Penn State walks into one of the toughest buildings in college hockey this weekend with a simple need and a brutal assignment. The Nittany Lions need a win, but getting one at Yost Ice Arena will take a lot more than the power-play boost they found against Notre Dame.
The trip to No. 2 Michigan comes Friday and Saturday after Penn State dropped both games to Notre Dame.
Even in that series, the Nittany Lions managed three power-play goals, but they still came away looking for their first Big Ten victory. Now the task gets sharper.
Michigan has lost only once in nine games, is scoring at a clip no one in the country can match, and comes in rested after a bye week.
For Penn State, the margin for error is thin. The Wolverines have a way of turning small mistakes into the kind of stretches that bury a game before it ever settles in.
The matchup is set for Friday, November 13 at 7 PM and Saturday, November 14 at 7 PM Eastern in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Penn State enters at 2-7-1 overall and 0-3-1 in Big Ten play, while Michigan is 8-1-0 and 1-1-0 in the league.
The series will stream on B1G+, with audio on LionVision. Michigan leads the all-time series 34-21-2, and the last meeting was a 5-2 Wolverines win in the 2026 Big Ten Tournament semifinals.
Michigan’s offense is the headline, and it’s a loud one. The Wolverines have piled up 46 goals in nine games, a nation-best average of 5.11 per outing. Their average scoring margin of 2.56 goals also leads the country, which tells you how often they’ve been able to separate from opponents.
Michael Hage is at the center of it all. He leads the nation with 20 points, including 16 assists, and he put up six points in Michigan’s conference-opening split at Ohio State.
Five of those came in one game. Jayden Perron gives the Wolverines another dangerous layer, and the senior was named national player of the month for October after scoring 10 goals and adding six assists in eight games.
Hage and Perron are the only players in the country averaging more than two points per game.
That kind of production forces Penn State to be sharp every shift. A missed assignment, a loose puck, an unsuccessful clear - Michigan has enough firepower to make any of those hurt without needing much help.
There’s also a steady presence in net. Sophomore Jake Ivankovic has earned all eight of Michigan’s wins, posting a 2.33 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage.
Ohio State did hand the Wolverines their first loss, though Michigan answered with an overtime win, a reminder that they can be pushed if an opponent can keep the game in front of them. Penn State will need that kind of resistance in a rink where it is 7-18-1 all time.
The Nittany Lions do have a few things working in their favor. Their special teams have been a real bright spot.
The power play went 3-for-6 against Notre Dame and is now clicking at 25% for the season. Penn State has scored on the man advantage in six of its last eight games.
The penalty kill has been even better in conference play, leading the Big Ten at 83.8% and going 11-for-12 on league chances.
Still, those units alone won’t be enough if the rest of the game doesn’t tighten up. Penn State has individual pieces that can travel.
Jackson Smith continues to drive offense from the blue line, with 13 points to share the team lead and 10 assists that lead all defensemen nationally. He has points in eight of 10 games and enters with a three-game scoring streak in Big Ten play.
Justin Poirier also has 13 points, with five goals and eight assists, and the Maine transfer has recorded a point in nine games while carrying a career-long seven-game point streak into Ann Arbor.
Reese Laubach has been especially productive against Michigan, with 11 goals and 19 points in 14 meetings. Penn State could use more of that from the senior, especially against a team that took eight of 12 regular-season conference points last year. Freshman Shea Busch added another option by scoring his first two goals against Notre Dame.
There’s enough there for Penn State to make this interesting. The question is whether the Nittany Lions can put it all together for three full periods. Against Michigan, a strong opening only goes so far.
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