Oct. 25, 2015
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" The Nittany Lion men's hockey team (4-1-0) completed a sweep of AIC (0-5-0) over the weekend with an 8-3 win on Friday night and a 5-3 triumph on Saturday afternoon.
Pegula Ice Arena erupted into cheers as soon as the Nittany Lions took to the ice Friday night. By the end of the evening, freshman Chase Berger would net two goals and have two assists, while fellow freshman Andrew Sturtz would net his first and second collegiate career goals during an offensive onslaught.
"It was a big load off the back for sure," said Sturtz about his first collegiate goal. "…I was lucky enough to get by the defenseman and get one on net and it felt great."
Berger also displayed confidence on the ice Friday night. Berger's first goal of the game set the tone for the rest of the dominant and high-scoring weekend for the Nittany Lions.
"Curtis [Loik] made a really nice play, tipped it, and then saw me kind of back door, it looked like [AIC's] D-man got his stick on it, so I just started whacking away," said Berger.
The eight goals for the Nittany Lions on Friday night set a new record in Penn State history, previously surpassing the seven-goal record set during the 2014-15 season.
On Saturday afternoon the Nittany Lions fell behind to start off the game against the Yellow Jackets, but quickly found their footing thanks to veteran leadership and a dominant performance from the freshman class.
Head coach Guy Gadowsky was asked if he ever felt nervous falling behind by two goals to start the game Saturday.
"…It was a big goal at the end of the first [to get the 3-2 lead], I think Berger got a dirty one." said Gadowsky. "But before that I really didn't feel it at all, I think the guys acted as a pretty mature group even though we were down two-nothing."
For the third time on the weekend, a shot by Berger would find the back of the net, this time propelling the team into the lead with confidence. Berger's performance is something he wasn't expecting of his weekend but is something he's looking forward to building off of.
Two seniors also returned to the lineup for the Nittany Lions: Eric Scheid was back after an injury and Luke Juha returned after illness. The return of such a veteran presence fueled the Nittany Lions over the weekend with constant leadership presence.
"It felt good [to be back]," said Scheid. "It's always good to get the first one out of the way, first weekend as well."
Scheid had one goal and one assist during Saturday's game.
As for the bigger picture, the freshman class has made an immediate impact this season. The eight young players have all seen playing time and continue to improve every game it seems. In a season where Penn State has been hindered by injuries, it's refreshing to have the newest class come in ready to run.
"I think the timing is really big because obviously we're missing a David Glen and that's a huge loss to us in all aspects: leaderships, little things, the face off circle, offensively, I mean a huge loss, so seeing them step up in a time we really need them is a huge bonus for the team right now," said Gadowsky.
Gadowsky went on to explain that although this weekend was important for evaluating the young players' performance, it's also too early in the season to start leaning too much on certain players or expecting too much of the freshman class.
"We're optimistic, but the season is young," said Gadowsky.
Penn State will have a quick turnaround before a two-game series against St. Lawrence beginning on Thursday in Pegula Ice Arena.