Penn State hockey is down to No. 6 in the latest USCHO.com poll released on Monday. The Nittany Lions are coming off of a single-game series and 5-4 loss to Princeton at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Saturday.
The loss marks the second straight for Penn State for the first time all season. It also brings the Nittany Lions’ winless streak to three contests after a shootout loss to Ohio State to open the series against the Buckeyes.
Still ranked No. 5 in the PairWise, the system that mimics the tournament committee’s selection process, Penn State entered a key four game stretch on the road. The Nittany Lions head to No. 7 Minnesota this weekend and then at No. 18 Wisconsin before heading back to State College to yet again meet the Gophers at Pegula Ice Arena.
With 12 games to go in the regular season, Penn State will play eight of those games against Top 20 teams and eight of the final 12 on the road. If the Nittany Lions are going to make the NCAA tournament on merit alone, rather than a conference tournament championship, it will require more than a few wins on the road against stout competition.
Guy Gadowsky is slated to speak to the media for his weekly availability on Monday afternoon around 4:40.
