Series Grades: Penn State Men’s Hockey vs. St. Thomas
Penn State improved its record to 6-0 on the season following a two-game series sweep over St. Thomas in their final tune-up before Big Ten play.
Despite the two victories, it was not all smooth skating for the Nittany Lions. Let’s take a look at how each positional group fared.
Forwards: B-
If game one was any indication of how the forwards were going to fare in this series, they would have been receiving a better grade. But it was not.
The forwards flung 51 shots in the direction of St. Thomas’ Aaron Trotter in the first game, with six of those finding their way to the back of the net.
Ture Linden scored in the first period, but the offensive attack of the Nittany Lions really got going in the second period. They scored four goals in the middle frame, including a 66-second sequence in which the lamp was lit three times.
That pace would stay with the Nittany Lions at the beginning of game 2 as Connor McMenamin and Ben Copeland each had a first period score. But after that first period, the offense, which recorded 33 shots on goal, was silenced by Trotter and company.
After being silenced for over two periods, McMenamin gave Penn State the victory in overtime.
Defense: B
St. Thomas entered the series averaging 16.5 shots per game and 1.5 goals per game, it exited the series with a higher average in both categories.
The Nittany Lion defense, while remaining fairly consistent from game one to game two allowed the Tommies to find an offensive rhythm that had not been seen from them this season.
That rhythm was established in part due to the lack of closing in from the Nittany Lions on the puck. That was particularly noticeable in game one, when they had the opportunity to get through the first two periods without allowing a goal, but with .4 seconds left in the second period Ethan Gauer found his way to the back of the net for St. Thomas.
The defense did assist in the offensive efforts for Penn State. Simon Mack scored his first collegiate goal in game one, while four defenders recorded assists in the series, including Jimmy Dowd Jr. with three.
Goaltending: B+
Even though the defense for Penn State squandered more shots than expected, the goaltenders came to play.
Liam Souliere, who continues to battle through injury, saved 19-of-21 shots in game one. Though an overall solid night, Souliere allowing that aforementioned goal with just .4 seconds left in a period was a tough look for the junior netminder.
In Game 2, Souliere was on the bench in favor of Noah Grannan. After allowing five goals on 33 shots in his first collegiate appearance versus Canisius, Grannan came to play making 27-of-29 saves in the victory.
No save was bigger than the one Grannan made to keep St. Thomas from winning in overtime. Off of that save, the freshman from Wisconsin would feed McMenamin the puck to give the blue and white the victory.
Coaching: C
Despite recording career wins number 350 and 351, Guy Gadowsky, along with the rest of the coaching staff, had a rough outing.
The Nittany Lions came out undisciplined, especially on special teams. Penn State was sent to the box five times in the two-game series, and while the Tommies came into the series converting on just one of their first 17 attempts, they would strike on the man-advantage in Game 2.
On the other side of special teams, the Nittany Lions received three man-up opportunities, but were unable to get anything going.
Against a program that went 3-31-1 last season, the first in Division 1 for St. Thomas, the Nittany Lions got away with their mistakes. But with Wisconsin on the horizon, Gadwosky and company will need to have the team better prepared.
Justin Ciavolella is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.
