How Penn State Hockey’s Run From ‘Rock Bottom’ to Frozen Four Could Fuel Its Future

Nittany Lions coach Guy Gadowsky wants to turn Penn State's first Frozen Four into a recruiting pitch for the program.

Penn State men's hockey coach Guy Gadowsky congratulates goaltender Arsenii Sergeev after the Nittany Lions' win over UConn in the NCAA Tournament Allentown Regional final. | Kylie Barton/Penn State Athletics

Just two wins from an NCAA championship, Penn State men’s hockey is chasing the final chapter of its 2025 turnaround. Regardless of the outcome, the Nittany Lions’ first trip to the Frozen Four is a defining moment in program history. The blue logo painted on the ice is physical proof Penn State has joined the sport’s national conversation.

While a title would cement that arrival, the Nittany Lions’ unlikely run already has had lasting implications. Penn State hockey has built its brand around top-tier culture, school pride and facilities. But now, the program is armed with playoff success that could elevate it further in the years to come. The next step: an NCAA semifinal game vs. Boston University on Thursday in St. Louis.

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Building the Penn State hockey program

The 2012-13 season was Penn State’s first as an NCAA Division I team. Coach Guy Gadowsky led the way in the new era, which was marked by Pegula Ice Arena’s opening in 2013. Gadowsky guided Penn State to a 13-14 record as an independent prior to the Big Ten sponsoring hockey. 

Since then, Gadowsky has led Penn State to plenty of “firsts.” The Nittany Lions recorded their first winning Big Ten season in 2014-15. Their first conference tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance arrived in 2017. In 2019-20, Penn State led the Big Ten regular-season standings for the first time.

But it wasn’t until this season that the Nittany Lions joined college hockey’s elite in the Frozen Four. There’s only one more significant “first” on the list — an NCAA title. But even if it doesn’t come this season, the 2024-25 campaign has taught Gadowsky as much as any of his previous 12 at Penn State.

“There's been a lot of great lessons along the way, but this year, the way that Carson Dyck, Simon Mack, the leadership group, kept everybody from being negative … to me, is a great, great lesson,” Gadowsky said Monday before Penn State headed to St. Louis. “There was a time in our season where people left us for dead, just like the [Penn State] women's volleyball team. Everybody talks a good game, but for them to actually do it and then come out right now, [be in] the Frozen Four, is just remarkable.”

A 19-game stretch has put Penn State in new territory. The Nittany Lions’ 14-3-2 record dating to Jan. 17 has been a product of resilience and the players’ unyielding commitment to a positive attitude. From an 0-9 start in Big Ten play to the Frozen Four, Penn State used its struggles to fuel its comeback.

“It's the fact that they were able to stay positive in very difficult situations,” Gadowsky said. “When everything around you is going well, it's fairly easy to be positive. It's a rarity, when things look rock bottom, for guys to really step up and be positive, and that's what this team did.”

Recruiting implications of a Frozen Four appearance

Gadowsky has spent more than a decade recruiting hockey players to a program that, for the most part, lacked the on-ice pedigree of college hockey's storied teams. The strengths of his pitches — Penn State’s deep history of athletic success, a powerful brand and outstanding facilities — weren’t always enough to win high-end talent.

“A lot of hockey players were extremely positive [and] gave a lot of credit to Penn State, the university. And [they were] like, ‘Man, like, Penn State is an awesome university. It's so much fun. I'd love to go there. I just don't want to lose for four years,’” Gadowsky said. “We heard that a lot. … Well, I think the ripple effect [of the Frozen Four run] might be that we won't hear that very much anymore.”

Penn State has had a record under .500 in three of the previous four seasons. It had been to three NCAA Tournaments before 2025 but didn’t have an extensive track record of postseason victories. That reality limited recruiting. 

One Frozen Four run could validate Gadowsky's long-standing vision. He has built the program from the ground up, focusing on the culture in his locker room every day for 13 seasons. Postseason success could signal to elite recruits that Nittany Lions hockey continues to trend upward.

“[There] are guys that came here and wanted the challenge to build something and not the challenge to arrive in a program that's already rolling,” Gadowsky said. “When we started to have more and more success, it was those guys that came back. …  I remember this conversation basically saying, ‘Don't you dare lose, don't you dare start to get entitled. Don't you dare lose the foundation of what allowed us to do this in the first place.’ So I hope the niche doesn't change at all.”

The values instilled in Gadowsky’s program won’t change. Neither will the Penn State logo nor the arena that cost $90 million to build. But thanks to its successful run, the program's arc could change.

“It's certainly a really good accomplishment to get to the Frozen Four, and college hockey is very, very difficult. There's so many just great, long, traditional, successful programs,” Gadowsky said. “Have we arrived? I don't necessarily think that it's the results [dictating] whether you arrive.

"I really think opening night [in 2013], when we came out of the tunnel, we looked to the right and saw the ‘Roar Zone.’ I think that's when we arrived. I think there's a lot of people that looked at that and went, ‘Penn State's going to get there.’ It was just a matter of time.”