March 11, 2013
By Pat White GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.-- In the final part of a two part Penn State men's hockey (13-14) season recap, we delve into the Nittany Lions' defense and goaltending that made major strides during the squads first season.
The defensive corps had its fair share of growing pains throughout the season. On opening night against American International, four freshmen dressed on the blue line and freshman goaltender Matt Skoff (McKees Rocks, Pa.) was between the pipes in an overtime loss. That young unit used each game as a learning experience and rounded into form, ending the season on the winning side of an overtime affair at Wisconsin.
Head coach Guy Gadowsky said that Skoff looked nervous at the start of the season, but gradually built confidence and night have stolen some wins for his team.
"There is no surprise about what Skoff attained this season," Gadowsky said. "You wonder if the wins we got were a little skewed because he was so phenomenal. It takes great goaltending to have success and fortunately he's a freshman so we have him for another three years."
Skoff finished with a 9-8 record, while posting a 2.48 goals-against average and a .921 save percentage. He admitted that starting up the new hockey program brought some jitters and butterflies, but his work-first mentality settled him down.
"I just stuck with it throughout the season and just kept working," Skoff said. "Luckily we were able to get some wins that people didn't think we could get."
Gadowsky admitted that early in the season the defense didn't understand its objectives. Junior Nate Jensen (Shorewood, Minn.) was the only defenseman on the Penn State roster with previous NCAA experience from his freshman season at Mercyhurst.
The blue line was also marred by a injuries throughout the season, but the depth of the defense proved to be key for the Nittany Lions. Freshmen Mark Yanis (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich.), Luke Juha (Mississauga, Ont.), Joseph Lordo (St. Louis, Mo.) and Connor Varley (Lansdale, Pa.) all made immediate impacts on the team.
Each defenseman brought something different to the table.
Yanis' big frame brought physicality and a snarl to the back end complimented his booming shot from the point. Juha showed the ability to quarterback a power play with his vision and puck-moving ability. Lordo's skating and positioning made him a tough defender to navigate around. Varley's versatility and durability made him an offensive threat every time he touched the puck, along with being one of only four Nittany Lions to dress in all 27 games.
Finding chemistry between defensive partners can take some time, which may have led to the team's early struggles, but Skoff was proud of the way the team bought into the team's identity and continued to grow throughout the season.
"We got comfortable," Skoff said. "We just went out and worked hard each game and stuck to our systems and were able to come together in the end after beginning the year as an inexperienced team."
Losing two top defensemen could have been a major blow to the team, losing Juha and Yanis for extended periods of time due to injuries, but prior experience from playing junior hockey prepared the team for adversity.
"We handled it well, especially with injuries," Skoff said. "Playing in the USHL you get a lot of exposure. I think that helped them and they did wonders with it and it was cool to see."
Senior Brian Dolan |
During the final two months of the season, Gadowsky was often forced to dress only four or five defensemen. It was the depth added by former club players, seniors Rich O'Brien (Furlong, Pa.) and Brian Dolan (Havertown, Pa.) and sophomore Peter Sweetland (Newtown, Pa.) that softened the blow on the back end.
O'Brien and Dolan came to Penn State for a first-class education and playing club hockey was an added bonus. They never expected to end their Penn State careers playing at the Division I level. Gadowsky was especially proud of all the seniors for buying into their roles and providing leadership for the team.
"Their tryout was two years long and they had it harder than everybody else," Gadowsky said. "The guys that did graduate with our program really deserve a lot of credit. They've done a lot of things really well and to see them win in overtime at Wisconsin to end their careers was just fantastic."
Sweetland was a regular in the lineup after a rough start to the season, but his poise and ability to retrieve pucks in the corners led to numerous offensive opportunities.
It wasn't only the defensemen that deserve credit for Penn State's defense. Since the beginning of the season, Gadowsky wanted his team to build on the foundation as a good backchecking team and the hardest working team in college hockey. Whether the team won or lost, a standout characteristic was the forwards willingness to backcheck. It also attributed to Penn State's successful penalty-killing unit that operated at 85 percent this season.
There were many high points in the inaugural season of Division I hockey. The Nittany Lions defeated Vermont in front of 19,000 people in Philadelphia, they were 3-2 against future Big Ten opponents and defeated a ranked Wisconsin team on the road in a 3-2 overtime thriller. Despite those feats, watching a first year team grow together and exceed many people expectations was the most rewarding accomplishment for the team.
"If you look at where we started to where we are now, the first game we lost to AIC and our last game we beat Wisconsin in Madison, that tells you something," Gadowsky said.
--NITTANY LIONS--