International play never fails to bring out the competitive side of both hockey fans and players. When teams take the ice with national pride on the line, things can get tense, and rivalries, well, heated.

This past week, the United States and Canada faced off in the Olympic gold medal game on both the women’s and men’s sides. With the addition of Canadian Hockey League players to the NCAA at the beginning of this season, Penn State men’s hockey is mostly split between American players and those from north of the border.

Over the course of the Games, the team has bonded over watching their respective countries compete at the highest level, despite each athlete’s individual rooting interests.

“That event is really cool. It’s best on best, the best players in the world representing their countries,” Dane Dowiak said. “There’s chatter every day, who’s gonna win, the U.S. or Canada, and then, you know, the wildcat Sweden. It’s really cool. A tournament like that brings us closer together. We all sit there and have a little competitive nature.”

Of course, the team had one player in particular that everyone was able to root for. Tessa Janecke, a star forward for Penn State women’s hockey, was overseas representing the Stars and Stripes. In seven games played, she registered an impressive five assists and a plus/minus of seven. 

“We’re really proud to have Olympians represent this Penn State program,” Dowiak said.

Janecke wound up securing a gold medal with her squad, becoming the first Nittany Lion to ever stand atop the podium at the Winter Games.

On the men’s side, common ground was much thinner. With both Canada and the United States’ teams composed of all NHL players, the only skin Penn State had in the game was country.

“There’s [was] a bit of a rivalry going on,” Luke Misa said. 

Misa arrived in State College prior to the season after a four-year stint in the CHL. He was one of the guys in support of the Maple Leaf, and enjoyed bonding over the tournament with his fellow Penn Staters in the locker room.

Unfortunately for Misa and many others, Jack Hughes netted the overtime winner for the United States, taking down Canada in overtime and securing a golden, 2-1 victory in Milan for the red, white, and blue.

Despite the mixed reaction to the outcome of both jubilation and heartbreak, everyone could agree that watching the best in the world go at it is great for the sport and the group’s morale.

“It was a great game. It was one of the best games I’ve ever watched,” Shea Van Olm said. “Some guys were up for it, and some guys weren’t, but I think the majority of guys were watching it together.” 

Kevin Reidler was one of the guys who didn’t bother turning it on, with the Swede representing the lone European player on Penn State’s roster this season. Sweden was bounced by the United States in the quarterfinal round of the Olympic playoff.

Guy Gadowsky spent most of the Olympics preparing his team for a crucial stretch of the season, so he wasn’t able to watch as much of the tournament as he would have liked. That being said, it was difficult for him to resist tuning into the gold medal game.

Although Gadowsky is an Edmonton, Canada, native, most of his family is American. Earlier this season, he had the honor of representing the U.S. Collegiate Selects team, a group made up of the best NCAA hockey players stemming from all national origins. 

While he was unclear where his rooting interest lay — though one can presume he sided with Team Canada – Gadowsky could not deny the significance of the moment for Team U.S.A. and the sport of hockey in America.

“I love the story of it, 46 years later,” he said. “I saw in the movie [Miracle] that Jack Hughes’ name was one of the names cut. That’s incredible. You look at things like that, it was really cool to watch. And I think it’s great for U.S. hockey.”

Whether Penn State men’s hockey has Free Bird running through its veins or perhaps maple syrup, the Olympics gave everybody a chance to connect, escape, and become a fan again. 

The team aims to close out the season strong and secure a berth in the NCAA tournament, so these past two weeks have been a much-needed distraction from the grind of the Big Ten schedule.