2023 NCAA hockey tournament: What you need to know about Michigan Tech vs. Penn State
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2023 NCAA hockey tournament: Michigan Tech Huskies vs. Penn State Nittany Lions
Matchup: 3-seed Michigan Tech (24-10-4) vs. No. 2 Penn State (21-15-1), NCAA tournament Allentown region first round.
Faceoff: 5 p.m. Friday; PPL Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania.
TV: ESPNU.
At stake: Winner plays Friday’s winner between Michigan and Colgate at 6:30 p.m. Sunday for spot in Frozen Four in Tampa, Florida.
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BIG TEN FINALE:Michigan hockey upsets Minnesota, 4-3, for second straight B1G title
The Husky to know: G Blake Pietila
No, not the forward from Milford who spent four seasons in Houghton (with 46 goals and 60 assists) from 2011-15 before spending parts of four seasons with the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. The two Blakes are cousins — and just two of many, many Pietilas to suit up in black and yellow, including goalie Blake’s twin brother Logan (a forward) and cousin Jed (a defenseman) The Howell product is one of two goalies to make the top 10 in Hobey Baker Award balloting this season. (The 6-foot senior is also in the final three for the Mike Richter Award, given annually to college hockey’s top netminder.) Pietila’s 10 shutouts lead the nation, while his save percentage (.929) is third in the nation, his goals-against average (1.99) is fifth, and his winning percentage (.681) is eighth. His heavy workload — Pietila started 36 of the Huskies’ 38 games so far — could be wearing him down, though; after posting a 1.37 GAA in December, it soared all the way to 2.12 in nine February and March games.
The Nittany Lion to know: F Ture Linden
The Virginia native transferred to Penn State this season after putting up 20 goals and 19 assists in 44 games with RPI last season. His time with the Nittany Lions featured a bit of a dropoff, with just 11 goals and 17 assits, but his 28 points were still good for second on the roster. That was thanks to a strong shooting percentage; Linden connected on 11.5% of his 96 shots. Linden also picked up 18 of his 28 points playing at home this season; although the regional is in Allentown, Penn State is the "host school" and should have plenty of fans in attendance, whouch could give him a boost. Oddly enough, the 6-foot, 200-poound Linden might not even be the best athlete in his family; his great-grandfather, Thure, played professional soccer for 10 years in Sweden.
Ryan Ford’s pick
If the Nittany Lions can score early and force the Huskies to play catch-up, they’ll have the advantage, as MTU averaged just 2.71 goals a game, 36th among 62 teams. That's a big if, though, as Pietila (the goalie, not his twin or his cousin) carries the Huskies to their first NCAA tournament win since 1981. The pick: Michigan Tech 3, Penn State 0.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: 2023 NCAA hockey tournament: What to know about Michigan Tech vs. PSU
