After dropping their opening contest to Team Canada, 3-2, the U.S. Collegiate Selects shocked the host team HC Davos and put the world on notice with a 5-3 victory behind a pair of goals from DiMarsico who was named the Player of the Game.
After Davos knocked off Canada the following day, the Selects were crowned Cattini group champions earning a bye into the semifinals against HC Sparta Praha. Fink paced the team to a 5-3 victory in the semifinal with a four-point night which included a hat-trick and the game-winning goal while Cerrato added a powerplay tally in the win.
Facing off once again against HC Davos in the championship game a 3-3 tie ended in a 6-3 defeat as the hosts used a trio of late goals to topple the collegians and claim their 17th Spengler Cup in the 97th edition of the tournament.
Fink was named the Player of the Game in both the semifinal and final as well as being named to the Spengler Cup All-Star Team. He paced the tournament in each offensive category with four goals and four assists for eight points in four games.
Fink and DiMarsico were also named two of the three Stars of the Tournament for the Selects.
All five Nittany Lions registered points in the tournament as DiMarsico collected a pair of goals while Cerrato added one goal and one assist and both Wiebusch and Gadowsky had one assist to compliment Fink’s impressive showing.
Gadowsky and the five Nittany Lion student-athletes will return to action for Penn State this weekend during a home-and-home series against RIT. The Nittany Lions play at 7 p.m. on Saturday in Rochester and 5 p.m. on Sunday back at Pegula Ice Arena.
