Penn State men’s hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky announced Monday that junior forward Aiden Fink will be out for the “foreseeable future” after sustaining an upper-body injury in Penn State’s opening game against Ohio State on Thursday night. The injury occurred late in the first contest of the series, and Fink did not play in Friday’s win in Columbus.

“He has an upper body injury. He will be out for the foreseeable future,” Gadowsky said. “He will be back.”

While there is no firm timeline, Gadowsky said the staff remains optimistic. The expectation, though not guaranteed, is that Fink could return following winter break.

Fink had nine points on the season so far, with two goals and seven assists. Gavin McKenna and Fink became a quick duo early on in the season. McKenna passed the puck to Fink in the season opener against Arizona State to strike first, cementing their chemistry.

Now, without one of its most impactful forwards, Penn State faces its first major depth test of the season. The Nittany Lions are fresh off an impressive road sweep against Ohio State, and Gadowsky confirmed he plans to roll with the same lineup that closed out Friday’s win, including a line of Reese Laubach, Ben Schoen, and McKenna.

“We are going to continue with the same lineup that we played with on Friday night at Ohio State,” Gadowsky said. “Obviously, we have to be able to adjust quickly, but we are going to start with the same way.”

Gadowsky has frequently stressed that this year’s group is still working to solidify its identity. Despite that, he is confident in the progress his team has shown early on. He pointed to Luke Misa, Shea Van Olm, Lev Katzin, Ben Schoen, and Nic Chin-DeGraves as players who have helped establish identity.

“They’ve been so good, though. I thought they had a great weekend. And if we’re going to be successful in Big Ten play, they’re going to have to continue to have great weekends and continue to improve,” he said. “So they’ve given the coaching staff a lot of optimism. It is a transition. It truly is, and I think that they’re coming along very well.”

Something that has been focused on this season for the Nittany Lions is mentality. Penn State captain Dane Dowiak has been setting the example for the mentality of the team. With Fink’s absence, Dowiak acknowledges the hole Fink will be leaving on the team, but knows they are ready. 

“Obviously, he is one of our best players and he is a leader on this team on and off the ice, so it is going to be hard to replace,” Dowiak said. “I think we have a next guy up mentality. Whoever is going to fill in his role, I guarantee they are going to do it to their full potential.”

The next-man-up mentality is something that Dowiak and the Nittany Lions take pride in. 

“I think it’s big for everybody, no matter if it’s a guy that’s in line up every night or line up and you’re playing a different role. We all play for the team, what we need to do to have success,” he said. “I think every guy’s open to coach calls for, and we’re going to be there and we’re going to be ready. We’re going to put our best foot forward. We all want to beat Michigan State like it’s always a war against those guys. So next time, mentality is huge. Everybody’s ready for it.”

JJ Wiebusch carries the same mentality as Dowiak. 

“I think we got to stick with what was working and stuff. Yeah, like, Fink is an extremely big loss, and he’s one of our best players. Yeah, I think we’ll be fine. We just have to keep sticking to our game.”

McKenna, who shared the top line with Fink this season, echoed his teammates’ confidence and said the group is ready to step up together.

“Obviously, we want to put the puck on each other’s stick, and it is going to suck without him in the lineup,” McKenna said. “But we know guys are going to step up. We are a really close group, so guys want to be ready when needed.”

Penn State will face Michigan State on the road on Friday, November 7, testing what the team is made of early in Big Ten play.