Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1462941
A P R I L 2 0 2 2 4 9 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M MEN'S ICE HOCKEY A fter a stretch in which it committed few errors, Penn State's season came crashing down on a mistake. Visiting top-seeded Minnesota for a Big Ten Tournament semifinal matchup on March 12, the Nittany Lions kept it tight. Taking a decidedly different approach than its typical high flying, attack-at-all- costs mindset, Penn State never lost its structure against the Gophers, and the teams entered the third period tied at 2-2. With 2 minutes, 39 seconds remaining in regulation, the Nittany Lions finally blinked. They turned the puck over near their own blue line, leaving Minne- sota's Blake McLaugh- lin and Sammy Walker w i t h a two - o n - o n e rush. McLaughlin fed Walker on the doorstep, and he tapped it into an open net. It was only Minne- sota's fourth shot of the period, but it proved de- cisive. The top-seeded Gophers claimed a 3-2 win and advanced to the title game. For the Nittany Lions, it was a crushing way to end the season. Penn State won't factor into the NCAA Tournament discussions in 2021-22, its 17-20-1 overall record insufficient to war- rant at-large consideration. Head coach Guy Gadowsky spent the majority of the season hammering home the idea that this was a rebuilding year, that the Nittany Lions' culture and iden- tity had to be restored before winning consistently would be an option. "We're a little inexperienced and frag- ile," Gadowsky said after a home loss to the same Minnesota team in late February. "We find ways to shoot ourselves in the foot. We have to grow up." During the regular season, Penn State won just once against the top four teams in the seven-team Big Ten. For much of the season, the Nittany Lions were hindered by defensive issues, and this time they didn't have the offen- sive firepower to compensate. As a result, they limped to a fifth-place finish. The team's 6-17-1 league record meant that it would have to open the Big Ten Tournament with a best-of-three quar- terfinal series at Ohio State. "Basically, [the season is] a two-se- mester course of learning all you can for the final," Gadowsky said before the se- ries. "Right now, this is the final. We feel really good about how much improvement we've made in certain areas." After opening that OSU series with a 4-3 defeat, a clear change took place. Penn State's defense stiffened up. The Nit- tany Lions stopped a l l ow i n g o d d - m a n rushes, gambling on the back end in hope of finding offense. Penn State found it- self able to generate the necessary offense without sacrificing its defensive stability. The Nittany Lions took a 3-2 win in the second game, before becoming the first Big Ten team to ever win a road quarter- final series with a 2-1 victory in Game 3. True freshman Dylan Lugris scored the decisive goal late in the third period. When the Nittany Lions first played the Buckeyes back in November, Lugris wasn't even on the team. Needing a for- ward, Penn State added him midseason from the Jersey Hitmen of the National Collegiate Development Conference. He rewarded their leap of faith with three postseason goals, including one in the semifinal loss to Minnesota. While the postseason run gave the Nit- tany Lions some cushion on which to land after a disappointing season, the true sil- ver lining comes in the form of the experi- ence they collected. The roster featured only five seniors, three of whom retain a season of eligibility should they choose to use it. Only one senior — forward Ben Co- peland — was among Penn State's top 11 scorers this season. He's eligible to return, as is senior netminder Oskar Autio, who lost his place to sophomore Liam Souliere in the season's stretch run. Souliere started all four of Penn State's postseason games, finishing with a 7-7-1 record and a .905 save percentage. ■ PSU's Tourney Run Offers Glimpse Of Brighter Future DAV I D E C K E RT | DAV I D E C K E R T 9 8 @ G M A I L . C O M Senior goalie Oskar Autio is eligible to return next season. But if he does, he will have to win the starting job back from Liam Souliere, who shined in the Big Ten Tournament. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL 2021-22 RESULTS Date Opponent Result Oct. 3 LIU W, 3-1 Oct. 4 LIU W, 5-2 Oct. 8 Canisius L, 4-1 Oct. 9 Canisius W, 5-2 Oct. 21 Niagara W, 4-0 Oct. 22 Niagara W, 6-2 Oct. 30 North Dakota* W, 6-4 Nov. 5 Ohio State L, 5-2 Nov. 6 Ohio State L, 4-1 Nov. 11 Michigan L, 5-1 Nov. 12 Michigan L, 6-2 Nov. 19 at Minnesota W, 5-3 Nov. 20 at Minnesota L, 4-2 Nov. 23 St. Thomas** W, 5-1 Nov. 24 St. Thomas** W, 4-1 Dec. 3 Michigan State W, 4-2 Dec. 4 Michigan State L, 4-3 Dec. 10 at Wisconsin L, 4-1 Dec. 11 at Wisconsin W, 5-4 (OT) Dec. 31 Maine Canceled Jan. 1 Maine Canceled Jan. 1 Army W, 5-3 Jan. 7 Notre Dame L, 4-2 Jan. 8 Notre Dame L, 5-4 (OT) Jan. 14 at Michigan L, 3-2 Jan. 15 at Michigan L, 4-3 Jan. 21 Wisconsin W, 4-1 Jan. 22 Wisconsin W, 7-2 Jan. 28 Ohio State T, 2-2 (SOW) Jan. 29 Ohio State L, 6-0 Feb. 4 at Notre Dame L, 7-2 Feb. 5 at Notre Dame L, 3-0 Feb. 18 Minnesota L, 3-1 Feb. 19 Minnesota L, 6-4 Feb. 25 at Michigan State W, 5-3 Feb. 26 at Michigan State L, 2-1 Mar. 4 at Ohio State^ L, 4-3 Mar. 5 at Ohio State^ W, 3-2 Mar. 6 at Ohio State^ W, 2-1 Mar. 12 at Minnesota^ L, 3-2 * at Nashville, Tenn.; ** at St. Paul, Minn. ^Big Ten Tournament