The hockey world was buzzing over Penn State men’s hockey’s thrilling two-game sweep of No. 14 Arizona State on Friday and Saturday.

Fans saw a bevy of offensive and defensive highlights, including Charlie Cerrato’s five-point night on Friday, Gavin McKenna’s go-ahead power play goal on Saturday, and a massive performance by the penalty kill all weekend, going 11-for-12.

But the most crucial player to securing that statement sweep might’ve been the man between the pipes. Sophomore goaltender Kevin Reidler, a transfer from Omaha, stole the show on Saturday, making a staggering 45 saves and standing tall in net despite six Arizona State power plays and even a prolonged 5-on-3 that threatened to stunt Penn State’s third-period rally.

Huge debut for Kevin Reidler on Friday

Reidler made 35 saves in his first start for Penn State as the Nittany Lions took down Arizona State 5–3 pic.twitter.com/ecjm33Hiob

— Sens Prospects (@SensProspects) October 4, 2025

“I’ll tell you what, the performance he had Saturday night was big time,” said head coach Guy Gadowsky on Tuesday. “We gave up a couple of breakaways, point-blank slot chances, we were not the best without the puck on Saturday, and he was awesome. He won us the game.”

Reidler, a native of Gävle, Sweden, played his freshman year at Omaha, making eight appearances (five starts) in net for them, posting a .920 save percentage and 2.75 goals against average. Two of his five starts came against then-conference rival Arizona State, where he went 1-1 with a pair of 40-save performances. Shortly after incumbent goaltender Arsenii Segeev signed his entry-level contract with the Calgary Flames, Reidler committed to joining the Nittany Lions in the transfer portal.

“I had a little bit of knowledge about the program and what a great spot it is,” Reidler said about his decision to transfer to Penn State. “When I found out Penn State. My eyes were drawn there right away.”

“After talking to all the coaches and all the good things I heard, it was a very easy choice.”

Penn State headed back across the country following the weekend series in Arizona for its home opener against Clarkson on Thursday. From Coach Gadowsky to the players, everyone is excited to play in front of the home fans and the energy of the Roar Zone.

“I’m super excited,” Reidler said about playing in front of the Roar Zone. “I always heard this is the best environment in college hockey, so I’m super excited to see what it’s about.”

“There’s a lot of hype around the team right now, and it’s awesome to be a part of it.”

Reidler wears No. 35 in honor of fellow Swedish goaltender Henrik Lundqvist, who donned the number for the Swedish national team while playing at an elite level for the NHL’s New York Rangers. Talking to the media on Tuesday, Reidler spoke about how the Hall of Famer was someone he looked up to.

“His competitiveness was something I always admired,” he said when asked about looking up to Lundqvist growing up. “When I was younger, I wanted to wear the same hat that he was wearing. I wanted to do everything that he was doing.” Reidler won a silver medal with his home country at the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championships and was a fifth-round selection by the Ottawa Senators in 2022.

Gadowsky made it clear before the season started that Penn State’s starting goaltender position is up in the air. Despite Reidler making 80 saves and posting an extremely impressive .941 save percentage, there has been no indication of the competition coming to an end, but Reidler has certainly shown his mettle on the road against a team with NCAA Tournament aspirations.

“Me and Josh are very competitive, we’re competing in everything we do,” he said, talking about the competition with former QMJHL goaltender Josh Fleming. “We both have a lot to learn from each other, and I think that’s a really big thing when it comes to goalie tandems. I’m sure that both of us will win a lot of games this year.”

“[Reidler] was really, really good all weekend, consistent all weekend,” said Gadowsky. “Saturday night, he made a number of saves that you just don’t make.”

The non-conference slate continues with the home opener against Clarkson on at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 9. The game will be broadcast on the Big Ten Network.