By John Fineran
WHO: Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-15-1, 0-10-0 Big Ten for 1 point) vs. Penn State Nittany Lions (14-6-0, 6-4-0 Big Ten for 19 points).
WHEN: Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Pegula Ice Arena (6,014), State College, Pa.
RADIO: WYRX-FM (94.3) and UND.com (Tyler Reidy).
TV/STREAMING: B1G+ Friday, Big Ten Network Saturday.
COACHES: Notre Dame, Brock Sheahan (Notre Dame 2008), 4-15-1 overall in first season at Notre Dame and overall. … Penn State, Guy Gadowsky (Colorado College 1989), 245-206-32 in 14th season at Penn State, 418-404-69 in 26th season.
RANKINGS: Notre Dame is unranked. … Penn State is No. 8 in both the USCHO.com media and USA Hockey/The Rink Live coaches polls.
PREVIEW: The only Division I conference team without a conference victory to its credit, Notre Dame closes out a five-game road span and enters the series having lost its last seven games and 13 of its last 14. The last victory for the Irish, 5-4, came against host Merrimack on Thanksgiving Eve, Nov. 26. Notre Dame then lost 5-3 at Boston College two days later and has been swept by three teams currently residing among the Top 4 of the two polls – No. 2/2 Wisconsin, No. 3/4 Western Michigan and No. 1/1 Michigan.
The Nittany Lions enter the series on a three-game winning streak. After finishing off 2025 with a 2-1 victory at Minnesota on Nov. 22, Penn State was off until Jan. 3 when it suffered a 1-0 loss at RIT. The Nittany Lions came back the next night with a 7-3 victory over RIT at Pegula and last weekend swept the visiting Golden Gophers 3-0 and 5-2.
Both teams will play shorthanded this weekend. Notre Dame will be without junior defenseman and team leading scorer Paul Fischer (5-11-16) both games and freshman defenseman Caeden Carlisle (1-2-3) for Friday’s game after both received five-minute major penalties (cross checking and contact to head, respectively) and game disqualifications during Saturday’s 7-4 loss at Michigan.
Penn State will be without sophomore right wing Braedon Ford (lower leg injury) suffered during last weekend’s series with Minnesota. Three other Nittany Lions are listed as day-to-day: sophomore center and leading scorer Charlie Cerrato (6-18-24), freshman forward Shea Van Olm (2-1-3) and junior defenseman Casey Aman (0-3-3).
RIVALRY: Notre Dame leads 24-12-7 in series which began with 4-4 tie on Feb. 10, 1984 at the Penn State Ice Pavilion. … In games played at State College, Notre Dame is 9-6-5. … Last season, the teams met four times with Notre Dame winning a shootout following a 3-3 tie on Jan. 3, 2025 in the Frozen Confines at Wrigley Field in Chicago followed by a 3-0 loss at Notre Dame two nights later. … The Irish then suffered 5-3 and 3-2 setbacks at Pegula Feb. 14 and 15.
RECAPS: Notre Dame was swept by No. 1 Michigan 5-2 and 7-4 last weekend in Ann Arbor. … Penn State is coming off a 3-0, 5-2 home sweep of Minnesota.
SCOUTING FIGHTING IRISH: With leading scorer Fischer (5-11-16) sidelined, Notre Dame is led by a pair of transfers – junior right wing (from Michigan) Evan Werner (8-7-15) and graduate center Sutter Muzzatti (7-8-15). … They are followed by junior right wing Cole Knuble (3-11-14), junior center and co-captain Danny Nelson (7-5-12), freshman left wing Cole Brown (3-8-11), freshman center Pano Fimis (2-8-10), junior left wing Brennan Ali (4-5-9) and senior defenseman Axel Kumlin (2-7-9). … Five of Nelson’s seven goals have come with Irish on the power play. … Fimis (149-96, .608), Nelson (179-165, .520) and Muzzatti (163-157, .509) lead the team in faceoff-win percentages. … Sophomore defenseman Jimmy Jurcev leads the team in blocked shots with 27 followed by Fischer (25) and Kumlin (20). … Sophomore goaltender Nicholas Kempf has started 18 games for the Irish (4-13-1) and has a 3.80 goals-against average, a saves percentage of .887 and one shutout. … NCAA statistics (through Jan. 12 games): Scoring offense, 2.55 goals per game (49th); scoring defense, 4.25 goals per game (60th); scoring margin, -1.70 goals per game (58th); power-play percentage, 0.283 (15 of 53) (7th); penalty-kill percentage, 0.828 (53 of 64) (22nd); faceoff win percentage, 0.529 (644-573) (11th); penalty minutes per game, 18.45 (3rd); blocked shots, 220 (51st); shots per game, 30.50 (34th); opponent shots per game, 34.15 (14th).
SCOUTING NITTANY LIONS: Cerrato (6-18-24) leads Penn State in scoring followed by junior left wing Matt DiMarsico (10-12-22), sophomore right wing JJ Wiebusch (11-10-21), freshman left wing Gavin McKenna (4-15-19), junior right wing Aiden Fink (3-11-14), junior center Reese Laubach (4-8-12), freshman defenseman Jackson Smith (5-6-11), junior center Dane Dowiak (5-4-9), senior defenseman Jarod Crespo (4-5-9) and junior defenseman Mac Gadowsky (0-7-7), the head coach’s son. … McKenna, who had four goals and 10 assists for Team Canada in its bronze-medal performance at the IIFH Junior World Championship in Minnesota, is considered to be the top prospect for this summer’s 2026 NHL Draft. … Wiebusch leads Nittany Lions with six power-play goals, two more than Smith. … Cerrato (219-148, .597), sophomore center Nicholas Chin-DeGraves (102-98, .510) and freshman center Luke Misa (98-82, .544) lead Penn State in faceoff-win percentage. … Crespo leads the Nittany Lions in blocked shots with 30 followed by Gadowsky (24) and junior defenseman Casey Aman (23). … Kevin Reidler, a 6-foot-7 sophomore from Sweden, and 6-foot-2 freshman Josh Fleming of Montreal share the netminding duties for Penn State. … Fleming has a 1.91 goals-against average, a saves percentage of .938, a 6-3-0 record and two shutouts in nine games, while Reidler has a 2.91 goals-against average, a .911 saves percentage and 8-3 record. … NCAA statistics (through Jan. 12 games): Scoring offense, 3.30 goals per game (19th); scoring defense, 2.60 goals per game (22nd); scoring margin, 0.70 goals per game (18th); power-play percentage, 0.224 (19 of 85) (21st); penalty-kill percentage, 0.888 (71 of 80) (4th); faceoff win percentage, 0.527 (677-607) (15th); penalty minutes per game, 18.90 (2nd); blocked shots, 236 (45th); shots per game, 36.10 (8th); opponent shots per game, 31.90 (25th).
BROCK SHEAHAN ON:
(Suspensions of Fischer and Carlisle) “We can only control what we can control. It’s frustrating to lose Paul. It was not a good penalty to take at the time. It was a contentious game and a good distance from the boards. I thought he’d get one game and he got two. And then Caeden’s penalty is unacceptable and something we addressed as a team. He gets the one game and I thought he’d get two. I thought they (Michigan) would get a supplemental penalty or two on a couple of instances. I’m just happy the league realized that Danny Nelson (who crashed into Michigan goalie Jack Ivankovic) was incidental contact. He’s not a dirty player; he was not trying to injure their goalie.”
(Penn State) “They are a really good hockey team. We’ve had our struggles. We’re continuing to put it together. We’ve had some really good moments; but then we have moments where we continue to fall apart. It’s something we’ve addressed, especially on the defensive side of the puck. Hopefully, it will all start coming together here as soon as possible. Losing Paul hurts – he’s your best defenseman. We have guys who need to step up. I thought (Michael) Mastrodomenico played his best game on Saturday that he’s played all year. Hopefully he can build off that and give us some stability back there. And Drew Mackie will go in … in the minimal times he’s played this year he’s shown that he’s capable. Everybody back there has just got to step up.”
(Penn State’s rotating goaltenders) “Who’s ever in net, we’re going to try and generate as much as possible. We need to spend time in their end; we need to get around the net and get second and third opportunities. In the last four games, we’ve generated a decent number of chances. We have to continue to do that and continue to clean up the defensive side of our game.”
JACKSON HONOR: Former Irish coach Jeff Jackson, who retired after his 20th season at Notre Dame last March, is going to be honored in April by the American Hockey Coaches Association with its John MacInnes Award at the AHCA Convention in Bonita Springs, Fla. The award, named for the late Michigan Tech Hall of Fame coach, recognizes individuals who have championed amateur hockey in addition to having success behind the bench and teams which posted outstanding graduation rates. Jackson, who coached two national champions at Lake Superior State, won 419 games with the Irish, leading them to 12 NCAA tournaments and four Frozen Fours.
NEXT UP: Notre Dame meets Big Ten rival Ohio State at Compton Family Ice Arena Friday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 6 p.m. … Penn State visits Wisconsin Friday, Jan. 23 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, Jan. 24 at 8:30 p.m.
BIG TEN STANDINGS AND SCHEDULE
(Numbers in parentheses are school’s rankings in this week’s USCHO.com media/USA Hockey-The Rink Live coaches polls):
Conference Overall
GP Pts W-L-T-SW-OW-OL GF-GA W-L-T GF-GA
(1/1) Michigan 12 26 9-3-0-0-1-0 53-31 18-4-0 108-47
(2/2) Wisconsin 10 22 8-2-0-0-2-0 49-31 15-3-2 83-48
(8/8) Penn State 10 19 6-4-0-0-0-1 25-27 14-6-0 66-52
(4/3) Michigan St. 10 18 6-4-0-0-1-1 29-18 15-5-0 70-35
(nr/nr) Minnesota 10 13 4-6-0-0-0-1 26-31 8-12-1 60-71
(nr/nr) Ohio State 10 9 3-7-0-0-1-1 31-45 7-12-1 59-69
(nr/nr) Notre Dame 10 1 0-10-0-0-0-1 19-49 4-15-1 51-85
Thursday, Jan. 15
Michigan State at Wisconsin, 9 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Friday, Jan. 16
Notre Dame at Penn State, 7 p.m. (B1G+)
Michigan State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m. (B1G+)
Michigan at Minnesota, 8 p.m. (B1G+)
Saturday, Jan. 17
Notre Dame at Penn State, 8 p.m. (Big Ten Network)
Michigan at Minnesota, 7 p.m. (B1G+, FOX 9)
UPCOMING
Friday, Jan. 23
Ohio State at Notre Dame, 7 p.m.
Minnesota at Michigan State, 7 p.m.
Penn State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 24
Ohio State at Notre Dame, 6 p.m.
Minnesota at Michigan State, 6 p.m.
Penn State at Wisconsin, 8:30 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 30
Bowling Green at Notre Dame 7 p.m.
Michigan State at Penn State, 6 p.m.
Michigan at Ohio State, 6:30 p.m.
Wisconsin at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Saturday, Jan. 31
Notre Dame at Bowling Green, 7 p.m.
Michigan State at Penn State, 1 p.m. (Beaver Stadium)
Michigan at Ohio State, 5 p.m.
Wisconsin at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
THIS WEEK’S SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 15
Big Ten Conference
Michigan State at Wisconsin, 9 p.m.
Friday, Jan. 16
Big Ten Conference
Notre Dame at Penn State, 7 p.m.
Michigan at Minnesota, 8 p.m.
Michigan State at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Atlantic Hockey America
Air Force at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Niagara at Mercyhurst, 7 p.m.
Bentley at Sacred Heart, 7 p.m.
RIT at Canisius, 7 p.m.
Robert Morris at Army, 7 p.m.
CCHA
Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 7:07 p.m.
Lake Superior State at Bowling Green, 7:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at St. Thomas, 8:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Augustana, 8:07 p.m.
ECAC
Yale at RPI, 7 p.m.
Brown at Union, 7 p.m.
St. Lawrence at Harvard, 7 p.m.
Princeton at Cornell, 7 p.m.
Clarkson at Dartmouth, 7 p.m.
Quinnipiac at Colgate, 7 p.m.
Hockey East Association
Massachusetts at Merrimack, 7 p.m.
UMass Lowell at Boston University, 7 p.m.
Vermont at Connecticut, 7 p.m.
Providence at Boston College, 7 p.m.
Northeastern at New Hampshire, 7 p.m.
NCHC
Omaha at Miami, 7:05 p.m.
Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 8 p.m.
Denver at North Dakota, 8:07 p.m.
Non-conference
Stonehill at Lindenwood, 8:10 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Alaska Fairbanks, 11:07 p.m. (Governor’s Cup)
Saturday, Jan. 17
Big Ten Conference
Notre Dame at Penn State, 8 p.m.
Michigan at Minnesota, 7 p.m.
Atlantic Hockey America
Robert Morris at Army, 4 p.m.
Bentley at Sacred Heart, 6 p.m.
Mercyhurst at Niagara, 6 p.m.
Air Force at Holy Cross, 7 p.m.
Canisius at RIT, 7 p.m.
CCHA
Lake Superior State at Bowling Green, 6 p.m.
Minnesota State at Michigan Tech, 6:07 p.m.
Ferris State at Augustana, 7:07 p.m.
Bemidji State at St. Thomas, 8:07 p.m.
ECAC
Brown at RPI, 4 p.m.
Yale at Union, 5 p.m.
Clarkson at Harvard, 7 p.m.
St. Lawrence at Dartmouth, 7 p.m.
Princeton at Colgate, 7 p.m.
Quinnipiac at Cornell, 7 p.m.
Hockey East Association
Vermont at Connecticut, 4 p.m.
Boston University at UMass Lowell, 6:05 p.m.
Merrimack at Massachusetts, 7 p.m.
Boston College at Providence, 7 p.m.
NCHC
Omaha at Miami, 6:05 p.m.
Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 7 p.m.
Denver at North Dakota, 7:07 p.m.
Non-conference
Simon Fraser at Colorado College, 6 p.m. (exhibition)
Stonehill at Lindenwood, 8:10 p.m.
Alaska Anchorage at Alaska Fairbanks, 11:07 p.m. (Governor’s Cup)
Sunday, Jan. 18
Hockey East Association
New Hampshire at Northeastern, 4 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 19
ECAC
Union at Harvard, 4 p.m.
SCHEDULES FOR THE USCHO.COM MEDIA POLL TOP 20 TEAMS AND OTHERS
1. Michigan (Big Ten) (18-4-0) at Minnesota Friday. Next: Saturday at Minnesota; Jan. 30 at Ohio State; Jan. 31 at Ohio State.
2. Wisconsin (Big Ten) (15-3-2) vs. Michigan State Thursday. Next: Friday vs. Michigan State; Jan. 23 vs. Penn State; Jan. 24 vs. Penn State.
3. Western Michigan (NCHC) (16-6-0) is idle this week. Next: Jan. 23 at Minnesota Duluth; Jan. 24 at Minnesota Duluth; Jan. 30 vs. Omaha; Jan. 31 vs. Omaha.
4. Michigan State (Big Ten) (15-5-0) at Wisconsin Thursday. Next: Friday at Wisconsin; Jan. 23 vs. Minnesota; Jan. 24 vs. Minnesota.
5. North Dakota (NCHC) (17-5-0) vs. Denver Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Denver; Jan. 23 at Arizona State; Jan. 24 at Arizona State.
6. Minnesota Duluth (NCHC) (16-6-0) at St. Cloud State Friday. Next: Saturday at St. Cloud State; Jan. 23 vs. Western Michigan; Jan. 24 vs. Western Michigan.
7. Quinnipiac (ECAC) (16-4-2) at Colgate Friday. Next: Saturday at Cornell; Jan. 23 vs. Sacred Heart in CT Ice Tournament at Yale; Jan. 24 vs. Connecticut or Yale in CT Ice Tournament at Yale.
8. Penn State (Big Ten) (14-6-0) vs. Notre Dame Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Notre Dame; Jan. 23 at Wisconsin; Jan. 24 at Wisconsin.
9. Denver (NCHC) (12-9-2) at North Dakota Friday. Next: Saturday at North Dakota; Jan. 23 vs. St. Cloud State; Jan. 24 vs. St. Cloud State.
10. Dartmouth (ECAC) (13-4-0) vs. Clarkson Friday. Next: Saturday vs. St. Lawrence; Jan. 23 at Cornell; Jan. 24 at Colgate.
11. Connecticut (Hockey East) (12-6-3) vs. Vermont Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Vermont; Jan. 23 at Yale in CT Ice Tournament; Jan. 24 vs. Quinnipiac or Sacred Heart in CT Ice Tournament at Yale.
12. Boston College (Hockey East) (11-6-1) vs. Providence Friday. Next: Saturday at Providence; Jan. 23 vs. New Hampshire; Jan. 24 at New Hampshire; Jan. 30 at Boston University.
13. Cornell (ECAC) (11-4-0) vs. Princeton Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Quinnipiac; Jan. 23 vs. Dartmouth; Jan. 24 vs. Harvard.
14. Providence (Hockey East) (11-7-2) at Boston College Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Boston College; Jan. 23 vs. Boston University; Jan. 24 at Boston University; Jan. 31 at Maine.
15. Augustana (CCHA) (14-6-3) vs. Ferris State Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Ferris State; Jan. 24 at Minnesota State; Jan., 30 vs. Lake Superior State; Jan. 31 vs. Lake Superior State.
16. Maine (Hockey East) (12-9-2) is idle this week. Next: Jan. 23 at UMass Lowell; Jan. 24 at UMass Lowell; Jan. 31 vs. Providence.
17. Minnesota State (CCHA) (12-6-5) at Michigan Tech Friday. Next: Saturday at Michigan Tech; Jan. 24 vs. Augustana; Jan. 30 at Ferris State; Jan. 31 at Ferris State.
18. Princeton (ECAC) (11-5-0) at Cornell Friday. Next: Saturday at Colgate; Jan. 23 at Bentley; Jan. 24 at Bentley.
19. St. Thomas (CCHA) (12-7-3) vs. Bemidji State Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Bemidji State; Jan. 23 at Lake Superior State; Jan. 24 at Lake Superior State.
20. Boston University (Hockey East) (11-9-1) vs. UMass Lowell Friday. Next: Saturday at UMass Lowell; Jan. 23 at Providence; Jan. 24 vs. Providence; Jan. 30 vs. Boston College.
Others
Union (ECAC) (13-6-2) vs. Brown Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Yale; Jan. 19 at Harvard; Jan. 24 vs. RPI; Jan. 30 at Dartmouth.
Northeastern (Hockey East) (10-9-0) at New Hampshire Friday. Next: Sunday vs. New Hampshire; Jan. 22 at Merrimack; Jan. 23 at Merrimack; Jan. 30 at Massachusetts.
Michigan Tech (CCHA) (14-8-2) vs. Minnesota State Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Minnesota State; Jan. 23 at Northern Michigan; Jan. 24 vs. Northern Michigan.
New Hampshire (Hockey East) (11-8-0) vs. Northeastern Friday. Next: Sunday at Northeastern; Jan. 23 at Boston College; Jan. 24 vs. Boston College.
Arizona State (NCHC) (12-11-1) is idle this week. Next: Jan. 23 vs. North Dakota; Jan. 24 vs. North Dakota; Jan. 30 at Colorado College; Jan. 31 at Colorado College.
Bentley (Atlantic Hockey) (12-6-2) at Sacred Heart Friday. Next: Saturday at Sacred Heart; Jan. 23 vs. Princeton; Jan. 24 vs. Princeton.
St. Cloud State (NCHC) (11-11-0) vs. Minnesota Duluth Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Minnesota Duluth; Jan. 23 at Denver; Jan. 24 at Denver.
Massachusetts (Hockey East) (10-10-0) at Merrimack Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Merrimack; Jan. 23 at Vermont; Jan. 24 at Vermont.
Bowling Green (CCHA) (11-5-4) vs. Lake Superior State Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Lake Superior State; Jan. 23 at Bemidji State; Jan. 24 at Bemidji State.
Harvard (ECAC) (7-7-1) vs. St. Lawrence Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Clarkson; Jan. 19 vs. Union; Jan. 23 at Colgate; Jan. 24 at Cornell.
Bemidji State (CCHA) (9-10-3) at St. Thomas Friday. Next: Saturday at St. Thomas; Jan. 23 vs. Bowling Green; Jan. 24 vs. Bowling Green.
Miami (NCHC) (12-8-2) vs. Omaha Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Omaha; Jan. 30 at St. Cloud State; Jan. 31 at St. Cloud State.
Colorado College (NCHC) (9-10-3) is idle Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Simon Fraser (exhibition); Jan. 23 at Omaha; Jan. 24 at Omaha.
Merrimack (Hockey East) (10-10-0) vs. Massachusetts Friday. Next: Saturday at Massachusetts; Jan. 22 vs. Northeastern; Jan. 23 vs. Northeastern.
RIT (Atlantic Hockey) (13-9-0) at Canisius Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Canisius; Jan. 23 at Niagara; Jan. 24 vs. Niagara.
Minnesota (Big Ten) (8-12-1) vs. Michigan Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Michigan; Jan. 23 at Michigan State; Jan. 24 at Michigan State.
Ohio State (Big Ten) (7-12-1) is idle this week. Next: Jan. 23 at Notre Dame; Jan. 24 at Notre Dame.
Notre Dame (Big Ten) (4-15-1) at Penn State Friday. Next: Saturday at Penn State; Jan. 23 vs. Ohio State; Jan. 24 vs. Ohio State.
Clarkson (ECAC) (11-11-0) at Dartmouth Friday. Next: Saturday at Harvard; Jan. 23 vs. St. Lawrence; Jan. 24 at St. Lawrence.
Sacred Heart (Atlantic Hockey) (11-7-2) vs. Bentley Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Bentley; Jan. 23 vs. Quinnipiac in CT Ice Tournament at Yale; Jan. 24 vs. Yale or Connecticut in CT Ice Tournament at Yale.
Holy Cross (Atlantic Hockey) (10-8-2) vs. Air Force Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Air Force; Jan. 23 at Robert Morris; Jan. 24 at Robert Morris.
Air Force (Atlantic Hockey) (10-10-2) at Holy Cross Friday. Next: Saturday at Holy Cross; Jan. 30 vs. Sacred Heart; Jan. 31 vs. Sacred Heart.
Lindenwood (Independent) (9-11-0) vs. Stonehill Friday. Next: Saturday vs. Stonehill; Jan. 23 at Alaska Fairbanks; Jan. 24 at Alaska Fairbanks.