As the floodgates burst open and a sea of white fueled the fight for the 10th-annual 'Wear White' game in Hockey Valley, Penn State rode the momentum to pull off its first-ever sweep of the Ohio State Buckeyes.
A familiar foe in Happy Valley, the Nittany Lions had an insatiable hunger to satisfy following their most recent matchup with the Buckeyes, where the Bucks slashed PSU's playoff run in the the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals last season.
This historic weekend in Hockey Valley dates all the way back to the 2013-14 season, inspiring its athletes to play for a greater cause. In familiar fashion, the Nittany Lions won in back-to-back nights with a tight score of 4-3. A victorious Saturday evening helped extend their 'Wear White' win streak to three, improving to a record of 4-5-1 in this annual event.
For the second consecutive season, Penn State debuted alternate jerseys to be worn in this matchup and auctioned off to raise money for the State College Coyotes Sled Hockey team.
"It's really cool seeing the way we can help the community, and the way we can be involved in bigger things above any game, win or lose," said Senior Captain Christian Berger.
The Roar Zone, Penn State hockey's official student section, has been the driving force for all the momentum behind this team's success on their home ice. Whether it be an early season non-conference matchup or playing the top-ranked teams in the country, Nittany Lion fans flood Pegula each weekend to cultivate the atmosphere that the Penn State troops take immense pride in.
"So much of every win we've had, they involve tempo here, and nothing generates tempo as well as the Roar Zone does," says Guy Gadowsky. "Trust me, there's places we go where we feel it against us, so we know how much it not only means to us, but how much it means in a negative way to the opposition."
Anticipation rode high on the heels of a record-setting 'Wear White' matchup in 2022-23, where the Nittany Lions welcomed the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. After dropping the first matchup of the weekend, Hockey Valley rallied around the Blue and White to come back and battle through a night two win.
Fans eagerly amassed pandemonium in Pegula amidst the blinding crowd of white, vibrant posters and deafening chants, contributing to the team win, setting a new attendance record of 6,566 fans.
High expectations prefaced this 'Wear White' weekend, yet exceeded itself with another new Pegula Ice Arena record of 6,578 fans not only attending, but formulating the atmosphere to motivate the Nittany Lions through their first in-conference sweep of the season, and first-ever sweep of the Buckeyes in program history.
Hockey Valley has stretched a warm welcome to its newcomers throughout the season, especially towards the highly acclaimed 'Kid Line', composed of Matt DiMarsico, Aiden Fink and Reese Laubach. The three have repeatedly praised the Roar Zone, but have yet to see an event like this.
"That was definitely the coolest game I've ever played in. You look around, there wasn't an empty seat, everyone was cheering for us, it was just a really cool environment," exclaimed the wide-eyed DiMarsico following his first Big Ten sweep.
The weekend allowed the Nittany Lions to snap their mid-season slump, after dropping their last six Big Ten matchups, recovered by two wins fueled by the "Greatest atmosphere in college hockey," according to Gadowsky and backed by his army.
Posted in front of the Roar Zone, senior goaltender Liam Souliére and his yard-sale-esque saves kept the Buckeyes off the board long enough to bring the Blue and White to the finish line as victors, tallying his most saves recorded in a win this season.
"He's a guy that loves Penn State, he loves Pegula, he loves the Roar Zone, and he loves playing in this atmosphere. I think he's a guy that thrives on that, so he's always grateful towards the crowd and atmosphere as well," exclaimed Gadowsky.
On a campus that is praised for its school spirit and devoted student body, the Nittany Lions have emphasized extreme pride in being able to play for a home crowd as passionate as the Roar Zone, in a place like Pegula Ice Arena.
Heading into the bye week, the Blue and White are carrying the good vibes into the Sled Hockey Classic, fully planned and facilitated by Dylan Lugris and the rest of the Penn State hockey team.
The Nittany Lions will set the stage in Pegula for just two more series' against Michigan and Wisconsin before closing out the season with the Buckeyes in Columbus.
