Penn State men’s hockey is already making history. 

From recruiting the projected number one draft pick, Gavin McKenna, to Matt DiMarsico being the first player in program history to have two hat tricks in one season. 

The Nittany Lions are only six games into the season, folks. 

On July 7, head coach Guy Gadowsky and the Nittany Lions earned their highest recruited player of all time with the commitment of Gavin McKenna. He has been dubbed the number one draft pick for the 2026 NHL draft. McKenna has six points on the season with a goal in the opening series against Arizona State. 

Some have commented that McKenna has been quiet and selfless since returning to Pegula Ice Arena. Gadowsky, however, knows exactly what to do with how McKenna has been playing. 

“I’m not telling Gavin McKenna how to play hockey.”

Gadowsky trusts that McKenna is still transitioning into playing opponents as old as 24 years old and getting used to college life. Gadowsky also said that he is handling the change well, both physically and mentally. 

In Monday’s press conference, Gadowsky once again acknowledged that McKenna is adjusting to the transition, along with his other players modifying to McKenna’s style of play. 

“I think there are adjustments both ways; it’s a little more intense, faster, stronger, quicker, because of the age of the players, the number of games we play, etc. We talked about that before,” he said.  “But there’s also, you know, an adjustment from our players knowing, when his backhand side of his stick is so elite that a lot of players, you just don’t expect it when it’s on his backhand. So that’s what we’re learning on that, too.”

JJ Wiebusch has also been a player in the spotlight recently. He has been dominating the ice the entire season so far. His first goal came against Arizona State in the second game, and he has not stopped. In the home opener against Clarkson, he was the only Nittany Lion to score… with four goals. He went on to score again the next night.

Gadowsky had nothing but praise for the sophomore after the loss against Clarkson. “He has a knack,” he said. He has a knack for finishing, and he has a knack for getting open.” 

In the series against LIU, Wiebusch scored in game two. Of course, he was fed the puck by DiMarsico and Cerrato, also known as the ‘Behind-the-Back Boys’. 

Wiebusch is not the only player on that line to be scoring. DiMarsico is the first player in program history to have two hat tricks in one season. He had three goals in the season opener and then three more against LIU.

He was named the Big Ten First Star of the Week after the sweep against LIU and his hat-trick game. DiMarsico scored the game-winning goal to send the Nittany Lions to the Frozen Four. 

Gadowsky commented that DiMarsico has been comfortable for a while.  “He looked pretty comfortable last year, too,” Gadowsky said with a laugh. “He’s just carrying on where he left off.” 

The Nittany Lions have a lot of time to continue writing history, especially with the outdoor hockey game in Beaver Stadium against Michigan State. The team will start Big Ten play next weekend against Ohio State, and Gadowsky is confident the Nittany Lions will be ready.

“We are hoping that we would have a good feel for what the team is and how we play by going into Big Ten play,” he said.