STATE COLLEGE, Pa. — A sampling of the national perception ahead of the University of Wisconsin men’s hockey series at Penn State makes it seem like the score and shots on goal will be kept on an old-school pinball board, with the dials spinning wildly out of control.
It’s not an unfounded notion. No one has scored more goals early this season than the Badgers. Penn State has been an offensive juggernaut in establishing itself as a player on the national scene recently.
In seven games between the teams last season, there was an average of 8.71 goals, more than 2½ higher than Badgers games averaged for the rest of the season.
The Badgers and the Nittany Lions open Big Ten play on Thursday and Friday in State College, Pennsylvania.
With No. 7 UW adding offensively gifted freshmen and No. 12 Penn State bringing back a potent cast, there’s an expectation of big numbers when the teams open the Big Ten Conference season on Thursday and Friday.
“These games have the ability, if both teams just feel it, that they’re going to want to put the foot on the gas and go,” said Dave Starman, who’ll be part of the Big Ten Network broadcast.
“And there’s a part of me that feels like either coach would be really OK winning 7-6. They’ll clean it up later, but they would be really OK encouraging their skill guys to use it to make plays.”
The Badgers said they feel like they have the firepower to keep up with the Nittany Lions, but they also would rather play something more controlled.
Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky, meanwhile, said his team is struggling to play to its traditional offensive mentality as it tries to prop up its defensive play.
That’s the backdrop for highly anticipated meetings between teams that went the distance in an entertaining first-round playoff series last season.
The Badgers have killed opponents’ last 12 power plays and have more short-handed goals scored this season than power-play goals allowed.
Penn State won that one in overtime in the deciding Game 3, and the teams tied the season series 3-3 with one tie. Between that playoff experience and the double-overtime 2017 Big Ten championship game also won by the Nittany Lions, some on the Badgers side feel a real rivalry developing.
For UW, it doesn’t hurt that Penn State was the preseason pick to win the league, with the Badgers chosen for third.
“I think Penn State is one of our biggest competitors in the Big Ten this year,” goaltender Daniel Lebedeff said. “And if we want to go all the way in the Big Ten, we need to beat them. This weekend is huge for us to just show the whole Big Ten community that Penn State is beatable.”
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