Blue White Illustrated

F ollowing a three-week midseason layoff, the Penn State men's ice hockey team resumed its campaign in January with a two-game sweep of Niag- ara at Pegula Ice Arena and a win over Robert Morris in Pittsburgh. The Nittany Lions were 16-6 heading into a two-game series against visiting Michigan Jan. 17-18 and were tied with Boston College for fifth place in the all- important Pairwise rankings, which are used to determine NCAA tournament seedings. Penn State also occupied the driver's seat in the Big Ten prior to its se- ries against the Wolverines. The second half of the year is shaping up to be a compelling one for Guy Gadowsky and company, so here's what to watch for as Penn State's stretch run gets under way: BIG TEN TITLE CHASE Gadowsky has an oversized checklist of program goals hanging up on a wall inside his office. Heading out of the break, Penn State is in position to add another checkmark. The Lions were perched in first place in the Big Ten as of mid-January, two points ahead of Michigan State and Ohio State, which sat tied for second. It's a unique position. For all the accom- plishments it can claim in its first seven- plus years of Division I hockey, Penn State has never truly contended for a regular- season Big Ten title. The Lions' highest finish in the conference is third place, and they've only ever come within eight points of the conference's top spot. Penn State will likely need to hold its own on the road to defend its position at the top of the standings. Trips to both Ohio State and Michigan State remain on the schedule, with both of those foes having earned series splits in Happy Valley earlier this season. DEFENSIVE STRIDES At this point a sea- son ago, Penn State ranked 55th in the country, allowing 3.68 goals per game. Only four teams had allowed more goals on average when they took the ice. A year later, the Nittany Lions have shaved 1.42 goals off that average. They were the third-best defensive team in the Big Ten heading into the Michigan series and ranked in the top third nationally, surrendering 2.27 goals per game. Diagnosing the cause of a team's defen- sive improvement is always tough be- cause of the weight a solid goaltending effort can hold. Indeed, senior netminder Peyton Jones is on pace for the best sea- son of his career. His .926 save percentage through 19 games was 19 points better than his .905 effort during his sophomore season, his previous career best. Jones has been excellent, but the first half of the season didn't feel like an exer- cise in goaltending heroism. Penn State's defensive corps is as talented as it's ever been, and the Nittany Lions installed a new defensive system in the off-season that seems to be paying dividends. Perhaps there's some numerical evi- dence of that trend in opponents' shot counts against the Nittany Lions. Last season, Penn State allowed 33.13 shots on goal per game to rank 50th in the country. This year, as of mid-January, that average was down to 30.36, good for 35th nation- ally. If Penn State can continue to keep op- ponents off the scoreboard, all of its team objectives should remain in reach. THE BIG LINE There can be little doubt that Alex Limoges, Evan Barratt and Liam Folkes form the most dangerous line Penn State has ever iced. They were first cob- bled together in the middle of the 2017-18 season, and they've been terrorizing op- ponents ever since. Folkes is a senior, while Limoges, a jun- ior, will likely have NHL suitors as an un- drafted free agent. As for Barratt, also a junior, The Athletic reported over the summer that "the original plan" after the Blackhawks drafted him was for him to play three seasons of college hockey be- fore turning pro. Put more simply: Folkes is gone after this year. Barratt and Limoges will have options. So the last portion of this season pres- ents one last chance for Penn State fans to see these three in action together. What they can do with that chance will be one of the storylines that defines Penn State's season. SUCESE'S SUCCESS Nate Sucese had al- ready claimed one weighty Penn State record earlier this season, becoming the program's all-time leading goal-scorer by surpassing Andrew Sturtz's previous total of 54. He was up to 58 goals heading into the Michigan series, with plenty of time to pad that lead. In the Nittany Lions' 6-2 victory over Robert Morris on Jan. 11, Sucese had three assists to become the program's leader in THE PLOT THICKENS Here are the storylines that will define the next phase of Penn State's hockey season | VARSITY VIEWS NATE SUCESE Ryan Snyder

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