Penn State Hockey: Continued growth needed as Nittany Lions host Michigan State

Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky’s perception of his team’s performance in Big Ten play may not add up with the Nittany Lions’ 1-5 conference record at first glance.

Gadowsky said Monday that he thinks his Penn State team has delivered some of its best hockey in those six Big Ten contests. It may seem like a bizarre assessment, especially considering that the Nittany Lions are 8-1 in nonconference play and own a win over No. 7 North Dakota.

But the Penn State head coach is looking at these contests under a magnifying glass. He sees periods of dominance and control that haven’t resulted in wins because the Nittany Lions haven’t sustained them.

“I do think we’ve played some of our best two-period spurts against conference opponents,” Gadowsky said Monday. “It’s a matter of putting it together.”

The time has come to start doing so.

The Nittany Lions (9-6, 1-5 Big Ten) welcome Michigan State (8-5-1, 3-3 Big Ten) to Pegula Ice Arena this weekend for a two-game series that begins Friday at 7 p.m.

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The Spartans were picked to finish sixth out of seven teams in the Big Ten this season but have picked up three wins from their first six conference games.

Despite Michigan State’s nice start, these are the series that Penn State needs to get something from. Otherwise, the Nittany Lions risk losing touch with the top half of the Big Ten. Notre Dame currently sits fourth in the conference with 10 points to Penn State’s three through six contests.

The Nittany Lions hope a road trip to Minnesota before the Thanksgiving holiday signaled the turning of a corner. Penn State earned a road split with preseason Big Ten favorite Minnesota before dominating St. Thomas twice, picking up three wins in four on the trip.

“We were able to play a much more complete game on the road in Minnesota in all four games, except we gave one away there with penalties,” Gadowsky said.

Gadowsky thinks his team, which regularly skates 11 underclassmen on any given night, is beginning to benefit from the lumps it took to begin the Big Ten season.

“We were a little fragile,” Gadowsky said. “We didn’t follow it through, we didn’t have faith in our game and we didn’t have the mental toughness to keep doing what we do.”

The penalty box has proved especially problematic for the Nittany Lions, and that hasn’t changed even as their fortunes have turned slightly following the successful road trip.

The Nittany Lions surrendered six power-play goals in four games in Minnesota. They’ve allowed 14 power-play goals in 15 games this season, tied for 10th-worst nationally.

Michigan State boasts the nation’s eighth-best power-play unit coming into the series, converting at a 26.8 percent clip.

Penn State hockey: Scouting the Spartans

Michigan State’s attack is led by outstanding veteran forward Mitchell Lewandowski. The fifth-year player owns five goals and eight assists in just nine games so far this season.

Jeremy Davidson is another dangerous player in the offensive zone. He leads Michigan State with seven goals on the season.

Cole Krygier, a senior, leads the Spartan blue line. The defenseman has a +4 rating on the season to pair with two goals and three assists.

The true difference-maker for the Spartans resides in net, however. Senior netminder Drew DeRidder has been nothing short of fantastic this season. He boasts a .943 save percentage in 10 contests, tying him for fifth nationally and tops in the Big Ten.