Oct. 12, 2015
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
BUFFALO, N.Y. ââ'¬" The Penn State men's hockey offense shined during the season opener road matchup against Canisius on Saturday. Penn State (1-0-0) jump-started its season with a 6-1 win over the Golden Griffins (0-1-0).
Senior forward Curtis Loik struck first for the Nittany Lions early in the first period and never looked back.
"I think we came out real quick, real fast in the first and had some good opportunities early on," said Loik.
Loik would have three points in the first period alone, something he wanted to credit his line mates with, as well. Loik would be just one of multiple Nittany Lions with a multi-point game.
"My line mates (Chase) Berger and (Kenny) Brooks played vital roles on that first goal," said Loik. "Everyone on offense played really well and played their roles really well."
The offense powered through the first period and dominated in front of the Canisius net. Fellow Nittany Lions Ricky DeRosa and Berger would finish out the scoring a three-goal first period, with Berger getting his first collegiate goal.
The key to their early success Loik attributed to the team's ability to keep the momentum consistent throughout the game.
Another standout for the Nittany Lions was at the other end of the ice. Junior goaltender Eamon McAdam received the nod at starting in net for the Nittany Lions and turned away 27 shots.
"[Canisius] didn't have a ton of shots, but there were a few times where they had some pretty good chances," said McAdam. "I felt up to the task and all in all the team was up to the task as well."
Head coach Guy Gadowsky had said earlier in the week his team was working on their power play strategy. Penn State scored two power play goals against Canisius, but Loik explained that's something the team still would like to focus on.
"I think absolutely we can work on them more," said Loik. "It's something we need to work on every day and if we do we could have one of the best power plays in the league."
Visiting the HARBORCENTER for the first time, Penn State was welcomed by a large fan base. Several Nittany Lions had family in attendance, as the team has several players from the Buffalo area. Notably, freshman Andrew Sturtz and his family's nicknamed "Sturtz Section" kept the HARBORCENTER cheering in favor of the visiting team.
This large fan base in attendance was something Loik said was extremely motivating.
"We felt right at home," said Loik. "I think were was maybe more Penn State fans than Canisius fans there. We loved playing there, we loved the atmosphere and we loved that people came out to support us."
Although they started their season on the road, the Nittany Lions are looking forward to being back in Pegula this coming weekend when they take on Notre Dame. Loik is looking forward to playing in front of the home crowd for one final season.
"The atmosphere [in Pegula] is great, the student section is great, it's just a different feeling being at home, you get goose bumps from it," said Loik. "It's something I'm kind of sad with my senior year having to eventually give up but I'm excited for the season at home."
McAdam explained what he's looking forward to about being back in Pegula Ice Arena for the first home game of the season.
"For one the Roar Zone, but also being on the ice for that first puck drop is going to be awesome," said McAdam. "The first home game is always something special since we haven't played at home in a while. I'm just looking forward to being in front of the home crowd and getting to play in front of the Roar Zone again."