Back in early December, Penn State men’s hockey departed Columbus after being swept by the Ohio State Buckeyes in a series where the Nittany Lions scored just two goals in two games. Neither game felt particularly competitive, as head coach Guy Gadowsky’s group was outshot 69-51 and outscored 8-2.

This weekend, the same Buckeyes come to town.

“Analytically, it was the worst weekend we played,” Gadowsky said. “We think we have a lot more to say about that, and we’re very hungry to prove that we can do a better job on the ice. In the first game, we lost our focus and started being negative, and this is a perfect example to see if we learned anything.

Fresh off of a sweep against Canisius in the team’s final out-of-conference series, Penn State begins a stretch where it will face off against the best teams in the Big Ten, Ohio State being the first.

“I think guys got down on themselves early, and it was not the most positive atmosphere that we’ve been used to,” forward Dylan Lugris said. “For this weekend coming up, I think we’ve been turning a corner for the second half. If we stay positive on the bench and keep picking each other up on the bench, I think it’s going to be a lot different.”

Since the series in December, the Buckeyes have continued to cement themselves as one of the top teams in college hockey. Ranked No. 9 in the latest USCHO national poll, Ohio State has split consecutive series with fellow top-10 teams in Michigan and Minnesota.

Ohio State is among the best in the Big Ten at keeping the puck out of its net and limiting scoring chances. The Buckeyes rank at the top of the conference in goals against, allowing just 27 goals across Big Ten play so far. Additionally, they rank first in shots on goal against by more than 30 with 352.

For a team like Penn State, which ranks seventh in the Big Ten with just 33 goals scored in conference play, scoring will be at a premium. However, Ohio State’s defensive prowess will not change the game plan for the Nittany Lions. Lugris noted how the team “does not want to put a team on a pedestal” and wants to do what it does best.

“It’s not do differently. It’s do better,” Gadowksy said about the last Ohio State series. “We lost net front battles both nights, and that’s something important to us that we didn’t do well at all. If we’re gonna have any success offensively, that’s going to be part of it.”

Forward Nicholas DeGraves shared a similar sentiment with his head coach and his teammate.

“I think at some points this year in conference, we’ve been very perimeter,” DeGraves said. “Getting bodies to the net and creating traffic has been a big focus of ours recently, and we have to really focus on that.”

On the backs of goaltender Arsenii Sergeev and forward Aiden Fink, Penn State has played its best hockey of the season as of late, and its star players must show up if the Nittany Lions hope to upset the Buckeyes.

In December’s series against Ohio State, Sergeev was sidelined due to injury and Fink tallied just one assist across both games. With both players slated to play this weekend in front of a home crowd, Penn State has the opportunity to make some noise.

“It’s going to be a fun one,” Fink said. “I know Pegula is going to be pretty packed this weekend, so we’re definitely excited.”