring with nine points, but he is now tied with three others for the team’s goal-scoring lead. One of those three is Colorado College transfer Evan Werner.
After only scoring one point in his first six games as a Wolverine, Werner has now scored seven points — including five goals — in the last four games. Werner’s star turn is one of many recent player-development success stories that has helped balance Michigan’s attack across all four lines.
Defensively, the Wolverines remain stout. Michigan is ranked No. 16 in scoring defense, which is the highest mark through at least five games of the Brandon Naurato era. Although improvements have been made across the six blue-liners, the biggest difference has been the high-level play of the two goalies.
Michigan is going to continue to rotate Logan Stein (.934 SV%) and Cameron Korpi (.906 SV%) between the pipes for as long as it proves viable. This strategy keeps Stein fresh for the postseason stretch and prepares Korpi for the future. With a connected defense and dynamic offense in front of them, the Wolverines’ goalie duo has emerged as one of the best pairs in the country.
Key to the Game
Start the weekend fast. The Wolverines have not played competitive hockey in 13 days and are hitting the road to face a desperate team. Although Penn State has struggled this year, a quick one or two-goal lead in a ruckus Pegula Arena could be the spark the Nittany Lions need to steal points and turn their season around.
Last year’s Wolverines had a similar record to this year’s Penn State team and eventually found their way to a Frozen Four . A fast start on Friday is imperative to quiet the crowd and precede Michigan’s third consecutive sweep of the season.
Game 1
When: Friday, Nov. 22, 7 p.m. ET
Where: Pegula Arena, State College, PA
How to watch: BIG+
How to listen: Varsity Podcast Network
Game 2
When: Saturday, Nov. 23, 7:30 p.m. ET
Where: Pegula Arena, State College, PA
How to watch: BIG+
How to listen: Varsity Podcast Network