7 p.m. Friday vs. Penn State • Joe Louis Arena, Detroit • BTN, 1500-AM
Gophers-Penn State Big Ten hockey tournament preview
March 17, 2017 at 6:03AM
Gophers have had Penn State's number
Preview: This year's Big Ten tournament will be the last held at Joe Louis Arena, where the fifth-ranked Gophers (23-10-3) won their only Big Ten tournament title in 2015. They are 3-2 in three appearances at the tournament. Senior D Jake Bischoff is on a career-best 10-game point streak, with three goals and eight assists in that span, and sophomore G Eric Schierhorn has allowed two goals on 77 shots during the team's three-game unbeaten streak. The Gophers will be without defenseman Ryan Lindgren (leg injury); Jack Glover, who will replace him in the lineup, has played in only two Big Ten games this season. Forward Mike Szmatula, who has missed the past seven games because of injury, practiced this week and is expected to play. … No. 15 Penn State (22-11-2), which beat Michigan 4-1 in the quarterfinals Thursday, lost all four of its games against the Gophers in the regular season and was outscored 20-9. The Nittany Lions are 2-3 in their past five games.
Players to watch: Bischoff is the top-scoring defenseman in the Big Ten with five goals and 27 assists. Gophers freshman F Rem Pitlick has a five-game point streak, and 23 of his 30 points — including 12 of 13 goals — have come in Big Ten play. … Penn State, No. 3 in the nation in scoring with 4.03 goals per game, is led by freshman F Denis Smirnov, whose 17 goals and 27 assists are the most of any rookie in the country.
Numbers: The Gophers have a 4-3 record at Joe Louis Arena. … Penn State averages 44.9 shots per game.
RACHEL BLOUNT
about the writer
A former Gophers player, Taylor Landfair, helped the No. 2 Huskers hand No.16 Minnesota its third consecutive loss.
