As Big Ten play began last weekend, big roles were left to be filled for the Penn State men's ice hockey team as a shorthanded roster turned to the new faces of the plast Sunday.
Opening the season with a 3-0 start on the road, followed by a three-weekend homestand where they went 2-2-2, Penn State found itself battle tested through the opening nine games with losses of key contributors.
On the heels of a physical first night resulting in a tie game and shootout loss, the Blue and White found itself in a compromised position missing four key forwards and one defenseman due to injury heading into game two.
All eyes turned to freshman defenseman Casey Aman, filling in a key gap in the right wing position as the Nittany Lions were without Jacques Bouquot and Christian Sarlo on the attacking force for the first time all season.
Embodying the performance-on-demand approach preached throughout the locker room, Aman said "whatever it takes," was the name of his game throughout the weekend as he suited up as a forward for the first time in his career alongside Carson Dyck and Alex Servagno.
"He's a hockey player. He's got a sick shot, he can skate, he can fly, and you put him in any situation and he's going to perform," said senior defenseman Jimmy Dowd. "He did his job, and he did it well."
With all the injuries impacting the lineup, the pressure was on the young blood to step up and earn their stripes as the "kid line", as coined by Guy Gadowsky led the attack as the Nittany Lions battled back from a two-goal deficit to take the Irish to overtime.
"Normally, a line of all freshmen would be a really daunting challenge, but because every one of them has played with veterans, they're now able to come together and they have something to prove," said Gadowsky. "They play with a lot of youthful exuberance, a ton of energy, and a lot of confidence."
For the first time in their first-year careers in Hockey Valley, Reese Laubach, Aiden Fink and Matt DiMarsico took the ice as a trio and conquered the aged and dominant Notre Dame defensemen, combining for three points on the day.
Outworking the fast-paced and intense Irish attack, DiMarsico and Laubach used their new kid chemistry to find Aiden Fink in the zone, as Fink got Notre Dame goaltender Ryan Bischel to bite early, and outsmarted him to find the back of the net to rally the Roar Zone through a third period comeback.
"They've been awesome. They've been hungry. They've been intense," exclaimed Dowd. "They're three guys who put their heads down and work hard, all the guys love them, they're fun to be around, and they're a heck of a contribution."
With the last-second tying goal by the freshman line, the Nittany Lions raised the intensity and held the Irish off through an overtime period to bring the game into a shootout for the second consecutive night.
Both goaltenders locking in for the final ticks of the game, all eyes turned to Xander Lamppa, taking the third and final attempt of the shootout. Lamppa baited Bischel to the left, where he lost balance and found himself horizontal with just enough space for Lamppa to deliver the puck to the top right corner to escape the weekend with a win.
Despite splitting the weekend with Notre Dame, the morale is at an all-time high for the Nittany Lions on the heels of their team victory, growing stronger as a unit as they continue through conference play.
"That was as good of a win as we've had here in Pegula… It was a great win for us to believe that no matter what, who, or how, that we can get it done," stated Gadowsky.
Feeling confident and healthier as a unit, the Nittany Lions will take their efforts to East Lansing and Ann Arbor to take on Big Ten rivals Michigan State and University of Michigan in back-to-back weekends.
