Why Penn State men’s hockey is optimistic heading into Wisconsin face off, despite losses

No Big Ten Conference hockey team has fewer conference victories than Penn State, and even a sweep of visiting Wisconsin this weekend would not lift the Nittany Lions out of last place in the standings, but the team insists it has reason for optimism going forward.

“We’re definitely improving. We’re definitely going in the right direction,” coach Guy Gadowsky said.

Two losses against third-ranked Michigan on the road last week, which extended the team’s losing streak to four games, affirmed his perspective that Penn State has improved greatly since the start of the season.

“(The players) were extremely disappointed, as were the coaches, but it didn’t take long to look at the big picture and what this year is about to be happy with the performance,” Gadowsky said. “We looked at it like we played a really, really good road game in a tough place to play and if we can duplicate that our wins will come.”

Duplicating it requires a lot, from limiting penalties and odd-man rushes to finding some sort of ever-elusive consistency. As the team has struggled, there has never been one ongoing factor or problem. Plus, addressing one thing invariably leads to something else that needs attention.

Penn State allows a conference-worst 3.04 goals per game and its penalty kill is next-to-last.

At the same time, the team’s four consecutive losses have come by a combined five goals. They’re not getting blown out, nor are they far from securing some W’s on a more regular basis.

Gadowsky believes intangibles mean more than the record — and more than anything else — this season, though. He said the team’s leadership has improved and a more team-first mindset made the effort at Michigan possible.

His “big picture” requires a significant change from last season when Penn State finished in fifth place in the conference with an 10-12 overall record — under .500 for the first time since the 2013-14 season.

“Last year, going through what we did, we really took a lot of steps back and we need to get it back,” he said, pointing specifically to an appreciation for the environment of Penn State hockey, and pride and value in the university’s educational options, as well as the support of fans. “That’s it. That’s No. 1, what this year’s about.”

Penn State (12-12-0, 3-11-0 Big Ten) vs. Wisconsin (8-13-3, 5-8-1)

Series: 7 p.m. Friday, 6 p.m. Saturday

Radio/TV: 103.1 FM and GoPSUsports.com

Notable: The teams split a series earlier this season at Wisconsin. … Penn State dropped a pair of games on the road to third-ranked Michigan last weekend while Wisconsin swept Michigan State. … Defensive-minded Wisconsin leads the conference in blocks (347) but ranks last in several offensive categories, including goals scored (51), assists (77) and power-play percentage (15 of 89, .169). … The series concludes with the annual Wear White Game on Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena.