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‘Arsenii Is Super Easy To Play In Front Of’: Goaltender Arsenii Sergeev Leads Penn State Men’s Hockey To Success In Return From Injury

It’s no secret the first half of the season did not go as planned for the Penn State men’s hockey. Before entering Wrigley Field for its opening game of the second half, Penn State secured just one out of 16 possible points in Big Ten play and was without its star goaltender, Arsenii Sergeev, for much of that stretch.

Then, in front of the largest crowd Penn State has played in front of to date, Sergeev led the Nittany Lions onto the ice against Notre Dame and delivered. The goaltender made 43 saves on 46 shots faced en route to a shootout loss, but this was Penn State’s first point against a Big Ten opponent since November 15 in an overtime loss against Wisconsin. When the teams traveled to South Bend for game two of the series, Sergeev recorded a 34-save shutout, giving Penn State its first win in Big Ten play.

With his outstanding play against the Fighting Irish, Sergeev was awarded the Big Ten’s First Star of the Week. His return was a welcomed sight for his teammates, who have arguably played their best hockey since the goaltender returned.

“Arsenii makes it really easy to play in front of,” Carson Dyck said. “At times, that can be difficult because you feel like you can make mistakes, but that’s on us. Arsenii is super easy to play in front of. He’s confident, and I believe he has confidence in us, too, which makes it easier for us.”

After Notre Dame, Penn State returned home for a matchup against Michigan State, the No. 1-ranked team in college hockey. The Nittany Lions dropped game one after they jumped out to a 3-2 lead in the second period but secured a shootout win in game two on the back of another spectacular performance from their goaltender.

Sergeev made 35 saves on the 37 shots he faced and stopped each of the Spartans’ shot attempts in the shootout. Michigan State pressured the Nittany Lions for much of the second period as the Spartans looked for the sweep, but Sergeev kept the game from getting out of hand and delivered the two points.

“He’s a great goaltender,” Casey Aman said. “He gives us the confidence to win every game and also gives us a chance.”

With the return of Sergeev, Penn State skaters can play with newfound confidence at both ends of the ice. This allows them to turn around and attack, knowing who they have backing them up between the pipes.

“I think with Arsenii, we were able to have the confidence that we can be great defensively,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “But at the same time, Arsenii gives our offensive players the confidence that they can turn around the other way because they have so much confidence in how we played. I think Michigan State was a great example of that.”

Penn State and Sergeev hope to continue their improved play as the Nittany Lions welcome Canisius to Pegula Ice Arena for their final non-conference series of the season, with game one set for 7 p.m. on Friday. After the conclusion of this series, Penn State resumes conference play the following weekend, as Ohio State travels to Hockey Valley.

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About the Author

Dennis Wilkins

Dennis is a fourth-year journalism major from Brick, New Jersey. He has a love-hate relationship with every team he roots for, especially the New York Giants. When he's not watching Jack Hughes highlights, he can be found playing golf or listening to music. Direct all complaints to him via email ([email protected]) or on Twitter (@denniswilkins27).

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