Penn State Men's Hockey Preview: Can the Lions Defend Their Big Ten Title?
Guy Gadowsky learned to juggle during the COVID-19 pandemic. Literally, the Penn State men's ice hockey coach said, as he looked for something to demonstrate his new skill during a Zoom call.
Gadowsky could have been speaking figuratively as well. His hockey team, the defending Big Ten champ, will become the second Penn State program to begin a pandemic season, and all the rules Gadowsky coaches by have changed.
Not necessarily on the ice, where his players find their only tangible moments of time together. But off it, Gadowsky is managing a group with nine new players, eight of whom are freshmen, in a period when they can't bond normally.
So Gadowsky juggled and Zoomed, many of his players bought season passes to a campus golf course and they all look forward to Thursday night in Minnesota, where the 2020-21 season will begin.
"We're just excited to get the season going," Gadowsky said. "Excited and grateful."
Penn State concluded the 2019-20 season last March with a 3-2 victory over Minnesota that ultimately would clinch the team's first Big Ten regular-season title. Penn State and Minnesota were scheduled for a rematch in the Big Ten tournament, which was canceled.
That the teams will open the 2020-21 season against each other is a tantalizing option for the Lions, who harbor a few grudges. Penn State began the season ranked ninth in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine preseason poll, but the Big Ten coaches voted it to finish last in the conference.
That dichotomy largely is due to Penn State's roster transformation since March. Still, it didn't go without notice among the Lions.
"Obviously I hate where we're ranked, but we've always been the underdog," captain Alex Limoges said. "We may not be as skilled as other teams, but we're definitely going to try to work harder than them. We've got nothing to lose."
Penn State has remade its roster since last season, losing 12 players (including 10 seniors) to graduation and/or professional contracts and bringing in a huge freshman class. Gadowsky said this is the youngest team he has had since the 2016-17 season, when the Lions won the Big Ten tournament.
That transition would be complicated enough, but virus-prevention restrictions disrupted the team's preseason routine. The freshmen didn't get any team-bonding opportunities beyond the virtual, and initial practices were subdivided into small groups.
Like Penn State's football team, the hockey team has used three different locker rooms during workouts. They didn't have what Gadowsky called preseason "captain's practices" to get acclimated.
As a result, the players actually like the idea of beginning the season on the road, since they'll get more time together as a team than they have in practice. The Lions essentially will begin the season with a week-long road trip, playing a doubleheader Thursday and Friday in Minnesota, followed by games at Wisconsin Nov. 23-24.
"Practices have been really high energy, because they don’t get to spend time with each other," Gadowsky said. "Every time they come to the rink and get on the ice together, it's a privilege."
Gadowsky called the measures "consuming" but has had help. In particular, he noted the impact of football coach James Franklin, who has been an influential voice and sounding board for Penn State coaches returning to practice.
In fact, Gadowsky said that Franklin's input has been more valuable than anything he gleaned from the NHL's bubble season.
"One of the reasons we've been successful so far, and our athletic department has been pretty successful, is that James Franklin has been very open with what works and what doesn't," Gadowsky said. "... Fortunately coach Franklin has been honest with us in ways he feels we can do better than they did and has been honest and upfront with us. We've used that experience more than the NHL experience. And it's been very valuable."
Limoges, a preseason All-Big Ten forward, is Penn State's top returning player, having set program records for goals (23) and points (50) last season. As captain, Limoges organized the preseason Zoom sessions, which he called "like a coffee hour," and joined teammates on the golf course almost daily.
Limoges called the work of team-building a "constant effort" but praised the incoming freshmen for their flexibility.
"It's easy for me; we have great character guys," Limoges said. "The freshman class is a bunch of unbelievable guys as well. It's been very easy to make them feel included."
Pegula Ice Arena will be empty for Penn State games this season, starting with the home-opener Dec. 2 against Michigan. Gadowsky isn't sure how that will affect his team.
Pegula is famous for its Roar Zone, a fan base Gadowsky called not only loud but also knowledgable. It knew when the team needed a boost. The coach said those fans generated an atmosphere better "than any coaching speech we could ever make."
But, as Gadowsky has learned, this season will be about juggling.
"I think we’re just very grateful to get the opportunity to play," Gadowsky said. "We're grateful so many people are working so hard on our behalf to give us the chance to compete."
Penn State 2020 Men's Ice Hockey Schedule
Nov. 19: At Minnesota (8:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)
Nov. 20: At Minnesota (4 p.m., Big Ten Network)
Nov. 23: At Wisconsin (6 p.m., Big Ten Network)
Nov. 24: At Wisconsin (6 p.m., Big Ten Network)
Dec. 2: MICHIGAN (6 p.m.)
Dec. 3: MICHIGAN (6 p.m.)
Dec. 11: ARIZONA STATE (6 p.m.)
Dec. 13: ARIZONA STATE (2 p.m.)
The remainder of the schedule is TBA.
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