No. 12 Penn State men’s hockey is back in the NCAA tournament this weekend.

The Nittany Lions will take on second-seeded Denver in this tournament for the second consecutive season. The Pioneers eliminated Penn State in the Elite Eight last season, but this year’s matchup comes in an earlier round. Guy Gadowsky’s squad should be quite familiar with the majority of Denver’s players, as there was not much turnover for the reigning national champions. Will history repeat itself on Saturday night in Allentown, or can Penn State find a way to avenge last season’s loss?

The General

Denver (22-9-8, 12-6-6 NCHC) is the best No. 2 seed in the tournament field. The Pioneers came in at No. 5 in the final Pairwise rankings of the season, while fellow No. 2 seeds Michigan, Providence, and Minnesota State all finished below them.

Penn State will see a Denver squad that looks awfully familiar when compared to last year’s team. The only significant departure the Pioneers saw was that of defenseman Will Butcher. Butcher has been seamlessly replaced by freshman Ian Mitchell, who leads the team’s defensive unit with 26 points in 39 games. Mitchell and junior Blake Hillman are the unit’s top pair and shined in the NCHC title game, when the Pioneers defeated No. 1 overall seed St. Cloud State, 4-1.

Speaking of that NCHC title game, junior goaltender Tanner Jaillet dazzled in that game, holding the fourth-highest scoring offense in the nation to one goal on 29 shots. Jaillet backstopped the team to a national title last season and hasn’t slowed down since. His 1.85 goals-against average and .929 save percentage ranked fifth and seventh in the nation, respectively, among goaltenders with at least 15 games played.

If Denver’s rock-solid defense and goaltending weren’t intimidating enough, its forward unit is among the most talented in college hockey. Sophomore center Henrik Borgstrom is one of only five 50-point scorers in the NCAA this year, finishing the season with 22 goals and 28 assists. 2018 United States Olympian Troy Terry and 19-goal scorer Jarid Lukosevicius flank Borgstrom on Denver’s top line.

Terry dominated against Penn State in last season’s NCAA regional, registering a hat trick and adding two assists as Denver ended Penn State’s magical 2016-17 season. Borgstrom tallied three assists in that game, while Lukosevicius scored two of the Pioneers’ six goals. Even so, the trio was held scoreless in the NCHC title game against St. Cloud State.

Zeroing In

Penn State certainly has its hands full entering Saturday night’s game. Denver’s balanced offense, extremely strong defense, and elite goaltender will be a lot for the Nittany Lions to handle for all 60 minutes of the game in Allentown.

The most impressive statistic Denver boasts has nothing to do with the stars on offense, though. The Pioneers’ average of 3.31 goals per game is impressive enough to come in at No. 9 in the nation, but the team’s defense ranks behind only Cornell and Clarkson in terms of goals-against per game. Denver has conceded just 2.05 goals per game this season, so it seems like Saturday’s game will be a matchup between an unstoppable force — Penn State’s 3.7 goals per game — and an immovable object.

Staying out of the penalty box will be key for Guy Gadowsky’s squad throughout the game; Denver’s power play is strong and could burn the Nittany Lions’ 81.9 percent penalty killing unit.

Prediction

Guy Gadowsky admitted that Denver beat Penn State fair and square in last year’s NCAA Tournament. After that game, he expressed his desire to get another shot at the Pioneers. He’ll get that shot this weekend.

Denver did slightly downgrade from last year due to Will Butcher’s departure. This isn’t saying much, mostly because the Pioneers were literally the best team in the country last year, but this combined with Penn State’s improvement means we’ll probably see a phenomenal game on Saturday night.

I think Denver’s star power and goaltending will push it over the edge and into the midwest regional final. Denver will pull this one out, 4-2.

If you aren’t taking the three hour trip out to Allentown — where plenty of tickets are still available — you can watch the action on ESPN3. The puck drops at 7 p.m. Saturday.