Blue White Illustrated

C ole Hults has Penn State's defensive mission distilled down to the letter. "Don't be an X" was his mantra, as the sophomore defenseman met with the media and explained how the Nittany Lions are attempting to resolve the de- fensive flaws that had created an un- sightly 3.77 goals against average – the fifth-worst mark in the nation – through 26 games. What exactly does that mean? Hults says it's about capi- talizing on your posi- tioning. "You can be in the right position, be a stick-length away from the guy and you might be on him, but he might still have his stick open," he said. "You've got to be able to get under his stick and make sure he can't make a play from that position." It isn't a new problem, but it's one that has become more evident recently thanks to a change in the way Penn State is conceding goals. The Nittany Lions have quietly been much more effective defending the rush recently. Guy Gadowsky said his team has allowed 8 percent fewer goals off the rush than it did earlier in the season. The Lions are not getting outmanned in tran- sition as often, forcing their opponents to cycle the puck in the offensive zone. Breakdowns there, however, have be- come too frequent for Gadowsky's lik- ing. "I am surprised... that we're not better in the defensive zone," he said. "One of the aspects of that is that as you give up a lot less chances off the rush, you're going to spend more time playing de- fense in your zone." And so Penn State's defensive prob- lems have become much harder to ex- plain. When the Nittany Lions were making questionable decisions with the puck and paying for it as they watched the opposition skate unchecked in the other direction, they were doing so because they were chasing offense. That is no longer the case. Penn State has been more cautious about taking risks but has not been responsible in its defensive zone. And the players know it. They called a players-only meeting before the Michigan series, junior for- ward Liam Folkes said, in which defense was the main item on the agenda. Penn State responded by allowing five goals – four if you exclude an empty netter – in the first game of that series. The results of the second game were more promising, as the Nittany Lions limited the Wolverines to a pair of goals with the help of an especially kind goal- post. And they surrendered only two goals apiece in a pair of lopsided home victories over Minnesota two weeks later. So what's the key to sustained im- provement? "I think it's just kind of holding your- self accountable," Hults said. "Teams know we play man-on-man. They're going to do video on us. They know if they've got one guy beat then he's going to be on an island." "If one person fails, then I guess it all fails," Folkes added. Penn State's penalty kill has become a real problem as well. During a six-game span in January, the Nittany Lions allowed opponents to cash in on 31 percent of their power- play opportunities, good for nine goals. Nittany Lions working to fix defensive shortcomings HULTS | and is now the Knights' starter at 133. Penn State replaced him with Devin Schnupp, who was 6-12 this season after going 1-14 as a freshman last year. The Lions also have four-time Iowa state champion Brody Teske on the roster, as well as Justin Lopez. "There's a chance you could see Teske, but Schnupp is getting better and is going out there with some fire and some enthu- siasm," Sanderson said. "We just have to do what we're going to do, regardless of what happens at that weight." Robby Howard, a junior at Bergen Catholic High School in Bergen, N.J., is the country's No. 1-ranked 126-pound high school wrestler and has committed to Penn State to begin in the 2020-21 sea- son, but the two-time New Jersey finalist is projected as a 133-pounder. Adam Bus- iello, a New York state lightweight cham- pion, committed to Penn State after his freshman year of high school but recently flipped that commitment to Arizona State. ■ I C E H O C K E Y

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