The Nittany Lions traveled treacherous roads to the North Country, collecting two more road victories, now eager to bring this success back to Hockey Valley for their three-weekend homestand.
Starting the season off in Long Island, the Blue and White battled through a 3-2 victory to kick off the season. Continuing their road slate, Penn State downed Clarkson 4-2, and secured a come-from-behind win over St. Lawrence after an explosive third period to escape 4-1 last weekend.
"It's all about starting the fight, and we did that well. Now we're getting to bring that fight to our home ice, and that's super exciting," said junior forward Carson Dyck.
Penn State will host American International College for its home opening series, marking the first time these two teams have met since October 2017. The Nittany Lions hold the all-time series lead 4-2, bookending the matchup history with losses.
In familiar fashion, the last time these teams battled at Pegula Ice Arena it was Penn State's opening home series in Hockey Valley to commence the 2017-18 season, where the Blue and White came out strong with a 7-5 opening night victory, before falling 3-2 in overtime the following night.
On the heels of a record 2022-23 season, the Nittany Lions set the precedent on the ice, which was closely followed by their fan base, the Roar Zone. At a school that is known for its rowdy student section in Beaver Stadium, Penn State fans electrified Pegula, making it that much more difficult for a rival team to find success on the road. With the support of the Roar Zone, the Nittany Lions recorded a 13-7-0 record on home ice in 2022-23, their strongest performance in Pegula since the 2018-19 campaign which saw Penn State go 15-8-0.
In the ten years it has served as a home for Penn State hockey fans and alumni, Pegula Ice Arena reached new heights as the Roar Zone helped break attendance records in back-to-back nights, helping the Nittany Lions split the series with Notre Dame in January 2o23. In their annual 'Wear White' weekend, Nittany Lion fans of all ages flooded Pegula, and in a mass sea of white, set a new attendance record of 6,566.
"They're the best fans in college hockey," said junior forward Dylan Lugris. "Anytime we get to play in front of them, they show us their dedication, and we like to put on a show for them."
No stranger to the North Country, the Buffalo, New York native assisted two goals in their 4-2 win over Clarkson to open this past weekend.
So far this season the Nittany Lions have showcased a balanced offensive attack with fifteen different players having recorded at least one point over the first three games, five of which have yet to play a game at Pegula Ice Arena.
With seven new skaters, Lugris emphasized the value the Roar Zone adds to the culture of the program, and how excited he is for them to experience it first-hand.
"One of our biggest recruiting tools is the Roar Zone, so having the graduate transfers and the freshmen all pumped up to play brings great energy going into the weekend."
"For us to play how we play, we talked about our concepts of how we like to play fast and with a lot of tempo, so for us to be our best, we need scoring from every line," says head coach Guy Gadowsky.
Starting the season on the road for the first time since 2020, Gadowsky beamed with pride on how his team battled to victory in the away barns and is overjoyed for the first puck drop at Pegula.
"If you can go early as a team, it's a tough trip and you have some bonding to do, and obviously if you're coming up with that success, there's in-game bonding as well, and that's exactly what happened," said Gadowsky. "It turned out really well, and the good news is now as you exhale, you're excited to come see the Roar Zone."
Prior to the start of the season, lots of emphasis was placed on special teams, and the roles left to be filled by last year's departures. The power play team has recorded at least one goal in each contest thus far, while only allowing one goal on the penalty kill through three games.
Crediting the team's success thus far to the mentality and leadership of his players in the locker room, Gadowsky is ready for the home-stand and excited to bring the fans back into the game.
The first puck drop at Pegula is set for 7 p.m. on Friday, October 20.
