The Michigan Wolverines are fresh off back-to-back wins over No. 13 Minnesota — the first sweep of the Golden Gophers since 1991.

The victories helped the Wolverines squeak back into the rankings, coming in at No. 20 on Monday. They’ll look to build on a fitting 10-10-2 record strung together from inconsistent play this weekend in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michigan checks in at 2in the latest @USCHO poll! #GoBlue pic.twitter.com/BFyKMvQV07

— Michigan Hockey (@umichhockey) January 15, 2018

Visiting No. 12-ranked Penn State contributed to that inconsistency in late October, when the two teams split a series as the Nittany Lions got off to a slow start.

FloHockey will stream the second game of the series live on Saturday at 7 PM EST.

The Nittany Lions have been virtually unstoppable since mid-November, going 8-1-2 since consecutive losses to No. 6 Notre Dame. They are coming off of their lone loss in that streak — a 5-1 thrashing from No. 6 Ohio State last Saturday.

“It’s hard to score goals without the puck,” coach Guy Gadowsky told the Daily Collegian's Benjamin Feree after the loss. “There [are] 60-plus faceoffs a night and if you start with possession on a majority of those, you’re giving yourself a good chance.”

Gadowsky’s squad went 23-for-60 on faceoffs in the game and, as a result, played most of it in their own zone. Playing without the puck is not the Nittany Lions’ game plan — they lead all Division I teams with 96 goals on the season.

Faceoffs will likely be a big part of the team’s practice routine this weekend, and checking may be another.

Last Saturday, leading scorer Andrew Sturtz was tossed after a dangerous, uncharacteristic hit on Ohio State’s Janik Moser. A week prior, the team’s top defenseman in Trevor Hamilton was thrown out after a hit against Wisconsin.

It goes without saying a team is at its best with its best players on the ice. If a quick touch on the fundamentals of a safe hit will help, Gadowsky should absolutely make a note.

In the last matchup, Michigan’s stars led the way in the near-sweep of the Nittany Lions. A 5-4 overtime loss was nearly Michigan’s to have, and they proved they had the ability the next day.

Cooper Marody (1 G, 5 A, 6 pts.), Dexter Dancs (3 G, 2 A, 5 pts.), and Tony Calderone (2 G, 2 A, 4 pts.) proved too much for the Lions defense in the November meetings and will look to cause trouble again.

The three combined for six points (3 G, 3 A) in the sweep of Minnesota last weekend.

“I think things started for us the week before,” coach Mel Pearson told Paula C. Weston of USCHO.com. “We played Notre Dame and we played two real good games with them. That gave our team some confidence. I think we learned how we need to play and how we need to compete.”

Over the past two weekends, Pearson’s team has made a point to start on time. The Wolverines have scored a collective six first period goals in their last four games.

A fast start and full effort will go along way in Michigan’s continued dedication to playing the right way.

Don’t miss game two, which will be streamed live right here on Saturday at 7 PM.

By Jacob Messing

Have a question or a comment for Jacob? You can find him on Twitter @JMessing23.