Blue White Illustrated

March 2020

Penn State Sports Magazine

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Erlichman and Holtforster, can speak to the difference. "It's like me going in an NHL game right now and facing Tyler Seguin," Jones said. Both goalies have teammates who proved particularly difficult for them to handle in practice. Holtforster's nemesis has been Talvitie, his welcoming hug back in the summer antithetical to his hard, quick shot. Erlich- man had a hard time solving Vince Pedrie, an offensive defenseman with a rocket for a shot who went on to play in the AHL. Jones has tried to walk the thin line be- tween giving pointers and being over- bearing, suggesting different angles and letting Holtforster and Erlichman know when he notices their glove hand drop when it shouldn't. Eventually, though, they both adjusted to the competition level, making saves they might not have made only a few weeks before. Defenseman Cole Hults said Erlichman improved the most of any player on Penn State's roster in 2017-18, and he added that Holtforster is on track to do the same this season. Forward Nate Sucese has seen it, too. "It's very dramatic," Sucese said. "Ob- viously, the competition, the level of shots that they're taking day-in and day- out, having the ability to go out for extra ice in the morning, staying on after prac- tice later – it just makes them better." Along their paths, Erlichman and Holt- forster have formed a bond. Erlichman helped out on the coaching staff with the Ice Lions while Holtforster played. After Holtforster found out he would be following the same path to Division I hockey at Penn State, Erlichman was one of the first people he contacted. "He called me to let me know, and I just said go in there, work hard, be a great team guy," Erlichman said. "That's what [Gad- owsky] really loved about me, and if you keep that train rolling, hopefully we can get some more goalies from club up here." Simple advice, sure, and for Holtforster, it was crucial. "It's something that I still keep most days – if I start to feel myself sagging or whatever, the stuff that we talked about early on. I think it definitely helped with the first few times," he said, "when I didn't know what to expect." The experience has been a rewarding one for both, laden with life lessons. Er- lichman has tried to take a piece of the locker room culture he saw firsthand at Penn State and apply it to the small com- pany in State College where he now works. Even without appearing in a game, it's unlocked a level of passion for the game in Holtforster that he didn't know he had. He doesn't like hockey as much as he used to. He likes it more. "I wouldn't trade it for anything," he said. "I've had so much fun every single day. It's unreal." It's unclear whether Holtforster will get a chance to play; it would likely require a huge Penn State lead late in the game. Er- lichman skated into the goal crease twice in regular-season games during his career, stopping the single shot sent his way. He'll forever have a claim to PSU's career save percentage record, and he isn't too proud to leverage his 4 minutes, 7 seconds of ac- tion for bragging rights over Holtforster. "I just might have to," he said with a laugh. ■ MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Barratt's big weekend fuels Lions at Ohio State During his weekly press conference on Feb. 3, coach Guy Gadowsky hinted that Penn State might be due for a bit of puck luck. Gadowsky touched on Evan Barratt, speci5cally, as one player who might be due for a change in fortune, a greater return on the scoring chances he creates. But Gadowsky couldn't have known it would come this quickly. The Nittany Lions used a big week- end by Barratt and his line to secure a win and a tie against No. 13 Ohio State, drawing 2-2 on Feb. 7 before earning a 6-3 victory the following night. The win moved the Lions back to the top of the Big Ten standings and also pushed them to No. 8 in the Pair- wise rankings with four regular-sea- son games to play, putting them in good position to qualify for the NCAA tournament. Just as crucially, the solid series in Columbus stopped a 1-3-2 skid, pro- viding some momentum for Penn State to take down the home stretch. "To get a big win like this, I think it's got to give us some con5dence," Gad- owsky said. "I liked certain aspects of our game that took a step forward, so that's good to see." Undoubtedly, one of the positives was the play of Barratt and his line- mates, Alex Limoges and Liam Folkes, who had a hand in four of Penn State's eight goals vs. the Buckeyes. Barratt found the back of the net twice, starting in the 5rst game, when he batted a puck out of the air base- ball-style and found room over the shoulder of Ohio State goaltender Tommy Nappier. The Nittany Lions were outplayed for most of the series opener a7er Barratt's highlight reel goal, getting outshot 35-26 in regulation. They managed to hang on for a tie, though, despite failing to earn a second Big Ten point as Ohio State prevailed in the ensuing shootout. The next game was much di6erent, but Barratt was still at the center of it all. He scored on a rocket of a power- play one-timer, and Limoges scored a rebound goal as well, as Penn State built a 4-1 lead a7er two periods. "I thought they had a great week- end," Gadowsky said of that line. "They played to win and they cer- tainly played for the team, and o7en when you do that individually and es- pecially as a line, good things happen. That's exactly what happened to them." –D.E.

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