The Big Ten Hockey Tournament starts this Thursday, and Penn State might have a little more confidence heading into its matchup with Wisconsin. Conference awards were announced and four Nittany Lions are among the honorees.

Eamon McAdam and Vince Pedrie were named to the All-Big Ten Second Team for their work keeping the puck out of the net. McAdam was tied for third among conference goaltenders with six wins, he was second with a 3.15 goals-against average, and was first with a .913 save percentage. The New York Islanders draft pick trailed Minnesota freshman Eric Schierhorn in GAA, and the Golden Gopher was the goaltender on the First Team.

Pedrie, a freshman defenseman, stood out among a number of star freshmen for the Nittany Lions. Kevin Kerr was a solid new face on the blue line and Derian Hamilton played well in limited action, but Pedrie’s program-record eight goals by a defenseman were enough to earn him a spot on the Second Team and All-Freshman Team.

Junior forward David Goodwin was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention for his team-leading 34 points. He spent most of the year on the top line alongside David Glen and Andrew Sturtz, matching his output last year playing alongside two of the best players in Penn State history, Casey Bailey and Taylor Holstrom. Goodwin is the Nittany Lions’ all-time leader in points and has another year of eligibility to add to his total.

A representative from each team also won the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. Penn State’s was Luke Juha, who was also nominated for the Hobey Baker award.

Michigan had the most award winners with 10, Minnesota had seven, Ohio State and Penn State tied with four, Michigan State had two, and Wisconsin had one.

Tournament play begins Thursday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. at the Xcel Energy Center and on the Big Ten Network. No. 3 Penn State plays No. 6 Wisconsin with the winner moving on to play Michigan, and the winner of that will move on to the finals.