Matt DiMarsico, Charlie Cerrato, and JJ Wiebusch have been paired together since Cerrato and Wiebusch arrived on campus in Fall 2024. The trio was exceptional for the Nittany Lions in 2024-25, authoring iconic moment after iconic moment while sharing the same line as Penn State made their miraculous run to the Frozen Four.

During that season, assistant coach Andrew Sturtz coined a nickname for Penn State’s up-and-coming second line after seeing them do a number of behind-the-back passes in practice. It culminated in a non-conference showdown with Canisius, when both DiMarsico and Cerrato pulled off nifty behind-the-back passes to set up Aiden Fink for a goal.

And thus, the ‘Behind The Back Boys’ were born.

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On a team with four incoming freshmen forwards in the lineup, continuity has been hard to come by for Penn State early in non-conference play. The one line that’s stayed the same from last season? Those Behind-the-Back Boys.

Through six games, the trio has combined for 17 goals and 38 points, stealing the show as Penn State’s top-performing line through the first three series of the season. Those three have already made history in the early going, with Cerrato leading the nation in points through three weeks, Wiebusch becoming the first Nittany Lion with a four-goal game in program history, and DiMarsico becoming the first Nittany Lion with multiple hat tricks in a season.

Coming into this season, all the attention was on the potential magic that Hobey Baker Finalist Aiden Fink and freshman phenom Gavin McKenna could make together, but the DiMarsico-Cerrato-Wiebusch line has taken center stage, surprising even their head coach with their production.

“We didn’t,” Gadowsky said on Friday night when asked if he expected this out of them to start the season. “We saw it the second half of last season and we were just hoping it would continue on and it sure has.”

DiMarsico wrote his name into Penn State lore by scoring the most important goal in the history of the program to send them to the Frozen Four in March. While he had been a sturdy top-six forward in his first two seasons in the blue and white, he’s exploded to start the 2025-26 season. Just six games in, the Pennsylvania native has six goals and five assists.

“I think all three of us are just high-IQ hockey players,” he said on Friday when asked about the performance of his line this season. “When you have a lot of smart hockey players who play the game the right way, a lot of good things happen.”

Wiebusch had a stellar freshman year, accentuated by a between-the-legs beauty to start a road sweep of Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament that essentially punched Penn State’s ticket to the NCAA Tournament last year. He’s also taken his game to another level in 2025-26, leading the team with seven goals through six games and having the most high-danger chances on the roster.

“He has a knack,” Gadowsky said about the sophomore from Verona, Wisconsin. “His hand skills are excellent, he has a knack for finishing, he has a knack for getting open.”

“He just has a knack.”

Cerrato is the one who centers the talented forward. The second-round pick by the Carolina Hurricanes in June’s NHL Draft might be last among the trio in goals in the early going, but his remarkable playmaking has led to him leading the nation with 15 points in six games. Cerrato was one of the Big Ten’s best freshmen last season, and he has continued to get better as he gains national notoriety.

“Charlie and JJ are playing unbelievable,” DiMarsico said on Friday night. “They’re the two leading scorers in the nation, so playing with them makes the game pretty easy.”

That chemistry was on display on Saturday night, when the trio combined for eight points in the team’s 3-0 win over LIU. On the second goal, all three were involved in a Showtime Lakers-esque play that left mouths agape across Pegula Ice Arena. Their coach was one of those impressed.

I mean it's just unfair at this point, this trio is like a videogame!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/xAlJ6ODR5t

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 18, 2025

“It’s funny. We’re starting to get used to it,” said Gadowsky. “That’s how good they’ve been. It’s incredible what they’re doing, it’s incredible.”

“They’re three awesome, awesome hockey players and they are three awesome, awesome hockey minds,” Gadowsky said.

On record, Gadowsky used the word “awesome” six times when describing their performance, which tells you more than enough about how they’ve performed to start the season.