What: No. 1 Michigan State (5-1-0) vs. No. 3 Penn State (9-1)
When: 7 p.m. Nov. 7, 4 p.m. Nov. 8
Where: Munn Ice Arena
TV/Radio: Both games can be streamed on Big Ten Plus or listened to on WJIM 1240-AM.
All-Time Series: MSU is 20-22-8 all-time against the Nittany Lions since PSU became a Division 1 program in the 2012-2013 season.
Coaches: MSU coach Adam Nightingale is 74-36-9 in his fourth season behind the Spartan bench. PSU coach Guy Gadowsky is 404-398-69 in his 26th season coaching overall and231-200-32 in his 14th season with the Nittany Lions.
MSU Update: The Spartans are coming off a road sweep over Northern Michigan two weeks ago, shutting out the Wildcats 4-0 in the first game before a big third period lifted MSU to a 6-2 win the second night. Fourth line forwards Tommi Mannisto and Tiernan Shoudy each had five-point weekends, with Mannisto earning the Big Ten First Star of the Week. Junior goaltender Trey Augustine earned his second shutout in five games this season in the series opener, while freshman Melvin Strahl captured his first collegiate win, starting in the second contest.
Freshman forward Porter Martone leads MSU with nine points (three goals, five assists), while Mannisto leads MSU with five goals through six games.
“We’re excited to get into Big Ten play, and when you look at the teams across our conference, it’s going to be super competitive,” Nightingale said. “Chemistry takes time, and you have to build off it, and I want our guys to understand that there’s a purpose to everything we do. Your tail has to be wagging when you get to the rink, and that’s part of our job as coaches to make it fun and competitive.”
MSU’s penalty kill was put to the test again this past weekend, and after a strong showing against Boston University, MSU’s killers went 13 for 14 while down a man against Northern. Mannisto and Shoudy helped lead that charge, along with forwards Daniel Russell and Charlie Stramel and the collective back line.
Scouting the Nittany Lions: PSU is riding a seven-game winning streak after starting conference play with a road sweep at No. 17 Ohio State. However, star forward Aiden Fink suffered an upper-body injury against the Buckeyes and will be out for “the foreseeable future,” according to Gadowsky.
PSU’s second line of junior Matt DiMarsico and sophomores Charlie Cerrato and J.J. Wiebusch has been among the nation’s most productive, combining for 23 goals and 28 assists in 10 games. Cerrato (four goals, 14 assists) and Wiebusch (11 goals, seven assists) lead the Nittany Lions with 18 points apiece.
“We’ve had a couple weeks to prepare, and guys went really hard in the bye week and we came back and have had a great couple practices,” MSU captain and senior defenseman Matt Basgall said. “We’re focused on playing the way we play, and it should be jam-packed here both games and the energy is going to be amazing. We know (PSU) is a highly-skilled team and they’re able to make plays on the rush, so we have to limit their chances.”
PSU has plenty of other talent on its roster, notably star freshman forward Gavin McKenna, who has three goals and 10 assists this season. Freshman defenseman Jackson Smith was picked 15th overall in the 2025 NHL draft, and senior blue-liner MacGadowsky transferred in from Army after being one of the 10 Hobey Baker finalists last season.
PSU goaltenders Kevin Reidler and Joshua Fleming have split time, with Reidler playing in six of the 10 contests. Both have save percentages over .910, so the Spartans could see both netminders this series.
Contact Nathaniel Bott at nbott@lsj.com and follow him on X @Nathaniel_Bott
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