Blue White Illustrated

W hen they met during the regular sea- son, the Penn State men's lacrosse team drubbed Johns Hopkins, 20-9. Ranked first in the country in just about every offensive statistical category, the Nittany Lions had been doing that sort of thing with regularity, albeit not to teams with the kind of history and tradition that the Blue Jays possess. The game marked the first time since 1994 that Johns Hopkins had sur- rendered 20 goals to an opponent. But heading into the rematch in the Big Ten tournament champi- onship game two weeks later, the Lions knew better than to expect another romp. "We knew it was going to be a completely different team," junior Mac O'Keefe told BTN. "They dominated Maryland [in the Big Ten semifinals], so we knew we had to come out strong." Top-seeded Penn State got just what it expected. But thanks in large part to O'Keefe, the Lions managed to turn back the Blue Jays again, winning 18-17 in overtime in a thrilling back-and-forth game May 4 at Rutgers' HighPoint.com Stadium. While their previous game was all but over before halftime, this one still hadn't been decided when regulation play ended. The Blue Jays were trailing, 17-15, with less than a minute left, but Joey Ep- stein scored two goals 11 seconds apart, the second coming with only 23 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. It might have seemed like a deflating moment for the Nittany Lions, as they had let a late lead slip away against an op- ponent that had beaten them in nine of 10 games prior to this season. "It's one thing to build momentum going into overtime and then to win it," coach Jeff Tambroni told The Daily Collegian. "But to give up a two-goal lead with a minute left to play, it's a tough way to go into it." Still, if the Nittany Lions lost their edge, they got it back in a hurry. Just 25 seconds WORKING OVERTIME PSU edges Johns Hopkins for its first Big Ten tourney crown | O'KEEFE VARSITY VIEWS with a 22-15-2 record and reached the Big Ten championship game for the second time in the past three seasons, falling to Notre Dame, 3-2. Penn State finished the year lead- ing the nation in almost every offen- sive category, setting team records for goals (177), assists (301), points (478) and goals per game (4.54). The Lions also led the nation by averag- ing 41.0 shots per game and by blocking 611 shots. With its offensive dominance, Penn State either broke or tied 37 school records throughout the course of the 2018-19 season. In total, four of the Big Ten's seven teams finished the season ranked, led by back-to-back Big Ten tournament champion Notre Dame at No. 10 and 2018-19 regular-season champ Ohio State at No. 12. Minnesota finished 20th. GOALIE DELAYS ENROLLMENT Liam Souliere, the reigning Goaltender of the Year in the Central Canada Hockey League and a verbally com- mitted Penn State prospect, won't arrive in University Park until 2020, he told BWI in April. Souliere had originally been slated to enroll prior to the 2019-20 season, but he will instead wait a year to begin his Nittany Lion career after a conversation with Penn State's coaching staff. The delay likely means that junior goaltender Peyton Jones will return for his senior year, as expected. Oskar Autio, who played sparingly in his debut season, will back up Jones. It remains unclear whether the Nittany Lions will seek out a third goalie for the upcoming season. Souliere finished with a .930 save percentage with the Brockville Braves last season despite dealing with an injury down the stretch. The Braves finished second in the CCHL's Robinson Division before falling in the semifinals of the league's playoffs. ■ David Eckert contributed to this report. their last four games, but McGloin didn't play in the Ticket City Bowl a;er being hurt in a locker room :ght. The following spring, new head coach Bill O'Brien listed McGloin as the starter, with Jones behind him and Bolden play- ing on the third team. On July 29, Bolden transferred to LSU, where he received im- mediate eligibility due to the NCAA sanc- tions arising from the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Two weeks into the 2012 season, O'Brien moved Jones to tight end, and less than two weeks later he transferred. None of the three transfers had much success a;er leaving the Nittany Lions. Newsome went to Temple and Jones to Robert Morris, while Bolden ended up leaving LSU for Eastern Michigan. Back at Penn State, McGloin helped the 2012 Nittany Lions shock the country with an 8-4 record despite the draconian NCAA and Big Ten sanctions, earning them the Maxwell Club's Thomas Brook- shire Spirit Award for commitment. Mc- Gloin won the Burlsworth Trophy, which goes to an outstanding player who began his career as a walk-on. Later, McGloin enjoyed a six-year NFL career. With James Franklin looking to sign one quarterback at minimum in each recruit- ing class and the NCAA having made it easier for players to leave via the transfer portal, one can expect more transfers in the future. ■ TRANSFERS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 52

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