UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — In the season-opening series against LIU on Sunday and Monday, Penn State's freshmen and sophomores stole the show.
They carried the team, racking up 14 of the team's 20 points over both contests. The sophomores, composed of Chase McLane, Xander Lamppa, Christian Sarlo, Christian Berger and Jimmy Dowd Jr., racked up eight points while freshmen classmates Ryan Kirwan, Danny Dzhaniyev and Simon Mack put up six points.
Forwards Carson Dyck and Ben Schoen may not have notched any goals or assists over the series, but the two freshmen won a combined 19 of 31 faceoffs.
"Doing what (the freshmen) did tonight is no surprise to any of us in the room," alternate captain Connor McMenamin said. "They were expected to step in and make an impact right away, and I think they all did a great job of that."
Kirwan and Dzhaniyev stood out on the young team, making an impact right out of the gate.
Kirwan opened the scoring for the Nittany Lions this season on Sunday afternoon, while later notching an assist during the same game. He had a team-high seven shots on goal Sunday, and tied the team-high in points with two.
Dzhaniyev earned two assists during Sunday's matchup, and on Monday night scored his first collegiate goal, racking up three points in his first two games to lead the team. The New York native shined during the series, winning puck battles and creating scoring opportunities.
His hard work didn't go unnoticed.
"(Danny) is fun to watch," Guy Gadowsky said. "Not just because of his skill and because he'll score a lot of goals, but I really like how he hunts for pucks...I think he's going to be a great player for this program."
The sophomores also made a statement, with McLane, Sarlo and Lamppa each recording a goal and an assist over the two games. McLane's goal during Sunday's contest helped drive the Nittany Lions to a 2-0 lead, and Berger opened the scoring during Monday night's game to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.
In addition to dominating the stat sheet, the freshmen got their first real taste of Penn State hockey – playing in Pegula with a packed student section.
"It was my first time playing in front of it, and it was everything I've ever imagined and more," Kirwan said.
Not only did the freshmen get to feel the energy of Pegula for the first time during this series, but the sophomores did too.
After playing their first year of collegiate hockey during the COVID-19 pandemic, the sophomores had never played a Penn State home game with fans in the building.
However, that all changed Sunday afternoon.
"I think it was a great game for freshmen, and even sophomores, to get their feet wet in front of a full crowd in Pegula," McMenamin said. "I think it's just as good to learn from and take the win."
Starting off the season with a sweep and a phenomenal performance, the freshmen and sophomores have set a high bar moving forward.
