Off to a 4-1 start to begin the season, Penn State men’s hockey has gotten production from up and down its lineup in nearly every facet of the game. Perhaps the biggest reason for this early season success, however, can be attributed to the Nittany Lions’ strong play on the penalty kill.

Penn State is a perfect 23-for-23 on the penalty kill, and the Roar Zone’s chant of “we’re always at full strength…except when we’re not,” continues to ring true. Simply put, the Nittany Lions have been dominant when playing down a skater.

Opponents have mustered just 22 shots on goal throughout the combined 23 power play opportunities. Additionally, the Nittany Lions have scored three short-handed goals in five games, including one by Jarod Crespo in game two of the team’s series against St. Lawrence.

“The kill has been great,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “Coach [Juliano] Pagliero deserves a ton of credit, as does our goaltender, and we’ve had a great one so far.”

Coming into its series against the Nittany Lions, St. Lawrence boasted a power play that ranked among the best in the nation as it converted eight out of 23 attempts with the man advantage, good for a 34.7% conversion rate. After an 0-7 weekend on the power play against Penn State, the Saints’ conversion rate dropped to 26.7%.

In its one game against No. 12 Quinnipiac, Penn State killed all three of the Bobcats’ power play opportunities, allowing just one shot. Like St. Lawrence, Quinnipiac boasts an impressive power play, converting at a 27% clip this season.

“I think it’s just a lot of chemistry,” Cade Christenson said. “We like to be an aggressive penalty kill when the time comes. We use a lot of motion, and we have to talk a lot to make sure everybody understands who they have and what their job is.”

With a weekend series against No. 4 Minnesota looming, the Nittany Lions will need another weekend of strong penalty killing if they wish to leave Minneapolis with a pair of wins. Like St. Lawrence and Quinnipiac, the Golden Gophers offer another challenge for Penn State as they have converted just under 24% of their power play opportunities through six games.

“The penalty kill has been pretty good so far and could be a big momentum piece for us,” Simon Mack said. “Being hard to play against is important, everybody has been doing their job.”