Penn State men’s hockey has seen plenty of contributions from its six-man freshman class throughout the 2017-18 season. Cole Hults, Evan Barratt, and Sam Sternschein have all excelled for the Nittany Lions this season, but perhaps the most consistent of the group has been forward Alex Limoges.

Limoges has tallied three goals and nine assists in 25 games played so far this season, but his impact on the team has been felt far beyond the scoresheet. The Winchester, VA native has shown steady growth in his play throughout the season, and could become one of Penn State’s most important forwards. Head coach Guy Gadowsky sees the potential in his No. 9 player.

“I think that he’s a guy that’s gaining confidence and comfort every weekend,” Gadowsky said. “I believe that he will be a go-to-guy in all situations for our team. He is a hockey player; he’s just so strong on the puck, he wins battles, and he’s a winner. He’s always been a winner and I think he’s gained a lot of valuable experience this season which will prove to benefit him greatly in the future and for the rest this season.”

Defenseman Kris Myllari, who has played in all 26 of the Nittany Lions’ games this season, has taken note of the freshman forward’s strong play. The sophomore thinks Limoges is among the most naturally skilled players on the team.

“I think he’s been very good,” said Myllari. “He’s a really talented kid — his hands are arguably some of the best on our team. He’s been extremely good at doing the little things that we need like chipping pucks deep and blocking shots, and those are the things you need to do to win championships.”

Although the line combinations were reshuffled prior to Saturday’s game against Michigan, Guy Gadowsky kept the line of Limoges, Evan Barratt, and Liam Folkes together, a testament to how well the group has played.

“I think my line works really well,” Limoges said. “We keep things simple, but we can put the puck in the net more. I think Coach is trying to shake things up since we haven’t scored much in the past couple games.”

Personally, Limoges feels his game has been good recently, but understands that the team needs to fight through the frustration of a scoring drought and put the puck in the net.

“I feel pretty good,” he said. “The team’s coming together well, and I feel like I’m doing what I need to do, but I could definitely put the puck in the net a little more. You can take [a scoring drought] in one of two ways: You can either learn from it and work harder or you can grip your stick a little tighter and think too much before a scoring chance. Saturday’s game, we had a ton of shots, and that’s how you get out of it. You keep shooting, get back to the basics, go to the net and that’s how you score.”

The Nittany Lions will try to snap a three-game losing skid this weekend when they travel to Madison for a series with No. 18 Wisconsin. Game one of the series starts at 9 p.m. Friday night.