UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – No. 5 NPI / No. 6 USCHO Penn State closes out the regular season this week in Hockey Valley, welcoming No. 11 USCHO / No. 12 NPI Wisconsin for a pivotal Thursday-Friday series at Pegula Ice Arena.
While the Nittany Lions have already secured the No. 3 seed for the upcoming Big Ten Tournament, plenty remains at stake. Wisconsin enters the weekend fighting to lock up home ice for the quarterfinals and solidify its NCAA Tournament résumé.
Series Info
Dates: Thursday, March 5 | Friday, March 6
Time: 7 p.m.
Location: Pegula Ice Arena | University Park, Pa.
Streaming: Big Ten+
Penn State holds a 31-25-3 edge in the all-time series, including a sweep in Madison back in January. The rivalry has been streaky in recent seasons. The Nittany Lions have won four straight against the Badgers after Wisconsin previously rattled off seven consecutive wins. That stretch came on the heels of a six-game Penn State winning streak.
At Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State owns a 15-11-1 advantage in the series, but Wisconsin has won five straight in Hockey Valley dating back to 2023.
Penn State enters the weekend after a 2-2-2 February following a dominant 7-3-0 January. Two weeks ago, the Nittany Lions swept Ohio State to secure their eighth series sweep of the season tying the program record set in 2016-17. Five of those sweeps have come in conference play, marking the most Big Ten sweeps in a single season in program history.
Offense should be plentiful. Penn State ranks second in the Big Ten and fourth nationally averaging 3.81 goals per game, while Wisconsin sits fourth in the conference and ninth nationally at 3.66 goals per contest.
Behind the benches are two of the sport’s most accomplished active coaches. Wisconsin’s Mike Hastings ranks second among active Division I head coaches in career winning percentage (68.8%), sixth all-time. Penn State’s Guy Gadowsky secured his 250th win at Penn State earlier this month and is tied for 27th all-time with 424 career victories.
The Nittany Lions have reached 20 wins for the seventh time in the last 11 seasons. They sit two wins shy of last year’s 22-win total and five short of the program record of 25 set in 2016-17. With 12 conference wins and 41 Big Ten points, Penn State has tied its 2019-20 single-season program record in both categories.
Wisconsin Notes
Wisconsin enters at 19-11-2 and fresh off a bye week. The Badgers currently sit No. 12 in the NPI rankings, hovering near the NCAA Tournament at-large bubble. One point this weekend would clinch the No. 4 seed in the Big Ten Tournament and home ice in the quarterfinal round.
After a slight regression last season, Wisconsin rebounded with a strong 2025-26 campaign. Though the Badgers endured a six-game skid in January, they have won four of their last six and regained postseason momentum.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Wisconsin returned seven of its top eight scorers from a year ago, led by Gavin Morrissey, Christian Fitzgerald, and Quinn Finley. Morrissey paces the team with 29 points (6 goals, 23 assists) and wins 57.6% of his faceoffs. Fitzgerald leads with 15 goals, including nine on the power play, while Finley has added 13 goals and 25 points overall.
Defenseman Ben Dexheimer ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring among blueliners with 22 points (6G, 16A).
In net, Daniel Hauser has posted a 16-6-2 record with a .903 save percentage and 2.48 goals-against average in his first season in Madison. However, he was injured at Ohio State and his status is uncertain. Backup Eli Pulver has started the last three games and is 3-5-0 on the season with an .874 save percentage.
The Badger power play has been lethal, converting at 28.4%, third in the Big Ten and fourth nationally. Notably, six of the nation’s top nine power plays reside in the Big Ten.
One concern: Wisconsin has struggled late in games, getting outscored 17-5 in the third period over its last 10 contests, including 7-0 in the January series against Penn State.
Penn State Notes
Freshman Gavin McKenna continues to rewrite the Penn State record book. After a three-assist effort last week, he is tied with Michigan’s TJ Hughes for the Big Ten scoring lead with 36 conference points. Hughes has no league games remaining, giving McKenna a chance to become the first Nittany Lion to win the Big Ten scoring title outright.
McKenna’s 46 total points rank second in the conference and tied for third nationally, while his 1.53 points-per-game average leads the Big Ten and ranks second in the nation. His 33 assists are tied for the national lead and set a new Penn State single-season record.
He is just one point shy of Denis Smirnov’s program freshman scoring record (47) and currently sits fourth on the program’s single-season scoring list.
Aiden Fink has also surged, riding a four-game multi-point streak. He now has 33 points (8G, 25A) this season and has produced 24 points in 16 games since returning from a thumb injury. Fink ranks fourth all-time in Penn State history with 120 career points.
On special teams, Penn State erupted for five power-play goals in an 11-4 win over Ohio State two weeks ago, tying a single-game program record. The Nittany Lions have scored 36 power-play goals this season, a new program record and convert at 26.9%.
Despite battling injuries throughout the year and dressing fewer than 19 skaters seven times, Penn State has gone 4-2-1 in those contests.
Freshman defenseman Jackson Smith has been a revelation, leading all Big Ten defensemen with 11 goals, a new Penn State single-season record for a blueliner. His 24 points top the conference among defensemen and rank first nationally among rookie defensemen.
