Men's hockey to play UCONN

Once again the Nittany Lions will be facing an opponent from Atlantic Hockey when they face UConn in Storrs, Conn. tonight and tomorrow night. Both games are slated to start at 7:05 p.m.

Penn State currently holds a 4-6 record against opponents from the AHA.

The Huskies (5-8-2, 4-6-1 Atlantic Hockey) are coming off a holiday tournament split as hosts of the 20th Annual UConn Hockey Classic. They beat American International College, 7-2, before dropping the championship matchup to No. 18 Minnesota State, 3-1.

UConn has three players tied for the team lead in goals. Sean Ambrosie, Trevor Gerling, and Cody Sharib each have four goals.

The Huskies have also been outscored by their opponents 39-29. On special teams, they are also 5-for-58 on the power play and 7-for-58 on the penalty kill.

Bryce Johnson leaves team

Johnson's departure was announced Thursday via the team's Twitter page. Head coach Guy Gadowsky said Johnson left the team for personal reasons.

Johnson could not be reached for comment Friday.

In nine games, Johnson was unable to record a point and had a plus/minus rating of minus-four. The Iowa native's last game was in a 3-2 loss to Robert Morris on Dec. 15.

Halfway Mark

With 18 games played and 18 games left on the schedule, the Nittany Lions reached an 8-9-0 record against NCAA opponents in addition to a weekend series split with Arizona State of the ACHA. The Lions also went 2-1-0 against NCAA Division III opponents.

Penn State will also have another game in an NHL arena when it hosts Vermont at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Jan. 19.

Six of the remaining games will be exhibitions while the Lions will play four road games against Big Ten opponents - Jan. 25 and 26 at Michigan State and Feb. 24 and 25 at Wisconsin. Penn State will also host a fellow independent in Alabama-Huntsville Feb. 8 and 9.