After an up-and-down 2020-21 season, Penn State’s defense will need to perform more consistently if it wants to bounce back in 2021-22.
The Nittany Lions found themselves ranked near the bottom in most defensive team statistics this past season.
They ranked sixth out of seven teams in scoring defense and allowed the second-most goals of any team in the conference despite playing the least amount of games.
A major contributor to Penn State’s less-than-superb defense was its steep drop off in special teams, specifically when it came to the penalty kill.
Two seasons ago in 2019-20, however, the blue and white ranked first in the conference in penalty kill percentage.