2023-2024 Penn State men's hockey report card: vs. Wisconsin

In the penultimate series of the regular season, and the last series at Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State mustered a point in a two-game series against No. 6 Wisconsin.

The Badgers bludgeoned the Nittany Lions 6-0 in Game 1, and squeaked a victory in Game 2 in overtime 3-2.

Here are the grades from the Senior Night series.

Offense: C+

Hot and cold. That has been the story of the Penn State offense this season.

A week after scoring seven goals over two games against the Michigan Wolverines, the blue and white mustered just two tallies in this series, both in Game 2.

A total of 67 shots were thrown at Kyle McClellan, who stopped 65, further boosting his stellar senior resume.

The lasting positive from the offensive side was Ryan Kirwan, who found twine for the first time in 11 games.

If Kirwan can get hot at the right time, the Big Ten tournament, then Penn State’s NCAA Tournament hopes may not be in vain.

Defense: C

Similar to the offense, the blue line has its ups and downs as well.

Friday was total domination from the red and white in all facets of the game, including the defense.

Odd-man rush after odd-man rush forced the Nittany Lions into a deep hole they could never climb out of.

However, Game 2 was a different story, as the back end looked more like the group that was praised by the coaching staff at the beginning of the season.

18 blocked shots were the story in Saturday’s matchup, with the blue and white stifling the shooting lanes all night for the Badgers.

The defense will have to be at its best with the Big Ten Tournament looming around the corner.

Goaltending: B-

Giving up six goals in one game is never ideal as a netminder, but Liam Souliere had yet another solid weekend despite the results.

After getting yanked with under five minutes left in Game 1, Souliere had a dazzling Game 2 performance, with several highlight-reel saves to keep the Nittany Lions within striking distance in the final frame.

Since the Michigan State series, Souliere has gotten the nod in each contest and played like a starting-caliber goaltender ever since.

Coaching/Special Teams: D

Special teams stuck out like a sore spot this weekend for the blue and white.

Scoreless on seven power play attempts combined with going 8-11 on the penalty kill is not a recipe for success, and it proved to be so with a winless Big Ten weekend.

While the Badgers have the second-best penalty-kill in the nation, hovering around nearly 90%, Penn State had a multitude of opportunities to take advantage in both games.

A power play just 60 seconds in during Game 1 and a five-minute power play in Game 2 seemed like a perfect combination for the Nittany Lions to set the tone, but the units just couldn’t get it done.

Time is running out for Guy Gadowsky’s squad to fire on all cylinders, with a miracle Big Ten tournament run needed to make it back to the NCAA Tournament.

Joshua Bartosik is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jsb6137@psu.edu.