Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1547107
4 8 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M O n the same day the Penn State men's ice hockey team held its an- nual preseason media gathering at Pegula Ice Arena, program alumnus Gavin McKenna scored his first NHL goal, firing a wrist shot past Nashville goaltender Juuse Saros late in the sec- ond period. The former Nittany Lion described his tally, which helped the To- ronto Maple Leafs post a 5-4 overtime victory on Oct. 6, as a moment "I'll ob- viously remember forever." McKenna spent only one season with the Lions, but he's not going to fade from memory anytime soon back in Hockey Valley. He continues to loom large over a program that is still much younger than the traditional powers it competes against on a regular basis. Having a fu- ture No. 1 overall NHL Draft choice on its roster brought Guy Gadowsky's team a new level of notoriety, and as the vet- eran coach recently noted, the Nittany Lions are still reaping the benefits of his all-too-brief presence. "We were extremely grateful for the opportunity to coach him," Gadowsky said. "We would have loved multiple years, but the opportunity to have him for one was fantastic. I think the whole program learned a lot about having a QUICK THINKING A youthful PSU men's ice hockey team looks to keep pushing the pace M AT T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M OLYMPIC SPORTS Senior captain Reese Laubach totaled 12 goals and 16 assists for the Nittany Lions last season, helping them reach the NCAA Tournament for the third time in the past four years. PHOTO BY KYLIE BARTON/PENN STATE ATHLETICS