Three games into the season, Penn State men’s hockey still hasn’t found its first win. Beyond the 0-3 record, avoidable mistakes have played a significant role in the Nittany Lions’ early struggles.

Friday night’s 6-3 loss to No. 8 Quinnipiac was the latest example.

Penn State jumped out to a 2-0 lead less than 10 minutes into its home opener at Pegula Ice Arena, only to watch it disappear behind seven penalties and defensive breakdowns.

Head coach Guy Gadowsky said he was pleased with his team’s willingness to compete physically, and he blamed himself and his staff for the team’s mistakes.

“This team was ready to play physically. Absolutely, they were,” Gadowsky said. “Right now, that is a very poorly coached team.”

Gadowsky pointed to several areas of Penn State’s game that contributed to Friday’s loss.

“We took seven penalties, many of them avoidable, retaliation stupid, too many men,” Gadowsky said. “We gave up, I don’t know how many, two-on-ones and breakaways. So you just don’t have a chance that way.”

Penn State entered Friday having killed all six penalties it faced during opening weekend, but that success didn’t hold up as the Bobcats converted four of their seven power plays.

The Nittany Lions also struggled to manage the puck, particularly in the second period, when extended defensive-zone shifts put added pressure on the defensemen.

The result was a busy night for goaltender Josh Fleming, who faced 46 shots and finished with 40 saves.

“All credit to him. He played an amazing game, and that’s really poor on us to not have his back,” defenseman Mac Gadowsky said. “He has ours, and we didn’t have his tonight, and that’s not acceptable.”

Justin Larose and Mac Gadowsky gave Penn State an early multi-goal lead, but captain Reese Laubach said the team’s response after Ethan Wyttenbach tied the game for Quinnipiac late in the first period was the turning point.

“I think when we went up 2-0, and when they came back and tied it at 2-2, I think we died. The bench died,” Laubach said.

Penn State never recovered, and what began as its strongest stretch of hockey in three games ended in another three-goal loss — this time without the help of an empty-netter.

Guy Gadowsky separated Friday’s loss from Penn State’s previous defeat against Sacred Heart.

He explained that his team wasn’t prepared to compete last Saturday, but he believed the effort was there against Quinnipiac; the execution, though, wasn’t.

“It’s not that we weren’t competing. We were competing hard. We weren’t very smart,” Guy Gadowsky said.

Laubach also acknowledged the role he and fellow captain Dane Dowiak have in addressing Penn State’s early struggles.

“Maybe we haven’t been a good enough example of that yet,” Laubach said. “But as I said, we just got to be smarter as a whole, and I think the penalties and stuff right now are hurting us.”

Penn State has a quick turnaround before returning to Pegula Ice Arena on Tuesday to face Robert Morris.