Blue White Illustrated

he said following the Nittany Lions' 5-2 victory. Through 28 games, Bailey was leading the Big Ten and was tied for fourth place nationally with 20 goals. He got his 20th goal in the third period of Penn State's 3- 2 loss to Michigan State on Feb. 14. Bailey said he likes the camaraderie that he has developed with Goodwin and Hol- strom. "We enjoy playing with each other," he said. "We all have similarities and feed o8 each other, and it's a lot of fun." A 6-foot-3, 209-pounder from Anchor- age, Alaska, Bailey knew when he was re- cruited that the coaches were expecting him to be a physical presence. He also knew that they wanted considerable on- ice production. He wanted it, too. "When I came here, I wanted to be one of the high-end scoring players and to be producing how I am," he said in 2013, his freshman season. "I know that's one of the reasons I was brought in here – not the only reason, but one of them." Bailey was one of Penn State's top scorers as a freshman, 7nishing with 14 goals, two shy of team leader David Glen. He wasn't able to match that performance as a sophomore, producing nine goals in 32 games. But a9er rededicating himself both on and o8 the ice this year, he has become the team's top scorer. "I made a commitment o8 the ice to working out and taking care of my body," he said. "I'm trying to set an example all over the ice, not just in scoring goals. I want my teammates to respect me in the way that I play defense and do our objec- tives." Gadowsky said Bailey is in the best con- dition of his Penn State career, and it is showing in his aggressive play. "The grittier he plays, the better hockey he plays," Gad- owsky said. "The better hockey he plays, especially away from the puck, the more goals he scores." Junior forward Eric Scheid echoed his coach, emphasizing Bailey's dedication to the team. "He might not have a captain's patch," Scheid said, "but he's going to come out here and make us better." With his spike in production, Bailey is up for the Hobey Baker Memorial Award (as is Holstrom). The award is essentially the Heisman Trophy of college hockey. In addition, he has had various NHL scouts following him for the past month, the latest being a scout with the Boston Bruins. For now, however, Bailey is focused on the immediate future. The NHL "is something that a9er the season I'll seri- ously sit down and think about," he said. "I want to do something this year, I don't want to wait for my senior year for a na- tional championship. It's still a possibility this year." Assistant coach Keith Fisher said he's been impressed with Bailey's focus. "He loves wearing the blue and white Friday and Saturday, loves scoring goals," Fisher said. "He's doing a great job and is focused on this team and wants to win a champi- onship this year." ■ MEN'S ICE HOCKEY Spartans deal PSU first sweep of season Visiting Penn State gave a better overall effort than it had in a 3-0 de- feat the previous night, but it ulti- mately fell, 3-2, to Michigan State on Feb. 14. Junior defenseman Connor Varley scored his second goal of the season in the second period, while Casey Bailey recorded his 20th goal of the season in the third. However, the Nittany Lions were hurt by two power play goals, while Michigan State was propelled by Mackenzie MacEachern, who scored all three goals. Penn State goalie Matthew Skoff finished with 26 saves in his first start since Jan. 23 against Northern Michi- gan. Penn State outshot Michigan State, 42-29, for the game, while the Spar- tans went 2 for 7 on the power play. The Nittany Lions went 1 for 4 and were swept for the first time all sea- son. WOMEN'S ICE HOCKEY Nittany Lions fall at Mercyhurst Celine Whitlinger surpassed 30 saves for the second night in a row, but visiting Penn State lost to College Hockey America rival Mercyhurst, 4- 0, on Feb. 14. With the win, which was Mercy- hurst's fourth in a row, the Lakers cap- tured their 13th consecutive CHA reg- ular-season title. Whitlinger, a junior from Garden Grove, Calif., finished with 36 saves in the Lions' loss. In a 2-0 loss in the se- ries opener the night before, she amassed 34 saves.

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