EAST LANSING – No. 8 Michigan State Hockey returns to action this weekend as they travel to State College, Pennsylvania to face off against No. 20 Penn State at Pegula Ice Arena.

MSU enters the series second in the Big Ten with a 7-1-2 conference record. The Nittany Lions enter looking to gain momentum in conference play, entering sixth in the Big Ten with a 2-5-3 record. 

The Spartans are coming off a 5-2 exhibition win on Jan. 5 over the U.S. National Development Team. In the win, five different Spartans recorded goals including sophomore forward Joey Larson who scored his team-leading 11th goal of the season. 

Last Saturday, the Nittany Lions rallied from a four-goal deficit to defeat the Army Black Knights, 7-6. Junior forward Ryan Kirwan led the comeback for Penn State with a hat trick in less than five minutes of gameplay.

The last time these two teams met was in November at Munn Ice Arena, where the Spartans split the series with a 3-3 overtime tie and a Nittany Lion shootout win in the first matchup. MSU took the second matchup, winning 5-3.

In the November series, freshman forward Gavin O’Connell shined for MSU, with two goals in Game 2, which featured a power play goal to break the tie in the third period. Players to watch in this series for MSU include Joey Larson and sophomore forward Karsen Dorwart, the team’s leading scorers. 

For Penn State, freshman Aiden Fink has 11 goals on the season and leads the team with 15 assists. Ryan Kirwan is another player to watch, who leads the team in goals with 12. 

The Spartans will look to gain momentum in Big Ten play against the Nittany Lions. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. on Friday.