Oct. 29, 2013
By Michael Renahan, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The Penn State Nittany Lions fell to the Vermont Catamounts, 5-2, Saturday night at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, Pa. after posting a 3-3 tie against RIT on Friday night inside Pegula Ice Arena.
It was a long, travel filled couple of days with a lot of hockey and a lot of promise shown by the Nittany Lions.
Head coach Guy Gadowsky and his players are still figuring out what kind of team they're going to be, but the coach and players haven't lost their focus despite the recent results.
"I've learned this team has a lot more to learn," Gadowsky said after his team's 3-3 tie against the RIT on Friday night.
The Nittany Lions (1-3-1) have skated hard in all of their contests and are getting solid production from their young players. The newcomers and veterans continue to progress as Gadowsky looks for continuity on the ice.
It seems as if a new player emerges every night for Penn State. Whether it's David Goodwin or Curtis Loik on opening night vs. Army, a young defender making progress or the steady play of Nate Jensen and Eric Schied, the Nittany Lions are seeing production and growth out of their entire lineup.
Gadowsky was very pleased with the team's overall performance on Friday night vs. RIT, believes they have room to improve on the solid foundation they have set thus far this season.
"[Our] odd-man rushes were a lot better," Gadowsky said. "Not only did we not give up as many, but we certainly created more for ourselves. I thought we did really well playing five-on-five and I thought we controlled the territory. I thought we had a lot of good chances and I felt really good about our game [on Friday night]."
For Penn State, Dylan Richard registered his first goal beating Tigers' goalkeeper Ben Lynch through the five-hole just a little over six minutes into the first period.
David Goodwin and Curtis Loik also registered goals for the Nittany Lions against RIT. Those three players are part of a young, tenacious group who continues to grow with every time they touch the ice.
"Obviously it's nice to contribute early on and get some confidence," Richard said after Friday night's game.
On Friday night the Nittany Lions looked sharp, winning the faceoff battle, 38-32, and holding the edge in shots, 35-24, while goalie Matthew Skoff made 22 saves.
In Saturday night's contest, Penn State started off fast, taking a 2-1 lead into the first intermission. Taylor Holstrom was in the perfect position to beat Vermont Goalkeeper Mike Santaguida for the first goal of the game. After Mike Williamson blasted one on net, Holstrom gathered in the rebound and put it past the Catamounts' goalkeeper.
It was Holstrom's first goal of the season and 10th of his Division I career. The redshirt junior finished last season fourth in points for the Nittany Lions with 17, behind Casey Bailey, David Glen and Max Gardiner. Getting going early for Holstrom will be crucial as he will play a major role on offense as the season progresses.
Just two minutes after Holstrom's goal, captain Tommy Olczyk scored a shorthanded goal to give Penn State a 2-0 lead. Olcyzk's goal was his first of the season and sparked a loud cheer from the crowd for their captain.
In just his second career start, freshman Eamon McAdam allowed five goals to Vermont on Saturday, but he never looked fazed. He is confident that as he continues to learn the pace of play at the Division I level and works with teammates Matthew Skoff and PJ Musico, he'll be a contributor on a talented goalkeeping unit.
Against the Vermont, Penn State took 33 shots - four more than their opponent - and did a nice job controlling the physical aspect of the game.
Saturday night also marked a homecoming of sorts for a number of Nittany Lions. Connor Varley (Landsdale, Pa.), Peter Sweetland (Newtown, Pa.), Ricky DeRosa (Aston, Pa.), David Thompson (Glenn Mills, Pa.) and Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) all returned to the area or Pennsylvania where they grew up playing hockey.
DeRosa's shot on his breakaway chance in the first period and led to Olcyzk's rebound goal, McAdam made the start in net and posted 24 saves and Varley played well, logging two shots.
Penn State will keep battling day in and day out. The Nittany Lions spend the week in State College before Friday night's contest against Robert Morris in Pittsburgh. They will be focusing on keeping the penalties down and perfecting their power-play.