The 2018-19 season thus far has seen an emergence of younger players stepping up and contributing for Penn State, as it sits at No. 9 in the USCHO rankings heading into this weekend's series against Notre Dame.
While everybody wants to pot goals and make the flashy plays, Alex Limoges (Winchester, Va.) has been quietly able to tally a nation-leading 17 assists en route to 25 points through 15 games.
"With him, a lot of his maturation has been off the ice," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "I think he naturally has been a strong, tough kid who was always able to protect pucks and get things done. I think that was a big part of his success at the junior level and even before that.
Gadowsky also mentioned the noticeable maturation Limoges' game has produced, leading to his success so far this season on a line with Evan Barratt (Bristol, Pa.) and Liam Folkes (Scarborough, Ont.), one of the most productive lines in Division I hockey so far.
"When he started playing Division I hockey, I think that natural benefit to him was less noticeable," Gadowsky said.
"He has worked extremely hard in the weight room to get himself in really good condition. I think now he's back to feeling more physically dominant than he did last year. I think that's a big part of it. The synergy of his line is obviously a big part of that as well."
Hockey isn't the first sport that comes to mind when you think of the basketball and football players that hail from the Washington D.C. area and have found success at both the collegiate and professional levels. But prior to his arrival at Penn State, Limoges played for the U.S. Junior Select Team, and led the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL to the conference finals.
Limoges sets high expectations for his play on the ice and was disappointed after he finished last season with 21 points following his freshman campaign, but he knew the improvements had to come internally before the results would show on the ice.
"I tried to do as well as I could freshman year, and I was a little disappointed with my productivity," Limoges said. "I knew I had to come out this year from the start of the first game, so that kind of fired me up. It's fun to see it pay off, but I know there's a lot more to be done. I didn't know I'd be at top of the country for scoring right now, but we've just got to keep winning.
In addition, Limoges placed emphasis on putting in extra hours both in the weight room and on the ice. Once his mentality changed, Limoges said, he began to see results.
"It was about mentality," Limoges said. "I talked with our trainer and he said I was doing well, but I would be better if I changed my mentality in the weight room. It's about attitude and I'm always trying to lift more than I think I can internally. I put in a lot of good work in the offseason and it's been translating so far."
Watching Limoges on the ice, his hockey IQ speaks for itself. With intelligent linemates in Folkes and Barratt, the trio have found tremendous success to start the season. An example of that IQ showed on Saturday night in Madison.
"One example that keeps getting referred back to was Evan (Barratt)'s goal on Saturday night," Limoges said. "I chipped the puck and (Liam) Folkes was skating up the boards and it was a little too high and he knew, so he ducked under it and it landed perfectly on his stick.
"That's one of those instances where he was skating full speed and somehow had the flexibility to do that. It's little things that not many people pick up on, and the way they both put the puck on net takes a lot of hockey IQ as well."
The aforementioned Barratt and Limoges have essentially been in a track meet in terms of scoring, both trading spots in the national lead for points, which they are currently tied for at 25 apiece.
"We live together, and neither one of us says it to each other, but I know there's something there," Limoges said. "He took the lead for a little bit, and then I caught up to him, but it is a friendly competition. I think we both want to see each other and the team do well."
As for the sustained success of his line, Limoges said his line has to continue the challenges they have presented for each opponent they've met so far this season.
"We just have to continue being the dynamic line that we are," Limoges said. "Notre Dame is at the top of the country defensively and their goalie is really good as well.
"On top of that, they play a lot of defensive systems, so we just have to find their weak spots, keep cycling and get pucks to the net. Might not be the prettiest goals this weekend, but they all count the same so we have to find ways to score."
