UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- For much of the season, seniors Alex Limoges and Tim Doherty have sought out consistency on their line. As of late, that is exactly what they're getting.
Through the early part of the season, the third spot on Limoges and Doherty's line resembled a revolving door. Head coach Guy Gadowsky would change who's in that spot every couple of games.
A few weeks back, Gadowsky put freshman Christian Sarlo on the line with Doherty and Limoges. Ever since that move, the results have been outstandingly positive. In their first series together at Ohio State, Sarlo added a spark and helped improve the game of two of Penn State's eldest players.
"Those two goals [the second night at Ohio State] by Timmy and Limo were 100% [Sarlo]," Gadowsky said. "He set them both up through hard work and brains."
But it hasn't been Sarlo's on-ice play that has stood out to Gadowsky and his teammates. It has been the impact he makes in practice and away from the rink. It's hard for a freshman to step into such a big role early on, but the Lynnbrook, New York, native has not shied away.
While Sarlo's stats have popped off the page since the move to his new line, the little things he does on the ice are what really stand out.
"He's not there because he makes offensive plays and scores," Gadowsky said. "He's there because he does a great job winning pucks. He is very conscious defensively and is a great 200-foot player with a great IQ."
Sarlo's new line mates have been impressed with his play thus far. The spark he has provided to Doherty and Limoges' game has certainly not gone unnoticed. So much of what Gadowsky said was reiterated by Penn State's captain.
"Sarlo is such a smart player and is so fast and really good at winning battles and finding the open guy," Limoges said. "It's been really seamless with him on the right wing with me and Tim."
Limoges and Doherty certainly know what they're talking about when it comes to identifying talent on the ice. The two have nearly eight-years of combined college hockey experience. Limoges has played with a slew of talented players in his time at Penn State.
Doherty, who spent the previous three seasons at Maine, has settled in nicely at Penn State. Him and Limoges quickly formed a strong connection, and now Doherty is stoked about the addition of Sarlo to their line.
"I think it's been going really well," Doherty said. "Limo and I really like playing with Sarlo. He works really hard on the forecheck and in the D zone and he's able to win a lot of battles in the offensive zone."
Sarlo spent the last two seasons in the USHL, with the Chicago Steel and Lincoln Stars. He served as an alternate captain for the Stars. In his time there, Sarlo put up strong numbers, but Gadowsky reiterated that's not why he's at Penn State. It's the work he does around the puck that stands out the most.
The move to the new line has gone well for Sarlo personally. He has enjoyed working with the older players and learning from their experience.
"They're really easy guys to play with and they're good at making plays," Sarlo said. "I just try to play in our system and help them out as much as I can."
As the season has progressed and the team gets more familiar with one another, the results have shown on the scoreboard. After starting the season 0-5, Penn State has won seven of its last nine, including a sweep against Michigan State last weekend.
The entire team deserves credit for turning it around after such a poor start. Moving forward, the Nittany Lions will look to build of their recently acquired momentum.
If the success is to continue, the line of Doherty, Limoges, and Sarlo will have to continue to produce. While Gadowsky is confident in that, he remains cautiously optimistic that this is a group that can have success over time.
"It has to work over-time and not just for one weekend," Gadowsky said. "This weekend they looked good."
When Penn State takes the ice against Wisconsin later this week, that group will be in for a tough test against the Badgers' star-studded lineup. But it is certainly not a challenge that they'll back down from.
