Young Nittany Lions Squad Hungry to Start Conference Play

Story posted October 28, 2022 in CommRadio, Sports by Joshua Bartosik

No. 16 Penn State faces its biggest test of the season when it opens up Big Ten play this weekend against the Wisconsin Badgers.

The Nittany Lions roll into Madison with a perfect 6-0-0 record after their sweep over St. Thomas this past weekend, yet, it took more effort than the squad would have liked.

“We are proud that we pulled [that series] out, but not proud of how we played,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “There was very clear information as to what we have to get back to doing well.”

The points Gadowsky mentioned as doing well would be the offensive output the Nittany Lions showed through their first three series, although their second matchup against the Tommies showed the opposite.

The blue and white only scored three goals on 33 shots in a game that required overtime to pull out the sweep.

The consensus around the locker room was similar to Gadowsky’s message: the time for mistakes is over.

“We just have to do better than these out of conference games,” freshman forward Alex Servagno said. “We know Wisconsin is going to be much faster and a much more talented team, so we just need to go back to our principles.”

Meanwhile for the Badgers, they pulled off a stunning sweep over No. 19 Minnesota Duluth, outsourcing the Bulldogs 8-2 in the process.

The Badgers are led by sophomore defenseman Corson Ceulemans and fifth-year forward Brock Caufield.

Ceulemans’ six points are first on the team and Caufield has been following in his older brother Cole Caufield’s footsteps with four quick points early on in the season.

Despite the challenge that lies ahead against Wisconsin, the Nittany Lions know what they need to do to come out victorious.

“It’s the same message,” junior goaltender Liam Souliere said. “Just go out and play Penn State hockey.”

Souliere has been dealing with a nagging injury for the past couple weeks according to Gadowsky, yet the netminder had a different answer regarding his health problems.

“I’m ready to go,” Souliere said.

That Penn State hockey Souliere touched on has benefited multiple players in the first few weeks of the season, but specifically the line of Ryan Kirwan, Ture Linden and Kevin Wall.

Linden’s 10 points are tied for third in the nation and Wall and Kirwan both have four goals on one of the best lines in the league.

They take on a familiar foe in net in Jared Moe, who had 73 saves on 75 shots in the Badger’s sweep over Minnesota Duluth.

Moe will be aiming for a much better outing than he had the last time these two teams faced off, when he gave up eight goals on 57 shots over two games.

A lot has changed since that last series, and both squads will be looking to prove their worth in one of the best conferences in college hockey.

 

Joshua Bartosik is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jsb6137@psu.edu.