PSU Hockey Player Spotlight: Vince Pedrie

Story posted November 5, 2015 in CommRadio by David Arroyo

Various Penn State teams have been presented with the rare situation where freshman have contributed in a big way for their respective clubs, and the men’s hockey team is no exception. Freshman Andrew Sturtz, Chase Berger, and Alec Marsh have all contributed in huge ways on the offensive end, and they have been the center of attention in terms of freshman play.  However, the defensive side of the puck has seen its fair share of freshman contributions this season as well, including from Vince Pedrie.

Born in Chicago, Pedrie has been a contributing factor on every hockey team he has ever been a part of. He began playing in the United States Hockey League (USHL) in 2011 for the Omaha Lancers. Throughout his time in the USHL, Pedrie also played for the Indiana Ice, Bloomington Thunder, and Tri-City Storm. While playing in the USHL, Pedrie was able to total 203 games played with 22 goals and 45 assists. On top of all of that, Pedrie took home some hardware in the 2013-14 campaign with Indiana, winning the Clark Cup.

With all of that experience, Pedrie is able to play at a higher level than most other freshman. He has not only the experience of playing at a high level of hockey, but of also winning at a high level. Not to mention, Pedrie and many more of these freshman have played together before. In youth hockey, Pedrie was teammates with Chris Funkey, and was on the same team as Matt Mendelson, Kevin Kerr, and Chase Berger in junior hockey.

In thanks to all of this experience, the transition to the college level has been a fairly simple one for Pedrie. Last weekend against St. Lawrence, Pedrie tallied his first goal on the season and for the year has also added two assists. His numbers may not be eye popping, but the little things while playing is what has helped Penn State to their early season success, particularly with his line mate Erik Autio. Because of their similar styles of play and their want to go on the attacking end, they have complemented one another well.

“I like hopping in the rush, but I know if I see Erik [Autio] jumping in, then I know to hold back or if he holds back then I know to go,” said Pedrie.

This ability to play off of Autio has allowed for Pedrie to be setup with a plethora of opportunities, allowing him to lead all defenseman in shots with 26. The chemistry Pedrie has found on this team is promising, not only for this season, but for his future on this team. One thing is for certain, however, and that is that Pedrie will continue to have opportunities to produce. As the freshman continues to grow comfortable with his new team, expect to see his name appear in the goal column a bit more often.  Be sure to check out Pedrie and the Nittany Lions take on Niagara this Friday and tune into ComRadio at 7 p.m. for coverage of the entire game.

David Arroyo is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email arroyodavid01@gmail.com