Blue White Illustrated

T here was no coachspeak or public pos- turing from Guy Gadowsky when he met the media March 27 to wrap up Penn State's 2018-19 season. He wants his players to stay. "At this point I don't have any informa- tion that anybody will be leaving, which is great," Gadowsky said. "Hopefully, it will stay that way." There are a few Nittany Lions who could conceivably find themselves with pro teams should they chose to go that route. Evan Barratt, a Blackhawks prospect, could choose to leave if they come calling. Alex Limoges is the nation's leading scorer and no doubt would be an intrigu- ing prospect as an undrafted free agent. Peyton Jones received offers from pro teams last off-season. It's also conceiv- able that drafted players like Nikita Pavlychev and Cole Hults could leave if the right situation arises, though Jon Rosen of Fox Sports Southwest reported that it's unlikely Hults will join the Los Angeles Kings, who own his rights. But Gadowsky, whose Nittany Lions saw their season end March 23 with a 3-2 loss to Notre Dame in the championship game of the Big Ten tournament, sensed a feeling of obligation in the dressing room at the end of the season. "I do think that the way I feel is how the team feels, too – that we have some un- finished business here," he said. "I'm sure guys have opportunities, but I hope they do feel that we can do something special and that we have unfinished business, so maybe that adds to the feeling that we'll have guys stay." It's unclear how that will affect Penn State's incoming recruiting class, which at present contains 12 players, according to EliteProspects.com. The Nittany Lions graduated six seniors, so with the outflow of players appearing like it may be smaller than anticipated, Gadowsky will likely find himself having some uncomfortable conversations. "I think a lot of them are aware of our situation," he said. "I think that's where it's really important that you get the right fit for Penn State University. So first and foremost, you get student-athletes who love this university and want to be at this university." Two of the Nittany Lions' departing seniors have already signed pro contracts with American Hockey League teams. Forward Chase Berger agreed to terms with the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Pen- guins, while center Ludvig Larsson signed with the Binghamton Devils. Berger is Penn State's career leader in games played with 154. A native of St. Louis, Mo., he played in every game for the Nittany Lions over the past four sea- sons and finished his career ranked sec- ond in the program's history in goals (51), assists (67) and points (118). Berger signed a one-way contract with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton for the 2019-20 season and will finish the current season on an amateur tryout contract. "Chase is very deserving of this con- tract, and we're thrilled for him," Gad- owsky said. "There is not one aspect of being a great Penn State student-athlete that Chase didn't excel in. Chase was ex- tremely consistent in everything he did and made such a positive impact on not only our program, but the community as a whole." Larsson came to Penn State as a gradu- ate transfer after spending his first three seasons at Merrimack. In his lone season with the Nittany Lions, the Malmo, Swe- den, native totaled a career-high 25 points on nine goals and 16 assists. He joined the Devils in March and will play the remainder of the season with the team on an amateur tryout contract. ■ Gadowsky says PSU focused on 'unfinished business' M E N ' S I C E H O C K E Y | Exhausted, frustrated and down- trodden, they tried to explain it. Guy Gadowsky and Chase Berger searched for the answer to the puzzle that is Notre Dame goaltender Cale Morris, who had just ended their sea- son with the kind of goaltending per- formance only he can produce. Eventually, though, they each gave up the hunt. All they could do was tip their cap. The Nittany Lions sent 48 pucks to- ward Morris during the Big Ten title game March 23 in South Bend, Ind. Forty-six of them were turned away, and the Fighting Irish, outshot 48-29 on the night, came away with a 3-2 win that ended Penn State's season. "I thought we were all over them," Berger said. "I thought we had a ton of chances." Nevertheless, Morris bounced the Nittany Lions from the Big Ten play- o:s for the second year in a row, bringing his record against Penn State to 7-2-1. "I don't know what it is," Gadowsky said. Neither does anyone else in the Big Ten, it seems. The Irish, who joined the conference at the beginning of last season, have yet to lose in the Big Ten tournament. Notre Dame's Cam Morrison sniped a wrister past Peyton Jones in the closing minutes of the second period for the deciding goal. From there, the Fighting Irish's defensive machine went to work. Penn State, which advanced to the championship game with a 5-1 upset of top-seeded Ohio State on March 17 in Columbus, 9nished its season at 22-15-2. –D.E. Irish end Lions' Big Ten tournament run

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