Penn State hockey senior Nate Sucese has been a model of consistency throughout his college career, and that paid off in a big way on Saturday night in Minneapolis.

Sucese tipped an Evan Bell point shot into the back of the net to tie the Nittany Lions’ second contest against Minnesota 3-3 midway through the second period. The goal was Sucese’s first since November 1, and he passed Andrew Sturtz’s record of 54 goals to become Penn State’s all-time leading goal scorer.

If breaking the record and getting that 55th goal wasn’t enough, Sucese added a big insurance tally in the third period to extend Penn State’s lead to 5-3. The victory gave the Nittany Lions their first-ever sweep against Minnesota on the road.

“It was a relief, honestly. I hadn’t scored in a few games, so I think it was in the back of my mind a little bit — maybe too much,” Sucese said. “To get over the hump and get another one was relieving, and I’m super proud of my accomplishment and ready to build on it.”

“You have to give him so much credit,” head coach Guy Gadowsky added. “His mentality to produce consistently is awesome. You have to admire and respect his mental toughness to produce in every type of game and whoever he’s playing with is awesome. That’s a great accolade, and he really deserves it.”

When it comes to scoring, the senior center has been one of the most consistent players in program history. He’s never finished a season with fewer than 14 goals or 29 points in a single season, and the center is currently on pace to smash his career-high total of 37 points that he set last season.

Sucese was part of the Nittany Lions’ dazzling freshman class of 2016 that carried the team to its first-ever Big Ten title. His first career goal came in his college debut in a 6-3 defeat to St. Lawrence at Pegula Ice Arena, but the good times would soon begin to roll for the then-freshman. The former Dubuque Fighting Saint posted his first multi-goal effort in the team’s next game — a 7-0 victory over Mercyhurst — and he put up four points in a game for the first time on one of college hockey’s grandest stages.

Penn State made its NCAA tournament debut against Union after winning the Big Ten, and Sucese made up for goalless outings in the Big Ten semifinal and final by scoring twice and adding two helpers in Penn State’s emphatic 10-3 win over Union.

Although the following season was, statistically, Sucese’s worst as a Nittany Lion (14 goals and 15 assists aren’t bad, though), he did become the sixth Nittany Lion to post a hat trick when he did so in a 5-1 win over Wisconsin on January 5.

As far as particular situations are concerned, Sucese isn’t much of a special teams ace for the Nittany Lions. Seven of his 56 career goals have come on the power play, and he also has five power play goals to his name.

One of Sucese’s best-ever goals earned the No. 2 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays last season. He toe-dragged the puck right through Michigan’s Joseph Cecconi — one of the Wolverines’ top shutdown defenders — and slipped a backhand shot beyond goaltender Strauss Mann. The moment, however, just might’ve been ruined by the “Sucese was successful” pun that would make even those who love dad jokes the most cringe, but I digress.

Nate Sucese‘s highlight-reel goal made him the second @PennStateMHKY player to earn the No. 2 spot on @SportsCenter’s top 10 plays this season. https://t.co/VviY5yyzk8 pic.twitter.com/YTRFBLpOIj

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 18, 2018

The scariest part about Sucese’s record is just how high he can go. Penn State still has 23 regular season games to play on top of a minimum of two Big Ten tournament contests and whatever might lie after that.

The Nittany Lions will host No. 11 Ohio State at Pegula Ice Arena this weekend. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. Friday and 6 p.m. Saturday in Hockey Valley.