UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The Penn State men's ice hockey team received a No. 8 final ranking in both the USCHO.com and the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national polls as announced Monday afternoon, tying the highest final ranking in program history.
After beginning the 2022-23 campaign unranked, the Nittany Lions finished the year earning their second top-10 finish in the past four seasons and third overall after also finishing No. 8 following the 2019-20 and 2016-17 seasons.
Penn State went a perfect 11-0-0 against non-conference opponents during the 2022-23 season finishing the year with a 22-16-1 record marking its fifth 20-win season over the first 11 years of the program all of which have come in the last eight years. The 22 wins are the second-most in a single-season in program history. The Nittany Lions advanced to their third NCAA Tournament reaching the regional final for the second time in program history.
PSU is one of six Big Ten teams to earn a final ranking joining Minnesota (No. 2/2), Michigan (No. 3/3), Ohio State (No. 7/7), Michigan State (No. 19/17) and Notre Dame who received votes in the USCHO.com poll finishing just outside of the top-20 and was ranked No. 19 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll.
Junior goaltender Liam Souliere (Brampton, Ontario) had a career-year between the pipes for the Blue & White helping lead a defense that surrendered just 2.72 goals per game to rank fourth in the Big Ten and 25th nationally.
Souliere posted Penn State single-season bests with three shutouts and a 2.43 goals-against average in 2022-23 while his 19 victories and .917 save percentage are good for second and third, respectively. The junior's 8-0 shutout of Michigan Tech in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament marked the first shutout in Nittany Lion postseason history and is the largest shutout ever in an NCAA Tournament game.
Senior Kevin Wall paced Penn State offensively finishing the season with career-highs across the board with 17 goals and 14 assists for 31 points. His 17 goals are tied for the eighth-most in a single-season in Penn State history and were good for ninth in the Big Ten.
Wall concludes his Penn State career ranking 10th on the all-time points list with 86 for his career while his 43 goals are good for ninth.
