When Alex Limoges visited Penn State men’s hockey’s facilities at Pegula Ice Arena on a recruitment visit years ago, it was a lazy Sunday.

Most of the team wasn’t at the rink, and those who were there were doing homework in the study room. The team didn’t even know a recruit was coming to visit until Limoges showed up. Chase Berger, among others, sat with Limoges on a couch for about 20 minutes. Soon enough, Limoges left, and his visit with the team was over. 

“I found out a week later that he loved it and committed,” Berger said. “He didn’t need a huge experience to get him to come to Penn State. He just liked the guys that he was hanging out with, and even though it wasn’t much, it was enough for him.”

When Limoges looks back at the start of his Penn State career, he remembers joining the program in part due to the university’s strong academic reputation and the close proximity to his hometown of Winchester, Virginia. Since it was only a three-hour drive away, his family was often able to make it to the Nittany Lions home games. But he primarily found his home in the organization due to the people. 

“The coaching staff – and all the staff actually, not just the coaches — really have played a huge part in how I grew at Penn State, as well as some of the players,” Limoges said. “I’d say for the players early on it was Jim Robinson and Chase Berger, who I really looked up to and tried to follow and learn as much from. Two phenomenal leaders and players.”

Limoges was an easy mentee for the duo, as, according to Berger, he really didn’t need much guidance. He was quiet, shy, and humble. A little bit of a “conehead,” at times, but overall a pretty laid-back individual. 

Over his four years with the program, no memory in particular really stands out to Limoges. Maybe when Liam Folkes captured the 2017 Big Ten Tournament Championship for the team with his double-overtime game-winning goal. But otherwise, every moment was an important moment. It’s hard for him to pick just one.

However, being named captain for the 2020-2021 season was one of the biggest highlights of his time with the Nittany Lions.

“It was tough but a lot of fun. I really enjoyed the role, but, of course, with all the hoops we had to go through and COVID, and trying to keep everybody on the same page…That was pretty tough,” Limoges said. “Once the season started and we got going, it just became a lot of fun, and everything kind of took care of itself, really.”

While the team faced many challenges, such as a 34-day hiatus due to a COVID-19 outbreak within the program, it was all worth it because they got to play, according to Limoges.

“Nobody knew coming back. We were just going at it blindly and training in hopes of a season,” Limoges said. “When we finally heard the word that we were going to play, I think that just made everything worth it. Cause that’s all we really wanted to do. We would sacrifice a lot more just to be able to play.”

Limoges found his groove on the ice with former graduate transfer Tim Doherty and freshman Christian Sarlo. Quickly finding chemistry with Limoges, Doherty said they were able to build off of each other with ease.

“He’s just a super player. He’s always in the right spots and kind of made it easy for me, just getting the puck to him, cause he always found a way to get open,” Doherty said. “I thought the biggest thing was that he won all his little one-on-one battles, his puck battles, so he had the puck a lot. It was just kind of a treat playing with him.”

A good pair on the ice, Doherty and Limoges were naturally close friends and roommates off the ice, too.

“I know whenever I had a question, was trying to figure something out, he was the guy I would turn to every time, and he was super good about that stuff,” Doherty said. “Not just with me, but with the freshman…He’s a great leader and definitely a great friend.”

Despite being a messy roommate whose room was always in “shambles,” Doherty said he enjoyed living with Limoges. The two would often cook together before they got meals at the rink and quickly developed a friendship.

“He was one of my best friends, and I think he’ll be a lifelong friend for sure,” Doherty said.

After Limoges signed a professional tryout in March with the San Diego Gulls, the American Hockey League affiliate of the Anaheim Ducks, he left Hockey Valley for Anaheim, California, where the team is playing its 2021 season. 

By leaving his collegiate hockey career behind, Limoges said he’s looking forward to the next chapter in his career. 

“I was very happy and very excited. Obviously, so much was going on, especially with the end of the season…It was just the world of unknowns again, what’s going to happen,” Limoges said. “But when I finally got this opportunity, I was so excited to go and try to learn as much as I can and prove what I can do at the next level. It meant a lot to me. It’s something I’ve been working for my whole life.”

To those close to Limoges, he’s still the same humble, easy-going guy that walked into Pegula Ice Arena four years ago — the one content with hanging out with the team on the couch when he wasn’t even a part of it yet.

“When I was at Penn State, I think he was always a guy that was really good for our culture. He was a guy that wanted to be with his teammates. He wasn’t cocky but didn’t take away from the team,” Berger said. “What I think he’s done really well is he’s kind of been the same guy the whole time. He hasn’t gotten a big head or anything like that. I think he’s just kind of the same dude that came onto campus four years ago.”