UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Earlier this week head coach Guy Gadowksy and the Penn State men's ice hockey team announced nine signees to its 2020 recruiting class. Comprised of six forwards, two defensemen and one goaltender the class features eight incoming freshman and one graduate transfer.
Christian Berger // D // 6-0 // 182 // L // St. Louis, Mo. // Omaha Lancers (USHL)
The youngest of the five Berger brothers, Christian finished his first season with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL after spending the 2018-19 season with the Madison Capitols scoring eight goals while adding 11 assists in 61 games. Through 44 games this past season, Berger scored five goals while adding 17 assists for 22 points from the blue-line.
Christian will become the third Berger to play for head coach Guy Gadowsky when he laces up his skates in Hockey Valley next fall joining oldest brother Jack and former Nittany Lion captain Chase Berger '19. Jack played for Gadowsky at Princeton during his freshman season before eventually serving as captain during his junior and senior seasons following Gadowsky's tenure on the Tiger bench.
BERGER ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State because of the outstanding tradition of the university, the academics and the culture of the hockey program."
GADOWSKY ON BERGER
"Christian has a very complete game. He excels in both ends of the ice and is a D who moves pucks very effectively and is tough to play against."
Tim Doherty // F // 6-0 // 190 // L // Portsmouth, R.I. // Maine (Hockey East – NCAA)
Doherty recently finished his career at Maine with a career-best 37-point season to rank tied for 18th nationally while leading the Black Bears with 14 goals while adding 23 assists in 34 games played. Doherty, the Hockey East Player of the Month in January, was also strong at the faceoff circle ranking 16th in Hockey East winning 54.4 percent of his draws. In his three years at Maine, Doherty has played in 101 games registering 77 points on 34 goals and 43 assists.
DOHERTY ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State for the opportunity to get my masters degree at a world renowned university, play college hockey at the highest level for an incredible program, and to have a lifetime experience in a town like State College."
GADOWSKY ON DOHERTY
"Tim will bring some veteran leadership to our group this year. He should be able to play in a lot of situations right away and help with some of the scoring we lost."
Jimmy Dowd Jr. // D // 5-9 // 161 // R // Point Pleasant Beach, N.J. // Chicago Steel (USHL)
Dowd, the son of former NHL centerman Jim Dowd Sr., just finished his second season with the Chicago Steel of the USHL where he served as an alternate captain registering 26 points on four goals and 22 assists in 48 games played. Last season, Dowd scored once while adding 18 assists for 19 points in 61 total games played during his first USHL season helping Chicago capture the Eastern Conference Championship before falling to the Sioux Falls Stampede in three games during the Clark Cup Championship.
DOWD ON PENN STATE
"Penn State is everything I've ever dreamed of. It is the full package with top tier athletics along with excellent academics."
GADOWSKY ON DOWD
"Jimmy is a very smart hockey player, with high IQ and vision at both ends of the ice, he fits in very well at Penn State because of his ability to move pucks well and make the right play."
Xander Lamppa // F // 6-1 // 205 // L // Rochester, Minn. // Waterloo Blackhawks (USHL)
Lamppa finished the 2019-20 season tied for 17th in the USHL in scoring with 45 points to lead the Waterloo Blackhawks on 15 goals and 30 assists. In two seasons with Waterloo, Lamppa skated in 111 games scoring 23 goals while adding 49 assists for 72 points. Prior to his time in the USHL, Lamppa spent the 2017-18 season with the Austin Bruins of the NAHL after two seasons at Rochester John Marshall High School in Minnesota.
LAMPPA ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State because I believe it is one of the best, if not the best university regarding both athletics and academics and for having a great college experience."
GADOWSKY ON LAMPPA
"Xander is a big power forward who makes plays, he is very creative for a kid his size and should be able to get bigger and stronger during his time here."
Chase McLane // F // 6-2 // 183 // R // Trenton, Mich. // Tri-City Storm (USHL)
McLane recently finished his third season for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL, but due to injury at the start of the year only skated in 18 games in 2019-20 scoring five goals while adding 11 assists for 16 points. In 106 total USHL games over the past three seasons, McLane has scored 13 goals while adding 37 assists for 50 total points. McLane served as an alternate captain for Tri-City during the 2018-19 campaign.
MCLANE ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State because it felt like the right fit, the campus is beautiful and it has everything I wanted in a school."
GADOWSKY ON MCLANE
"Chase is a power forward who is very good on faceoffs, goes hard to the net and has a consistent intensity to his game that you rarely see. He is the type of leader that you hate to play against but love to have on your team."
Tyler Paquette // F // 6-3 // 200 // R // Collegeville, Pa. // Green Bay Gamblers (USHL)
Paquette played the 2019-20 season with the Green Bay Gamblers of the USHL after playing each of the past two seasons with the Des Moines Buccaneers. In 105 total games with Des Moines, Paquette scored 10 goals while adding 12 assists for 22 points and he finished this past season in Green Bay with 11 goals and 12 assists for 23 points in 46 games.
PAQUETTE ON PENN STATE
"With the combination of a top-notch hockey program and great academics that Penn State has to offer, the decision was an easy one. Everything from the great facilities, school spirit and highly-regarded coaching staff makes Penn State an experience that I am excited to be a part of."
GADOWSKY ON PAQUETTE
"Tyler is a big power forward who skates very well. By going hard to the net and playing physical he should have a seamless transition to Big Ten college hockey."
Christian Sarlo // F // 6-0 // 188 // L // Lynbrook, N.Y. // Lincoln Stars (USHL)
Sarlo spent the 2019-20 season as an alternate captain for the Lincoln Stars of the USHL and led the team with 21 goals while adding 23 assists to rank second on the team with 44 points, a mark good for 21st in the entire league while his 21 goals ranked tied for 13th in the USHL. Sarlo, a product of the North Jersey Avalanche organization, spent the previous season with the Chicago Steel scoring 14 goals while adding 13 assists for 27 points in 61 total games.
SARLO ON PENN STATE
"Penn State is a tremendous school, with the facilities, coaching staff, style of play, and atmosphere Penn State offers, it was an easy choice. Something special is going on at Penn State and I can't wait to be a part of it."
GADOWSKY ON SARLO
"Christian is a smart forward who has good hands and can see the rink very well. His intensity and hockey sense allows him to win a ton of battles and make plays."
Liam Soulière // G // 5-11 // 180 // L // Brampton, Ontario // Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL)
Soulière recently completed his first season with the Victoria Grizzlies of the BCHL and after beginning the season injured he finished with a 9-6-0 record posting a 3.37 goals against average and a .917 save percentage in 15 starts. He spent the previous two seasons in the CCHL and was named the league's Goaltender of the Year in 2018-19 with the Brockville Braves after compiling a 26-8-0 record with a .930 save percentage and a 2.13 goals against average to rank second in the league for both categories. The Brampton, Ontario native led the Braves to a second-place finish in the Robinson Division and a semifinal appearance in the CCHL playoffs. Soulière spent the 2017-18 season with the Nepean Raiders appearing in 40 games with a .927 save percentage and a 2.70 goals against average with a 16-18-0 record.
SOULIERE ON PENN STATE
"I chose Penn State because like many people I fell in love with the campus the instant I stepped foot on it, the school spirit is unmatched. The coaching staff is great and my brief stay with my future teammates on my visit was awesome."
GADOWSKY ON SOULIERE
"Liam is a goaltender who has been one of the best everywhere he plays, he is quick and handles rebounds very well."
Jared Westcott // F // 6-1 // 175 // L // Imperial, Mo. // Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
Westcott finished his second season with the Sioux Falls Stampede serving as an alternate captain after helping the team capture the 2019 Clark Cup Championship in 2018-19 with a three-game sweep of the Chicago Steel. The Stampede went 11-1 throughout the 2019 playoffs with Westcott scoring five goals while adding one assist for six points following a 39-point regular season (15G, 24A). In 2019-20, Westcott scored 16 goals while adding 18 assists for 34 points to lead the team in each category while playing in 44 games.
WESTCOTT ON PENN STATE
"Ever since I was a kid, I always wanted to attend Penn State and play hockey, the culture around PSU is so amazing and I'm so excited to be able to live out this dream!"
GADOWSKY ON WESTCOTT
"Jared is an extremely smart forward who uses his unique hockey IQ to make a ton of plays, he was a big part of Sioux Falls winning the USHL Championship last season."
Recruiting classes are subject to change and more student-athletes can be signed throughout the entirety of the 2019-20 signing period, which runs through August 1, 2020.
