Following a sweep over Notre Dame and riding a five-game winning streak, Penn State men’s hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky met with the media on Tuesday afternoon inside Pegula Ice Arena.
Gadowsky previewed an upcoming series that will pit the No. 8 Nittany Lions (16-6, 8-4 Big Ten) against No. 5 Wisconsin (15-5-2, 8-4 Big Ten) at the Kohl Center on Friday and Saturday night, a pivotal pair of games for conference standing.
Here’s what Gadowsky had to say.
Injury report
Gadowsky provided updated information on Penn State’s growing list of injuries, including forward Charlie Cerrato, who’s now missed three consecutive games but still has the third most points on the team.
“Not 100% confident in giving you an update,” Gadowsky said. “He’s doubtful (this weekend).”
Gadowsky remained vague on other Nittany Lions who missed the Notre Dame series, including Shea Van Olm, Casey Aman and Braedon Ford, saying “they are all day-to-day.”
“It’s a team effort to getting them healthy … We’re aware of, when someone is practicing, what they can and can’t do,” Gadowsky said. “… With Penn State hockey, our people are excellent in making sure that we do all we can to expedite their health as quickly as possible.”
Battling the Badgers
Gadowsky said the team hasn’t fully turned its attention to Wisconsin yet, and they spent the day reviewing mistakes from the previous series. But he’s keenly aware of their special teams prowess — No. 5 nationally in power-play percentage.
This comes after two games against the Fighting Irish which saw a whopping 30 penalties between the two teams. Penn State scored four of its 10 goals on a man advantage, but against Wisconsin, Gadowsky expects fewer whistles.
“It’s always very important,” he said. “I don’t expect to have as many opportunities as we’ve had this past weekend. Every (power play) is a little bit more important because it’s going to be rare, I think. You never know.”
Conversely, the Nittany Lions rank No. 3 nationally in penalty kill percentage at 89.1%, pitting strength against strength. How each team performs in those opportunities could go a long way in deciding the series.
Another factor is the environment at the Kohl Center, heralded as one of the toughest in college hockey; Penn State’s five-game winning streak has come entirely with home-ice advantage.
The Nittany Lions were able to take both games at then-No. 19 Wisconsin last season, kicking off a seven-game unbeaten streak, but doing so again will be challenging.
“Last year, we did have some success,” Gadowsky said. “That doesn’t necessarily predict future success. I think they’ve really done a great job, and this year especially, and I think they’re going to be a great challenge for us.”
