While Penn State men’s hockey’s season didn’t quite go as planned, there were still plenty of positives that came out of it. 

Many freshmen found a level of consistency by the end of the year, and the team established some very successful lines. Not every player developed as anticipated, but some surprising names came out of the woodwork to fill the gaps left by the departure of the members of a successful 2020 class.

With much to unpack after an eventful season, here are our grades for Penn State’s 2020-21 season:

Forwards: A-

The start of the Nittany Lions’ campaign was not kind. Through the first five games of the season, the offense put up a combined 10 goals. Captain Alex Limoges and Aarne Talvitie, who were expected to make a large impact right off the bat, had only one goal between them in the first four games. 

As the season went on, the forward group turned the tide and developed some stability. Limoges found chemistry with graduate student Tim Doherty and true freshman Christian Sarlo.

Limoges and Doherty made up two of the top three goal scorers on the team, as Sarlo trailed behind at sixth. Limoges put up a total of 10 goals in 22 games, the most of any player on the team, while also racking up 12 assists. The trio was the most prolific scoring line on the team and had incredible chemistry. 

New York native Kevin Wall came into his own this season, especially during the team’s rocky start. Wall posted 19 points (eight goals, 11 assists) in 22 games and was frequently paired with Talvitie and Connor McMenamin. 

Talvitie put up 13 points this season (seven goals, six assists) in 21 games and was relatively quiet during the first five games of the season. McMenamin posted 15 points (six goals, nine assists) this season in 22 games, racking up five of those (one goal, four assists) during the Nittany Lions’ January 22 matchup with Wisconsin. 

True freshmen, such as Chase McLane, Jared Westcott, and Xander Lamppa were great additions to the forward group. While Lamppa’s point output came in at 17th overall for the team, he was a nice addition to the Limoges and Doherty line before they found chemistry with Sarlo.

Overall, the forward group did a great job, given this season’s circumstances. Without COVID-19 and other various difficulties the program experienced this season, we most likely could have seen a much stronger showing from the offense. 

Defense: B-

During Phase I of the season, the defensive group was seriously struggling. The gang couldn’t find solid chemistry, and while each defenseman showed some of their natural abilities at times, they were never able to consistently bring their A-game.

Paul DeNaples and Clayton Phillips were frequently paired together but couldn’t consistently find that spark. Phillips led all defensemen in goals, putting up seven points in 20 games (three goals, four assists.) In 22 games played, DeNaples put up one point with an assist. While stats aren’t always indicative of a defenseman’s performance, it’s clear the duo, notably DeNaples, was underwhelming at times.

True freshman Jimmy Dowd Jr. came in sixth in overall team assists with eight and put up two goals, trailing Phillips and coming in second among all defensemen in scoring. Dowd led all defensemen with 10 points and stood out this season. He played an offensive game and had great chemistry with forward Talvitie. 

Overall, the defensive group was the weakest of all positions and struggled to find chemistry early on. The group allowed 34 shots to find the back of the net through the first eight games of the season and while not all the blame can be put on the defensive group, it does say much about their performance early on. Toward the middle of the season, the group looked stronger, but nothing compared to last year’s defense

Goaltending: B

At the start of the season, it was a toss-up between whether Oskar Autio or Liam Souliere would be between the pipes. Autio very quickly became the program’s go-to, however, and finished with a .894 save percentage, 9-9 record, and goals-against average of 3.13. 

Autio’s save percentage isn’t awful, but he wasn’t always unstoppable in the net. He made some fantastic, jaw-dropping saves but would make some first-year starter mistakes at times. Autio has a strong base to improve upon, but inconsistency is what he’ll need to focus on.

Souliere played in five games and posted an .844 save percentage, 1-3 record, and 4.60 goals-against average. The true freshman hasn’t played enough for us to really get a sense of his game, especially considering this season’s events. To be fair, the team wasn’t playing well overall during the beginning of the season when he started most of his games. 

A solid B feels right for goaltending. Peyton Jones’ absence can definitely be felt, and Autio and Soulière have had trouble filling his large shoes. But all-in-all, Autio did the best he was able to and, at times, looked very comfortable in the net.