Despite battling the 'injury bug', as coined by Guy Gadowsky, the Nittany Lions newest members have prevailed through early adversity to force a split against conference-rival Michigan, and a sweep over Lindenwood University, led by back-to-back hat tricks courtesy of freshman Aiden Fink and graduate transfer, Jacques Bouquot.
The battle-tested Nittany Lion roster has found its spark in the dark moments, now carrying that momentum into the final conference matchups of the calendar year as they take on the Minnesota Golden Gophers, and the Wisconsin Badgers.
The "Kid Line", composed of freshmen Aiden Fink, Matt DiMarsico and Reese Laubach, came together out of dire necessity due to injuries throughout the locker room. Since this trio joined forces for Penn State's conference opener against Notre Dame, they have combined for a total of 14 goals and 19 assists through the last eight games.
"They're just so much fun to watch and their energy is infectious, they've got really strong synergy," emphasizes Gadowsky. "They look like kids on Christmas morning playing knee hockey, that's just how they play."
In a game-two rally against Michigan on the road, freshman Aiden Fink led the scoring efforts over the Wolverines, earning the first hat trick of the season to come away with a 5-3 win. Putting the Nittany Lions in the position for success, Matt DiMarsico posted four assists including the primary assist on each of Fink's three goals.
"We all started the season a little slow for our liking, but once we got put together with our skill sets, we were able to combine them with being able to play at the NCAA level, it's been a really hot start now for this line," said DiMarsico.
On the heels of a big dual-effort victory, Fink and DiMarsico earned themselves Big Ten Second and Third Star of the Week honors for their combined 12 points in the split series with the Wolverines.
"I think the fact that we won a very big game in Michigan at a time where we were very much depleted… I think that gave us a lot of confidence that we can do this thing with anybody," exclaimed Gadowsky.
Coming off the program's most successful season in the past five years, questions were raised through the offseason about who would step into the leading scoring roles with the departure of key contributors. Now fifteen games into the 2023-24 season, 21 of 22 rostered skaters have recorded at least one point on the season, 18-of-22 scoring goals.
Returning home to secure their first sweep and most dominant team win thus far, the Nittany Lions had nine different players light the lamp over the course of the weekend.
Aiden Fink showcased another spectacular weekend with two goals and four assists, earning back-to-back Big Ten weekly honors, being named the Third Star of the week on Tuesday. Fink now sits second in the nation for rookie scoring and sixth in overall scoring with 21 points to his name, hot on the heels of a five-game scoring streak.
Another new face to the Nittany Lions roster, graduate transfer and former Captain of the Vermont Catamounts, Jacques Bouquot has thoroughly embraced his new role in Hockey Valley. Taking the lead from Fink, Bouquot recorded another hat trick for Penn State in its opening game victory over Lindenwood.
In just his first season in the Blue and White, Bouquot has been a steady force to balance the offensive attack, recording seven goals and fifteen points.
"We're starting to find our identity as a team," says Bouquot. "We proved in that Michigan game that there's a way we have to play to win, and that's huge for the team's confidence, knowing that when we play like that, we're going to beat a lot of good teams."
No. 18 Penn State remains home for its first look at No. 7 Minnesota to conclude the home slate in Hockey Valley for the 2023 calendar year with a Big Ten series this weekend.
