Goalie Peyton Jones left some mighty-large shoes to fill when he left Penn State men’s hockey after his senior season last year.

Months later, freshman Liam Soulière joined the program with high hopes, and the team expected a battle for the starting spot between him and junior Oskar Autio.

After Autio won six of his last seven games and led in goals against average (GAA), save percentage, and wins, it appears Penn State has found its main man between the pipes moving forward.

Similar to the entire team, Autio did not get off to the best start this season. The junior goalie let in four or more goals in three of his first four starts with a GAA of 4.25. Don’t be deceived by the numbers, though, as Autio was left out to dry in many of the games at the beginning of the season with poor defense.

Nevertheless, the let-downs prompted a debate surrounding the starting job, as Soulière put up similar numbers throughout his first four starts.

Autio’s season began to turn around after the team’s first win over Michigan. Since then, Autio has averaged two goals against in his last six games, including a 23-save shutout win over Michigan State two weeks ago. He’s also made four consecutive starts in goal.

Additionally, Autio was named the Big Ten third star of the week after the team’s series against Michigan State. It then became even more clear that he would carry the majority of starts moving forward.

Oskar Autio says no with an unreal pad save!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/IopVLVZxC9

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) January 8, 2021

Even though the defense that plays in front of Autio has also significantly improved throughout the season, head coach Guy Gadowsky still praised the goaltender’s recent play.

“I thought he’s been excellent,” Gadowsky said after Penn State’s overtime victory over Michigan State. “I have been very happy with his play. We certainly could believe we deserved to win that game, but he still had to come up with a few big ones at important times. I think Oskar is doing his job. He’s giving us a chance to win.”

Penn State’s captain, Alex Limoges, had similar words to say after Friday’s game, noting he believed the team had found its go-to goaltender.

“I think Oskar has been a man on a mission throughout the past couple of games,” Limoges said. “Tonight, it was the same thing as the last series against Ohio State. He came up and made big saves to keep us in it. It doesn’t go unnoticed, especially on the bench. I think we found it, and I think he’s earned it.”

Autio is no stranger to success while starting four games last year as a solid backup to Peyton Jones. The Finnish goaltender boasted a record of 2-1-1 with two shutouts, a 1.87 GAA, and a .930 save percentage last season. Autio also dominated junior hockey for the Chicago Steel in the USHL while making 46 total appearances for the team prior to his career at Penn State.

This doesn’t mean that Liam Soulière is completely out of the rotation, though. Despite owning a 4.37 GAA and .850 save percentage, the freshman goalie has still shown flashes of brilliance in his four games started as the team still has high hopes for what he can do in the future. With Autio starting six of Penn State’s last eight games, Soulière might make an appearance this weekend if Autio needs rest.

The Nittany Lions will continue their homestand against No. 12 Wisconsin on Thursday, January 21. Gadowsky has not announced a starting goaltender just yet, but we’ve now got a good idea who’ll start.