Penn State hockey: Nittany Lions ready for season start

The Penn State men’s hockey program hosted its annual media day earlier this week. With it, head coach Guy Gadowsky addressed the media for the first time since March 2023.

Players Christian Berger, Xander Lamppa, Christian Sarlo, Jarod Crespo, Ryan Kirwan, Aidan Fink, Liam Souliere, and Jimmy Dowd Jr. also met with the media.

Here, breaking down the news, notes, and observations coming out of the program as it gears up for the start of its 2023-24 campaign.

Iron sharpens iron

The phrase “Iron Sharpens Iron” seems to be the team’s mantra for the 2023-24 season. Most of the student-athletes as well as Gadowsky, said this phrase at least once while making comments this week.

When asked about the position battles, specifically at goalie, Gadowsky circled back to the key phrase.

“Iron sharpens iron. That’s the philosophy we’re taking. That way we all make everybody better and embrace that we welcome internal competition.” Gadowsky said.

Souliere, the senior goaltender, said, “I think it’s our phrase we’re going to stick by this year. I think it’s something we have all dedicated ourselves to.”

The Penn State defense

When asked about the young defensive core (Carter Shade, Jarod Crespo, and Dylan Gratton), Gadowsky shared a quote from Coach Fisher, “This is absolutely the best D-core we have ever had.”

Gadowsky credits the amount of playing time that the young defensive core had last season, contributing to a team that was one goal away from going to the Frozen Four.

“You got guys (defensemen) that I expect to put up some pretty high offensive numbers as well,” Gadowsky said. “The coaching staff is extremely excited about the D-core.”

The team added freshman defenseman Casey Aman and a graduate transfer from Dartmouth, Tanner Palocsik. Palocsik was Dartmouth’s leading point scorer last season as a defenseman. Aman has also drawn high praise from Gadowsky, as well as senior defenseman Jimmy Dowd Jr.

Gadowsky said that Aman has been excellent so far in practice. Dowd Jr. echoed the sentiment.

“That kid’s a tank,” he said. “He is going to do special things here.”

Who is going to step up

When you lose as much production as the Nittany Lions did this offseason, it’s easy to wonder who is going to step up. Gadowsky acknowledges that they did lose a lot in the offseason, but he remains optimistic.

“We have lost a lot. But keep in mind those guys ate up a lot of quality offensive minutes, too,” Gadowsky said. “So now someone has to get that opportunity. We’re really curious like everybody else. There are obvious people like Ryan Kirwan who has the natural gift to shoot the puck, that we really expect to step up.”

Kirwan, a junior forward, recognizes that he has the opportunity to step up this season, though he says he has no personal goals in terms of points. He just wants to do anything to help put the team in a position to win.

Penn State hockey culture

It is not a Gadowsky press conference without hearing the term “culture”.

Gadowsky relates many of the offseason transactions to the fact that the guys brought into the program, both coaches and players, bought into the culture within the program.

“They had to demonstrate to us that they would fit in and they would understand (the culture) because culture has been so important to what we do,” Gadowsky said, talking about the transfers, Palocsik and Jacques Bouquot.

Gadowsky added that both players are aware of what makes a team culture work.

Looking toward game one

With game one of the season slated for a 7:00 p.m. start at Long Island University, Gadowsky said the team has been studying film from the Sharks last series of the 2022/23 season, but is looking to take it one game at a time.