April 13, 2017
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - On the heels of a historic season and a No. 8 final ranking, the Penn State men's ice hockey team has signed four more players for their class of 2021 as they add two defenseman and a pair of forwards for next season.
The Nittany Lions already signed three players during last November's early signing period including freshman Brett Murray (Bolton, Ont.) who enrolled early to join the team in January for the second half of the season.
Defensemen Cole Hults (Stoughton, Wis.) and Adam Pilewicz (Sewickley, Pa.) will join forwards Alex Limoges (Winchester, Va.) and Sam Sternschein (Syosset, N.Y.) as part of next year's freshman class, which already includes defenseman Alex Stevens and forward Evan Barratt.
Cole Hults // 6-2 // 195 // D // L // May 22, 1998 // Stoughton, Wis. // Madison Capitols (USHL)
Hults just recently completed his third season with the Madison Capitols of the United States Hockey League where he led the team with 31 points on six goals and 25 assists in 59 games. Hults skated in 120 games for Madison over the past three seasons registering 41 points on six goals and 35 assists. Hults finished the 2016-17 campaign sixth in the USHL for defensemen scoring.
HULTS ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State because when I went on my visit it had everything I wanted in a college from an academic and athletic standpoint."
COACHES CORNER
"Cole is a tough, strong skating defenseman who put up impressive offensive numbers in the USHL. He has a good shot from the point and will help us at both ends of the ice."
Adam Pilewicz // 6-1 // 200 // D // R // July 20, 1996 // Sewickley, Pa. // Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL)
Pilewicz played the last two seasons with the Johnstown Tomahawks of the North American Hockey League where he appeared in 108 games scoring nine goals while adding 34 assists for 43 points. This past season he appeared in 56 games and led all blue-liners with 27 points and a plus-32 rating, which was good for second on the team.
COACHES CORNER
"Adam is a good skating defenseman who sees the ice well and is strong defensively; he will bring a lot of leadership to the program as he was an alternate captain in Johnstown."
Alex Limoges // 6-1 // 200 // F // L // Sept. 16, 1997 // Winchester, Va. // Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
Limoges is currently gearing up for the United States Hockey League 2017 Clark Cup Playoffs as his Waterloo Black Hawks battle the Fargo Force in the Western Conference semifinals. Limoges was traded to Waterloo from Tri-City earlier this season and has played in 55 total games between both teams scoring 22 goals and adding 34 assists for 56 points to rank seventh in the entire USHL. His 25 points in just 19 games with Waterloo rank ninth on the team while his 1.32 points per game rank first. In 98 total games in the USHL, Limoges has scored 36 goals while adding 59 assists for 95 points and has a plus-36 rating. In 2016 he was named to the U.S. Junior Select Team for the World Junior A Challenge and captured a Gold Medal.
LIMOGES ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State because of the exceptional balance between athletics and academics. I also really enjoyed the campus and it was easy to picture myself going to school here."
COACHES CORNER
"Alex is a very smart player who makes a lot of plays in traffic. He is a complete hockey player who is also good on face-offs. He will contribute in all aspects of our game."
Sam Sternschein // 6-1 // 204 // F // R // April 27, 1998 // Syosset, N.Y. // Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Sternschein played the bulk of the 2016-17 season with the Lincoln Stars of the United States Hockey League after being traded by the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders. In 45 games with Lincoln he scored 20 goals while adding 12 assists for 32 points to rank fourth on the team. Overall this season Sternschein played in 58 games scoring 21 goals with 13 assists for 35 points and ranked inside the top-20 of the USHL for goal scoring. Sternschein played 115 career USHL games between three different teams over the past two-plus seasons.
STERNSCHEIN ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State because from the coaching staff and facilities, to the academic opportunities, I knew it was where I wanted to further my education and hockey playing career."
COACHES CORNER
"Sam has good offensive instincts and finds open ice to get his great shot off. His size will be a nice addition to our lineup."
The addition of these four players give the Nittany Lions six newcomers so far in their class of 2021, which replaces the six players they lost from their 2016-17 roster.