As a major winter storm makes its way east, No. 8 Penn State hockey travels to the frigid Midwest for a massive Big Ten showdown against No. 5 Wisconsin Friday and Saturday night inside the Kohl Center.
With the conference race tightening and points at a premium, Penn State hockey enters the weekend riding serious momentum while Wisconsin looks to bounce back after a tough sweep at home.
Series Info
Dates: Friday, January 23 | Saturday, January 24
Location: Kohl Center | Madison, Wis.
TV/Streaming: Friday – N/A | Saturday – Big Ten Network
Puck Drop: 8 p.m. (Eastern) | 8:30 p.m. (Eastern)
Penn State holds the all-time series edge over Wisconsin, 29-25-3, including a series sweep in Madison last season that snapped a seven-game Badger winning streak. The series has been dead even at the Kohl Center historically, with the teams tied 12-12-2 all-time in Madison.
Penn State arrives with five straight wins overall, marking the longest regular-season conference winning streak in program history. Penn State is also coming off its third conference sweep of the season, just one shy of matching the single-season program record of four (2016-17).
Wisconsin Notes
Wisconsin enters the weekend 15-5-2 after getting swept at home by No. 2 Michigan State. The Badgers currently sit fourth in the Big Ten with 22 points and an 8-4-0 record, three points behind Penn State for second place.
Saturday night will also be a special one in Madison, as Wisconsin celebrates the 20th anniversary of its 2006 NCAA championship.
After stumbling late last season following a strong 2023-24 campaign, Wisconsin has rebounded into one of the top teams in the nation thanks to a veteran-heavy roster, returning seven of its top eight scorers. Quinn Finley leads the way with 10 goals in 20 games, tied with Christian Fitzgerald for the team lead.
Gavin Morrissey paces the Badgers in points with 21 (3 goals, 18 assists), while Ben Dexheimer has been one of the most dangerous defensemen in the country. Dexheimer leads Big Ten blueliners with 18 points, which is tied for 11th nationally among defensemen.
Wisconsin has also gotten consistent production from senior forward Tyson Dyck, who carries a career-best four-game point streak into the weekend with an assist in each of his last four games.
In goal, Daniel Hauser has been outstanding in his first season with the Badgers, posting a 13-3-2 record with a .913 save percentage and a 2.10 goals-against average.
Special teams have been a major strength for Wisconsin as well. The Badger power play is clicking at 28 percent (23-for-82), ranking second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally.
Overall, Wisconsin ranks second in the Big Ten and third nationally in scoring offense at 3.95 goals per game, while allowing just 2.55 per game, third in the Big Ten and 13th nationally.
Like Penn State, Wisconsin has been dominant in the third period this year, outscoring opponents 34-20.
The Badgers also excel at the faceoff dot, ranking second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally by winning 53.5 percent of their draws, led by Morrissey’s 57.9 percent.
No. 8 Penn State Notes
Penn State has been a fast-start team this season, scoring first in 11 of its first 22 games and posting a 10-1-0 record when accomplishing that.
The Nittany Lions have also shown the ability to close games, going 10-1-0 when leading after two periods, with the lone loss coming in the home opener against Clarkson.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State has been especially strong late, outscoring opponents 29-14 in the third period this season.
Junior forward Matt DiMarsico continues to lead the charge offensively, riding a five-game point streak (6 goals, 3 assists) that ties his career best. He’s also found the back of the net in four straight games his longest goal streak of his career.
Last Friday’s 4-1 win over Notre Dame was a statement performance for DiMarsico. He recorded his third hat trick of the season that was his first career hat trick against a Big Ten opponent.
He became the first Nittany Lion in history to record multiple hat tricks in a season, and Penn State now has five hat tricks as a team this year (20 all-time).
DiMarsico earned Big Ten First Star of the Week after a four-goal weekend and now leads Penn State in goals (14) and points (26). His goal total ranks tied for second in the Big Ten and eighth nationally.
He also delivered the game-winning goal in both contests against Notre Dame, giving him three game-winners this season and seven in his career which tied for sixth all-time at Penn State.
DiMarsico’s five power-play goals rank second on the roster behind JJ Wiebusch’s six, and his nine career power-play goals put him just outside the program’s all-time top 10.
Senior alternate captain Jarod Crespo is in the midst of a career year, already setting career highs in goals (4) and points (11). Over his last five games, Crespo has three goals and four assists for seven points, including three multi-point games and a plus-8 rating.
Crespo also made history earlier this month by becoming just the second Penn State defenseman ever to record a hat trick, doing so against RIT and joining Cole Hults (Oct. 11, 2019 vs. Sacred Heart) for that rare distinction.
Penn State’s freshman class has continued to surge coming out of the holiday break, led by forward Luke Misa, who is riding a career-long point streak with two goals and six assists for eight points during that span.
After returning from the 2026 World Juniors with a Bronze Medal, forward Gavin McKenna has stayed hot with points in three straight games (2 goals, 4 assists), including a career-best three-point night and his first collegiate multi-goal game last Saturday. McKenna was named Big Ten Third Star of the Week and has points in six of his last seven games.
McKenna has 24 points in 20 games this season, ranking second in the Big Ten and tied for fifth nationally in freshman scoring. His 18 assists lead all Big Ten rookies and are third nationally among freshmen. In conference play, McKenna leads Penn State hockey with 14 points in 12 Big Ten games.
On the blue line, defenseman Jackson Smith has been on a tear, scoring four goals in his last eight games. Smith leads the Big Ten and is tied for sixth nationally among defensemen with six goals this season, tied for the sixth-most in a single season by a Penn State hockey defenseman in program history. His four power-play goals are tied for the national lead among defensemen.
Smith has added eight assists for 14 points, ranking third in the Big Ten and tied for 26th nationally among blueliners and he leads the nation in freshman defenseman scoring.
In net, freshman Josh Fleming has been one of the best goalies in college hockey and was recently named to the Mike Richter Award Watch List while also earning a Hobey Baker nomination. Fleming currently leads the nation with a .943 save percentage, while his 1.82 goals-against average ranks second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally.
Fleming already has two shutouts, including Penn State’s first-ever shutout against Minnesota earlier this month, and he’s now the sixth Penn State hockey goaltender to record multiple shutouts in a single season.
Since the start of the semester, Fleming has allowed just two goals in three games, posting a 0.67 goals-against average and a .978 save percentage over that stretch.
Fleming is 7-3-0 overall and a perfect 6-0-0 at home, while splitting time with sophomore Kevin Reidler. The duo has combined for a .921 save percentage, tied for second in the Big Ten and fifth nationally.
But road play has been a different story for Penn State’s crease: Fleming has dropped three straight away games and is 1-3-0 on the road this season, while Reidler has excelled away from Hockey Valley at 4-1-0 with a .941 save percentage.
