Topics

More

Penn State Men’s Hockey Sees Room For Improvement Amid Hot Streak

Seemingly dead in the water after an awful stretch in conference play to close out the first half, Penn State men’s hockey has resurrected its season. Beginning with picking up four of the six available points against Notre Dame in Chicago and South Bend, the Nittany Lions have played their best hockey against some of the best teams across college hockey.

Speaking about factors in Penn State’s turnaround, forward Reese Laubach pinpointed a difficult first series in Columbus, as well as the team’s final game of the first half as turning points.

“We had a tough weekend at Ohio State, and I think that was a little bit of a wakeup call for us,” Laubach said. “We played Army and played a great game, and went into Christmas break on a little bit of a high note and came back with a kind of determination.”

Since that weekend against the Fighting Irish, the Nittany Lions have welcomed Michigan State and Ohio State, both among the elite teams in the nation, to Hockey Valley. Including a sweep against Canisius between these matchups, Penn State secured two points against the Spartans and four against the Buckeyes.

Why the sudden success from a team that hasn’t won a game in conference play until earlier this month? According to head coach Guy Gadowsky, his club is finally putting together complete games.

“We’ve been able to put games together,” Gadowsky said when asked about Penn State’s recent run of success. “I’ve said this many times, we haven’t been disappointed with how we’ve played offensively, but we have struggled with how we’ve played defensively. We just struggled to put those two games together, and recently, we’re finding ways to do both at the same time.”

Before its series against the Nittany Lions, Ohio State was statistically one of the best defensive teams in Big Ten play. Heading in, it appeared goals would be at a premium throughout the weekend, but after the dust settled, Penn State potted nine goals in two games.

Still, the Nittany Lions left points on the board. Yes, they came away with two “wins,” but not a full allotment of standings points. Teams are given the full three points for a win should it come in regulation, while overtime and shootout wins count for two. Penn State won in both the shootout and overtime, thus securing two points for each win.

Even with the improved play, Gadowsky acknowledged there’s still room for improvement to secure a full load of points each weekend.

“We’ve been having success against some excellent teams, and it’s a matter of continuing to improve,” Gadowsky said. “By no means are we playing our best hockey yet, but we certainly are improving each week.”

Penn State had opportunities to secure regulation wins in both games, as it led during the third period in each contest. Both times, the Nittany Lions relinquished the lead and had to battle back to secure an extra point past regulation.

At this time of year, any points are valuable, but this team is hungry for more and hopes to employ the right mentality for a full 60 minutes to secure further points.

“I think there’s been a couple of slip-ups at crucial times,” Penn State captain Simon Mack said. “In that second game, we can bear down a little bit and make sure that goal doesn’t go in with the last minute there. There are small things, I think consistency every single shift, going out and doing what we know, makes us successful.”

Once again, the Nittany Lions will be tested this weekend with a trip to Ann Arbor for a two-game series against Michigan. Game one is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, January 31, and will be streamed on BTN+.

Your ad blocker is on.

Please choose an option below.

Sign up for our e-mail newsletter:
OR
Support quality journalism:
Purchase a Subscription!

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).

‘This Was A Job I’ve Always Wanted’: George Daniel Turns Passion For Fly Fishing Into Career

The Joe Humphreys Fly Fishing program has a storied history at Penn State.

Power Ranking Sorority Bid Day 2025 Themes

From “Xi Big Leagues” to “Camp DeeGee,” we power ranked all 18 of this year’s themes

‘Defense All Has To Do With Heart’: Carolyn Kieger Highlights Lady Lions’ Struggles Amid Four-Game Skid

Penn State is 1-11 in Big Ten play this season and sits second to last in the conference.

113kFollowers
164kFollowers
63.5kFollowers
4,570Subscribers
Sign up for our Newsletter