MADISON, Wis. — After skating to a pair of hard-fought ties against No. 14 Michigan, the Wisconsin men's hockey team returns to the Kohl Center this weekend for the first time in three weeks to take on No. 6 Penn State in a Friday-Saturday showdown.

Both games this weekend are scheduled for 7 p.m.CT starts (Tickets).

Friday Update: Wisconsin battles No. 6 Penn State to 3-3 tie

Here are six notes to know ahead of this week's test against the Nittany Lions.
 

Game 15 | Wisconsin vs. Penn State
Date	Friday, Nov. 30 | 7 p.m. (CT)
Location	Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center (15,359)
Watch	Fox Sports Wisconsin | BTN2Go
Listen	1310 WIBA |  Badger Sports Network | Listen Live
Follow	Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin (PDF)
Tickets	UWBadgers.com

 

Game 16 | Wisconsin vs. Penn State
Date	Friday, Dec. 1 | 7 p.m. (CT)
Location	Madison, Wis. | Kohl Center (15,359)
Watch	Fox Sports Wisconsin | BTN2Go
Listen	1310 WIBA |  Badger Sports Network | Listen Live
Follow	Live Stats | @BadgerMHockey
Game Notes	Wisconsin (PDF)
Tickets	UWBadgers.com

HOME AGAIN, HOME AGAIN:  This weekend's series marks the beginning of an eight-game stint at home for UW. The Badgers will skate their next seven regular-season games, plus an exhibition game, at the Kohl Center, before heading to Minnesota on Jan. 25 for a Friday-Saturday series at Mariucci Arena. Wisconsin will also serve as the home team on Jan. 20 when it takes on Notre Dame at the United Center in Chicago.

YOUTH EXCELLING: Wisconsin's underclassmen have been the backbone of the Badgers' offense this season and have played an integral role in UW's goal-scoring efforts. Of the nine goals scored during six games of Big Ten play so far, freshmen have accounted for five goals while sophomores have tallied four. They have also combined for 19 of the team's 24 points in conference play, and 70 percent of overall scoring through 14 games.

In addition, freshmen scored all three goals for Wisconsin in last weekend's series against the Wolverines, with Mick Messner scoring the lone goal in last Friday's 1-1 tie, and Ty Emberson and Jack Gorniak lighting the lamp in last Saturday's 2-2 deadlock. Emberson's goal marked the first of his career, making him the seventh UW rookie to tally a goal this season.

B1G-TIME BERRY: After backstopping the Badgers to a hard-fought tie against No. 14 Michigan in his home state last Friday, junior goaltender Jack Berry earned his fifth career Big Ten Star of the Week honor. Holding the Wolverines scoreless through two periods, the Holly, Michigan, native stopped 37 of 38 shots in the series opener, registering a .974 save percentage and a 0.92 goals against average en route to a draw. The .974 save clip, Berry's highest of the season, ranked third among all NCAA goaltenders over the weekend. Berry is 2-4-1 in the net with a 3.42 GAA and an .891 save clip this season.

DEFENSE (STILL) A STRENGTH: Sophomore Wyatt Kalynuk (11 points) and freshman K'Andre Miller (10 points) rank fourth and tied for fifth among Big Ten defensemen in scoring. Kalynuk and senior Peter Tischke 29 blocks apiece rank fourth among conference blue-liners, while sophomore Tyler Inamoto's 23 rank eighth. Additionally, Miller's 10 points are tied for second among all freshman blue-liners, just two off the national pace.

LOOKING UP: The Badgers were a perfect 11-for-11 on the penalty kill last weekend against a Michigan team that entered with the sixth-ranked power play in the country (26.3 percent). That marked UW's best PK weekend since going 11-for-11 against Ohio State on Oct. 6-7, 2017. Following the week, the Badgers' penalty kill is up to 52nd in the country at 75.7 percent (53-70).

SCOUTING THE NITTANY LIONS: Penn State enters the weekend with the top-ranked offense (5.31 GPG) and a 10-3-0 overall record in 13 games. The Nittany Lions are 2-2-0-0 through four games in Big Ten play, most recently coming off a series split at Ohio State. The Nittany Lions downed the Buckeyes, 4-3, in the opener, but dropped a 5-2 decision in the series finale to split the weekend.

Penn State boasts the nation's two leading scorers in sophomores Evan Barratt (10g, 21p) and Alex Limoges (8g, 20p). Barratt has already eclipsed his point totals from last season and Limoges is one point away from matching his rookie season tallies. In addition, Penn State goaltender Peyton Jones returns to the starting job between the pipes after registering a 3.03 goals against average and .905 save percentage in 35 games last year. So far this season, Jones has stopped 255 shots in eight games for PSU, good for a .907 save clip and a 3.26 goals-against average.

The last time the Badgers and the Nittany Lions met, UW defeated Penn State, 4-2, and battled to a 4-4 tie and shootout victory in a two-game series at the Kohl Center last January. Josh Ess, Will Johnson, Seamus Malone, Linus Weissbach and Max Zimmer all tallied goals in the series.