College Hockey News: Blog » Blog Archive » Three Things I Think: Big Ten, Dec. 8

Last weekend was the first, full slate of Big Ten conference play. Penn State is now first in the conference with a 3-1-0 record. To Minnesota’s credit, they’ve only played two Big Ten games.

Don’t underestimate Penn State

Hopefully you’re not anymore. Yes,Penn State’s early-season record was boosted by a bunch of wins against AHA teams, but the Nittany Lions have been one of the most consistent Big Ten teams.

I just mentioned the offense. Last year, Penn State’s leading scorer was Eric Scheid, who finished the season with 20 points. Now, both Casey Bailey and Taylor Holstrom are each two points away from tying that total. Both those players have surpassed their totals from last season,and David Goodwin is four points away from matching his total. He was the team’s second leading scorer last season.

While Penn State’s record last season wasn’t great, the Nittany Lions were a difficult team to play against. They played well, and a big difference was Penn State’s inability to score.As a young team, the Nittany Lions struggled to win their close games.