Big Ten Hockey Tournament: Penn State Brings Momentum to Series at Michigan

The Nittany Lions visit the Wolverines for a three-game series to start the Big Ten Men's Hockey Tournament.

A general view of Big Ten men's hockey tournament signage. | John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK

After a surge through the standings over the past two months, the Penn State men’s hockey team climbed to the fifth seed in this year’s Big Ten Conference Tournament. A loss to Minnesota in their regular-season finale held the No. 15 Nittany Lions from hosting their first-round matchup. Instead, Penn State will head to Michigan for a best-of-three first-round series.

Michigan, the tournament’s fourth seed, finished the regular season at 18-13-3 overall, including a 12-10-2 record in Big Ten action. As the Big Ten Tournament series begins Friday, Penn State Guy Gadowksy’s squad will seek to ride its recent momentum into the postseason, beginning with a matchup against the 11th-ranked Wolverines.

Penn State brings hot streak to the Big Ten Tournament

The Nittany Lions enter the conference tournament with a 10-2-3 record in their past 15 games. That includes a seven-game points streak. Penn State generated 28 of its 39 points in the Big Ten standings during that run. Over the final two weekends of the regular season, Penn State went 2-1-1 against No. 1 Michigan State and No. 2 Minnesota — proof that Gadowsky’s unit, at its best, may be able to take down any team in the conference.

Penn State finished the regular season second in the Big Ten in power-play goals (27) and third in goals per game (3.41). With the conference’s leaders in points (forward Aiden Fink) and in saves(goaltender Arsenii Sergeev), the Nittany Lions enter the Big Ten Tournament as a threat to make a run as the fourth seed.

The Big Ten Tournament will also be essential for Penn State’s chances at cracking the 16-team NCAA Tournament field. The Nittany Lions currently are No. 14 spot in the PairWise Rankings, signaling their status as a potential bubble team for the tournament selection. Winning a first-round series should be enough to push Gadowsky’s team into the NCAA Tournament, while a series sweep vs. the Wolverines could end Penn State’s season. Penn State would land on the bubble with a 2-1 series loss to Michigan. 

What to know about Michigan

Michigan becomes a tougher opponent for Penn State with this first-round series being played in Ann Arbor. The Wolverines went 10-4-1 at home this season. Since Michigan and Penn State last met on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, the Wolverines have gone 3-2-1.

Head coach Brandon Naurato’s squad has excelled on the power play in 2024-25, leading the Big Ten in power-play goals (28) and power-play percentage (25 percent. Offensively, junior T.J. Hughes is the biggest name to keep an eye on as Michigan’s leading goal scorer, totaling 15 in the regular season. His 36 points leads the Wolverines, while freshman Michael Hage (33) ranks second.

Michigan has used two players in-net this season. Graduate student Logan Stein accumulated an 11-7-2 record, while freshman Cameron Korpi went 7-6-1. Stein played the full 60 minutes in each of the Wolverines’ final three games of the regular season, an indication that he’s likely to see most of the goalkeeper time in the Big Ten Tournament. 

Recapping the Penn State-Michigan season series

Michigan won the season series over Penn State 3-1. However, the Nittany Lions lost two of those games before beginning their hot streak in 2025. Michigan swept a two-game series at Penn State in November, part of the Nittany Lions’ 0-8 Big Ten start.  

More recently, Penn State beat Michigan 5-4 on Jan. 31 then fell 7-3 on Feb. 1. Fink has scored at least one goal in all four of his meetings with Michigan this season, while Hughes has totaled six scores against the Nittany Lions in 2024-25, including four in one game on Nov. 23. 

How to watch Penn State vs. Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament

The first-round matchup between Penn State and Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament will be played on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, if necessary. All three matchups are scheduled for 7 p.m. ET. The entirety of the best-of-three series will be streamed on B1G+. Can’t watch? Listen to Brian Tripp and Eric Ohlson on the Penn State Sports Network.