No. 20 Penn State men's hockey looks to kick off new year on right foot against No. 8 Michigan State

“It’s go time.”

That was the message this week as No. 20 Penn State gets set to battle No. 8 Michigan State in the first of several crucial second-half series.

The Nittany Lions currently sit 17th in the PairWise rankings, right on the bubble for making their second consecutive NCAA appearance.

“We’ve got some tough stretches coming down the road here,” Aiden Fink said. “But we have to go game by game, the mentality has to be to compete every night.”

The blue and white showed their competitiveness against Army, overcoming a slow start and mounting a four-goal comeback, the largest in program history.

The slow starts have been a killer for Penn State this season, boasting a 2-4-3 record when the opposing team finds twine first.

“I think there’s a lot of seriousness and urgency around the way we’re starting these games,” captain Christian Berger said. “It’s just Big Ten the rest of the way so we’ve got to take advantage of everything because we’re going to need a lot of points in the second half.”

Penn State currently sits sixth in the Big Ten with 11 points, while the Spartans find themselves solely in second place.

Michigan State has boosted itself from a sixth-place Big Ten finish last year thanks to key contributions from transfers such as Red Savage, Joey Larson and Gavin O'Connell

The green and white come into this series with a bit of gold to boast, as both goaltender Trey Augustine and forward Isaac Howard won a gold medal at the IIHF World Junior Championship in Sweden over the winter break.

Augustine and Howard have been stout in the United States as well, as Augustine has a 2.97 goals-against average and a .916 save percentage.

It’s been the polar opposite for Penn State, as the netminding duo of Liam Souliere and Noah Grannan has combined for the worst save percentage in the nation, one year removed from being in the top 20.

“It’s something we are very disappointed with and have to change,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “If we can change that, that’s what has to be done [to make the tournament].”

Despite the goaltending woes, the Nittany Lions offense has been scorching all season long, averaging nearly four goals a game.

The offense stayed hot against Army, as Ryan Kirwan netted his first-career hat trick and Fink had two goals, including the game-winner.

This series features a handful of infamous lines, including the Kid Line of the blue and white, currently with 58 points on the season.

The Kid Line, named that due to the trio of freshmen of Fink, Matt DiMarsico and Reese Laubach, will go against the Sophomore Line of the Spartans, which features Howard, Karsen Dorwart and Daniel Russel, which has amassed 55 points in 18 games.

With so much on the line in the final 14 games of the season, Penn State will look to kick off the second half in an unfamiliar fashion, with a series victory.

“Everyone in this room thinks we’re going to the [NCAA] tournament,” Berger said. “And that’s the goal.”

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