Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1454229
6 6 M A R C H 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M an empty-net goal, while sophomore goaltender Josie Bothun stopped 10 shots to earn her 10th shutout of the season. It was the team's 18th win of the year, a pro- gram record. Penn State went 18-9-5 during the regular season and 8-3-3 in the College Hockey America (CHA) conference. "We were a little more focused" than in a 2-2 tie against RIT the night before, coach Jeff Kam- persal said. "Today was a little bit more purpose- ful, close support, trying to get to the front of the net. There was more intent to what we were doing. We weren't just floating around." Penn State went into the CHA tournament as the second seed. The Nittany Lions were set to face Mercyhurst on Feb. 25 in their tourney opener. BASEBALL: Looking to rebuild its starting rota- tion after seeing three pitchers selected in the Major League Baseball Draft last summer, Penn State struggled through the season's first week- end Feb. 18-20 in Cary, N.C. The Nittany Lions gave up 32 runs in four games, falling to Monmouth (10-1) and North- eastern (8-1) while splitting a doubleheader against LIU (a 14-3 win followed by an 11-8 loss in the nightcap). In the victory over LIU on Feb. 19, junior catcher Matt Wood had two home runs and four RBIs. Sophomore left-hander Kellan Tulio made his first career start for Penn State and got the win, allowing five hits and one run in five innings. Sophomore reliever Jaden Henline went the rest of the way to earn the save. MEN'S LACROSSE: Ranked 20th to open the season, Penn State got five points apiece from seniors Jack Kelly and Jack Traynor along with freshman Kyle Aldridge in a 20-15 victory over Lafayette on Feb. 5 at Holuba Hall. But since winning their opener, the Nittany Li- ons have struggled. They lost games to Villanova, Vermont and Saint Joseph's, the first two of which were at Panzer Stadium, and were 1-3 heading into a Feb. 26 meeting with seventh-ranked Yale. WOMEN'S LACROSSE: The 25th-ranked Nittany Lions fell to No. 19 Drexel, 12-8, in their season opener Feb. 16 in Philadelphia. Senior Mary Muldoon scored three goals, and Penn State outshot the hosts 19-16, but it wasn't enough to produce a road victory. "It was a tough game," coach Missy Doherty said. "We had a lot of opportunities to score, and our defense made some incredible stops. We're looking forward to building from here and getting better." WOMEN'S SWIMMING AND DIVING: Penn State finished 10th at the Big Ten Championships Feb. 16-19 in Madison, Wis. The Nittany Lions set a school record in the 200 medley relay. The team consisting of senior Marie Schobel, senior Olivia Jack, junior Emma Harvey and senior Madeleine Cooke finished in 1 minute, 36.79 seconds to place seventh in the event at Big Tens. ■ Gophers Extend Nittany Lion Hockey Team's Skid The Penn State men's hockey team blew a three-goal advantage, falling to No. 5 Minnesota, 6-4, at Pegula Ice Arena on Feb. 19. It was the Nittany Lions' fifth consecutive loss, dropping them to 14- 17-1 overall and 5-16-1 in the Big Ten. For the Gophers, the dynamic of the game changed completely as soon as they netted their first goal. Mike Koster scored less than five minutes into the second period, and, from that point on, Minnesota skated circles around the Lions. The Gophers outshot Penn State 27-13 in the final two periods, lighting the lamp six times. Penn State forward Ryan Kirwan said he couldn't feel the momentum change on the bench, but he could sense that PSU was being outworked. That's not something the underdog Lions could af- ford against this kind of opponent, and the results spoke for themselves. Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky has spent much of this season focusing on his team's culture and the way it translates onto the ice. His previous squads might not have taken their foot off the gas after the first period like this group did. Mental fragility has been a frequent lament for Gadowsky, and the Nittany Lions showcased it there. What is talked about less, though, is just how outmanned Penn State is against some of its Big Ten competition. The Nittany Lions have always done more with less talent under Gadowsky. When all the other factors click into place, you can win that way. For whatever reason, those factors haven't clicked for this Penn State team. There were 13 NHL Draft picks among Minnesota's 19 skaters in the second game of the two- game series at Pegula. Penn State fielded just two. Certainly, citing NHL draftees is an imperfect way of measuring the level of skill of a college hockey team, but it can provide a baseline. The eye test backed it up. The Gophers are bigger, stron- ger, faster and more skilled than the Nittany Lions. They also folded two Olympians back into their lineup on Feb. 19 after their return from Beijing. NHL prestige and elite skill isn't a prerequisite to winning in college hockey. But, if you don't have it, you'd better get everything else right, and Penn State hasn't done that in 2021-22. — David Eckert Junior forward Connor McMenamin is second on the team in goals (13) and points (24) this season. PHOTO BY RYAN SNYDER