UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa (WTAJ) After nearly three weeks off, Penn State returns to action Friday playing Michigan Tech in the opening round of the NCAA Hockey Tournament.

After mustering just three goals against Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament, Penn State faces another difficult defense. The Huskies allow just 2.11 goals-per-game, fourth best in the nation.

Starting goalie Blake Pietila is third in the nation, turning away 93-percent of shots.

“They are an excellent defensive team and you reference their goaltender I think is second in wins, third in save percentage, something like that,” said head coach Guy Gadowsky. “But the way that you score against how we do it is not we’re looking at him and spit and picking out a specific hole in his game. It’s making sure we do what we have to do to to get as many opportunities as possible.”

This is Penn State’s third trip to the NCAA Tournament and first since 2018. Penn State is 1-2 all-time in tournament games.