As Mac O'Keefe (Syosset, N.Y.) and the Nittany Lions return back to campus, the team looks to finally play their first outdoor home game at brand-new Panzer Stadium as they host Penn on Saturday.
Both home games have been inside Holuba Hall so far, and the team is looking forward to finally being able to play outdoors in their recently renovated stadium.
"We're definitely looking to get out there as much as we can," O'Keefe said. "We try to prepare the same way each week, so we just try to prepare the best we can, no matter what."
Junior defenseman Nick Cardile (West Grove, Pa.) agreed with O'Keefe, outlining his expectations for the home-field advantage he hopes Panzer Stadium will bring.
"I can't wait," Cardile said. "I want two thousand fans to fill in there, our student section is always loud. I think it will be a great atmosphere for everyone, and I'm very excited to get out there."
For head coach Jeff Tambroni, he has emphasized how crucial the ability to practice both inside and outside has been in preparing for both possible environments.
"We've tried to replicate it as much as possible," Tambroni said. "And I think our preparation has allowed us to have the ability to play outside without a hitch. I think it can be easier to transition from inside to outside because sightlines are better."
"Mentally for us, our goalies and players can see the ball much better outdoors. Having practice outdoors so much has been beneficial for us."
Attacker Grant Ament (Doylestown, Pa.), who was just named to the 2019 Tewaaraton Watch List, has also looked forward to being able to play outdoors in front of a larger home crowd. In addition, he talked about the added amenities that playing at Panzer Stadium adds to future Nittany Lion success at home.
"For the guys who are juniors and seniors, we played with the hill there our first few years, which definitely was a cool environment," Ament said.
"But adding the stadium provides an atmosphere that is comparable to other teams around the conference. It puts us on the same level as them, and in some ways ahead of them because we have our own facility, and that is definitely something to be proud of."
Meanwhile, Penn State has played each of the last two games on the road, dominating Stony Brook 17-4 two weeks ago, before a slim 14-13 loss on the road at defending national champion Yale last Saturday.
While Penn State trailed late in the third quarter, the Nittany Lions never lost their poise as they cut into Yale's lead deep into the final frame. O'Keefe was encouraged by the way Penn State carried themselves late in the game.
"There was an overall sense of confidence the entire time," O'Keefe said. "No one really got nervous at any point, and we just rallied around each other. I think the confidence level is really high around this group."
Tambroni agreed with that assessment, and noted how Penn State prepares for that type of situation throughout the week in practice.
"It was an ironic situation that we worked on in practice, where you're down by three goals," Tambroni said. "We put ten minutes on the scoreboard. It gave us a chance to work on situations we hadn't seen yet in games, so on Saturday we knew that we were prepared."
"I was proud of how we responded because our guys didn't stop believing in themselves. We didn't have guys going rogue and trying to win on their own, and we had urgency when we needed to."
