March 21, 2018
By
Andy Kuros, GoPSUsports.com student staff
writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Third-seeded Penn State will play No. 2 seed Denver in the first round of the Midwest Regional to kick off the NCAA Tournament this weekend. Sent home by Denver in last year's NCAA Tournament quarterfinals, the Nittany Lion postseason rematch against the Pioneers has a different feel to it this season.
"It's been different from last year," Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "Coming off such an emotional Big Ten Championship and then jumping right into the NCAAs, the practices were actually not very good. We were very tired, but this has been different. We've been off, guys have been chomping at the bit and they've really been working hard, so it's been a much different feel. I would say the plan is to just work hard and improve. The workman's-like attitude has really carried over and I like how the guys are approaching it."
Looking toward the familiar matchup, Penn State is well aware of the challenge come Saturday.
"Obviously they're an excellent hockey team, but at this point in the year you're going to play an excellent hockey team no matter what," Gadowsky said. "That's what we've been preparing for even before we knew it was Denver."
Key for Penn State will be its ability to shut down the Pioneers' prolific offense - a task easier said than done. With three players on the team with more than 40 points this season, including NCHC Player of the Year, Henrik Borgström and U.S. Olympic team member, Troy Terry. Along with Jones in net, Penn State's defense will most certainly have a tall task ahead.
"We'll be ready," Jones said.
Penn State is healthy and ready to go though, playing with a home field advantage, with the Nittany Lions serving as the host institution for the weekend at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.
"It's certainly exciting being in Allentown," Gadowsky said. "We know we're going to have great Penn State support, which is awesome. That's going to be a lot of fun."
Sophomore goaltender Peyton Jones, who is a native of Langhorne, Pennsylvania talked about playing an NCAA Tournament game so close to Happy Valley.
"It's going to be awesome," Jones said. "I'm going to have a lot of family and friends there. It's only about an hour from my house so it's going to be great playing in front of all those people."
In addition to the hometown advantage, Penn State also has a year of NCAA Tournament experience under its belt. For Gadowsky, it's a helpful addition when it comes to last year's matchup with Denver.
"I think it's comforting because we've done it once before," Gadowsky said. "Not only playing the same opponent, but just the fact that we've gone to a regional and we know what to expect."
Comparing last year to this year, for Gadowsky, the experiences are certainly different but it's the quality, character and much of the same style that is the same for the Nittany Lions.
"Every team is a little bit different, but I think we have the same great feel in the locker room and really quality, competitive guys," Gadowsky said. "That hasn't changed. I think the style is relatively similar, too. We still play to score goals, we get up and down the ice really quickly, but I think every year is different. You go through experiences, both positive and negative, throughout the season and that leads you to where you are."
Penn State and Denver lace up the skates Saturday at 7 p.m. in the PPL Center. Should the Nittany Lions advance, they would meet the winner of No. 1 Ohio State and No. 4 Princeton in Saturday's quarterfinals at 6:30 p.m. on ESPNU.