Penn State hockey moved up four spots to No. 9 in this week’s USCHO poll. The team also received a first-place vote in this week’s poll.

The Nittany Lions swept Sacred Heart with 8-2 and 5-4 victories in their first series of the 2019-20 regular season. Guy Gadowsky’s program last got a first-place vote in the poll on October 29 of last season, but before that, the team was last ranked No. 1 in the nation by at least one voter in January 2017. The team spent one series as the top team in all of college hockey during the 2016-17 season.

As usual, Penn State got plenty of offense throughout its first series of the season. Junior defenseman Cole Hults scored four goals in both games, and he became the first blueliner in program history to record a hat trick on Friday night. Hults’ three-goal effort was also the eighth hat trick and the first to take place on opening night in Penn State hockey history.

Senior goaltender Peyton Jones was also excellent in goal throughout the weekend — aside from a shaky third period on Saturday afternoon. Jones made 29 saves on Friday before stopping 35 shots on Saturday, and he picked up his 60th career win to cap off the series. Head coach Guy Gadowsky also won his 300th game as an NCAA head coach on Saturday afternoon.

No. 9 Penn State (2-0-0) will host Alaska-Fairbanks for a two-game set on October 17 and 18. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. Thursday and Friday back at Pegula Ice Arena.