April 3, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State men's hockey team announced its 2012-13 awards recipients at a team meeting Wednesday afternoon following the Nittany Lions' inaugural NCAA Division I season. All accolades, with the exception of the Preseason Top Athlete, were chosen through a team vote.
One of four Nittany Lions to appear in all 27 games, freshman David Glen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) collected both team MVP and Freshman of the Year honors. In 2012-13, Glen led the team in goals (16), plus/minus (plus-9), shots (117) and faceoff percentage (.584) and ranked second on the squad in points (25) and fourth in assists (9).
The Fort Saskatchewan, Alta., native, recorded the program's first hat trick against Alabama Huntsville Feb. 8 and tallied the first game-winning goal in program history against American International Oct. 13. The forward is also tied for third among all NCAA freshmen with 16 goals despite playing in the team's final game more than a month ago.
Classmate Casey Bailey (Anchorage, Alaska) earned the team's top scorer recognition after pacing the squad with 27 points. The Anchorage, Alaska, native appeared in all 27 games for the Nittany Lions and also led the team in power-play goals (4), while finishing second in goals (14), assists (13) and shots (113). Bailey, who scored the first goal in program history, notched one four-point game, two three-point games and four two-point games.
A steadying force on the Nittany Lion blue line, junior Nate Jensen (Shorewood, Minn.) was named the team's Top Defenseman. The assistant captain skated in 22 games during the 2012-13 season and tied for seventh on the team in points (9) and finished eighth in assists (7). The Shorewood, Minn., native collected two three-game point-scoring streaks during the season and led all blueliners with 47 shots.
The only Penn State defenseman to appear in all 27 games, freshman Connor Varley (Lansdale, Pa.) garnered the Players' Player Award from his teammates. The Lansdale, Pa., native led the squad's defensemen in points (12) and was tied for first in goals (4) and assists (8). The defenseman also received Preseason Top Athlete honors.
Sophomore captain Tommy Olczyk (Long Grove, Ill.) earned the team's Top Student-Athlete Award. In the classroom, the accounting major has recorded a perfect 4.0 cumulative grade-point average. On the ice, the Long Grove, Ill., native appeared in 26 games and collected three goals, including one game-winning marker, and an assist.
In 2012-13, head coach Guy Gadowsky led the Nittany Lions to a 13-14-0 record during their inaugural NCAA Division I season. He guided the squad to several marquee victories, including wins against three future Big Ten teams (Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin). Penn State also topped Vermont in front of the largest crowd to watch a college hockey game in an NHL arena (19,529).
The Nittany Lions, who competed as an independent during their inaugural campaign, will join the Big Ten for its first season of play in 2013-14. Penn State will open the 2013-14 campaign against Army at Pegula Ice Arena Friday, Oct. 11.