Penn State Hockey drops the puck against Mercyhurst in another Thursday/Friday series, beginning on Oct. 13.

The Nittany Lions started off the season scorching offensively, putting up 12 goals in an opening weekend sweep against Canisius.

Penn State Hockey certainly has plenty of momentum to do it all over again, the Lions are 2-1 all-time against Mercyhurst.

Two things stood out for the Nittany Lioons to look for in this series:

·       The Lions have averaged 6 goals per game when playing the Lakers.

·       Record comparison last season, Lions (17-20-1) vs. Lakers (16-19-4).

Mercyhurst has yet to win a game this season, getting swept by both Ohio State and RPI in an overtime thriller this past Saturday. I believe Mercyhurst will be 0-6 after Friday night, when the Lions keep the offense pouring, keeping that six-goal average alive.

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Sophomore Sensations

Ryan Kirwan – Penn State – Forward

An outstanding (3 goals, 2 assists) opening weekend for the sophomore, Kirwan is flourishing right now. His linemates Ture Linden and Kevin Wall each matched him with five points total. The sophomore couldn’t stop scoring goals last weekend, coming off a stellar 26-point freshman campaign. He positions himself very well, creating a lot of opportunities around the net. Kirwan could easily surpass his career high 13 goals with his new linemates this year, I predict he will hit the 18-goal mark.

Carson Briere – Mercyhurst – Forward

Carson is a dual-citizen sophomore playing forward for the Mercyhurst Lakers. He is also the son of former National Hockey League player Daniel Briere, who scored more than 300 goals in 973 career games. His father began his NHL career in Phoenix before going off to Buffalo, Philadelphia, Montreal, and Colorado. Now developing into a post-career management position with the Philadelphia Flyers. Carson leads the Lakers in points through four games (1 goal, 2 assists). He’s a smaller forward just like his father, standing at 5-9 and using his speed to create plays.

Prediction:

Penn State Sweeps 2-0