Blue White Illustrated

guard by McAdam's signing; they had expected that he would be their starter again this season, giving Jones a year to acclimate before contending for the starting spot. But that didn't happen, and the staff is hopeful that he's ready to step into that role. "Peyton had a tremendous year last year in the USHL and proved that he is a very good starter," Gadowsky said. "I'm sure he's going to get the opportunity to show that he can do that at this level." Throughout their varsity history, the Nittany Lions have been known mostly for offense. They were tied for seventh in Division I in scoring last season with an average of 4.67 goals per game, and they started off strong again this year, out- shooting St. Lawrence 85-56 in the two- game series. Penn State dropped the second game to the Saints, 6-3, but rebounded by out- shooting Mercyhurst 43-20 in a 7-0 road shutout on Oct. 14. Freshmen Pavlychev, Smirnov and Nate Sucese were among the goal-scorers for the Nittany Lions in their victory over the Lakers, with Sucese scor- ing twice. But while offense has been a hallmark of Penn State's program, there's been a tradeoff in that the Nittany Lions have been less successful on the defensive end, ranking 21st nationally last season with an average of 2.67 goals allowed per game. "We are a program that does like to score, and we play that way," Gadowsky said. "We try not to sacrifice defense be- cause of that. "I still think it's the right way to play. I love the fact that we score a lot of goals. I love the fact that we play to create of- fense. It's not that you want to neglect defense, but you have to give something back somewhere. It's something that we do want to address and get better and better at, that's absolutely true." One way to do that, Gadowsky said, is for the Lions to become even more profi- cient on the offensive end than they al- ready are. "It's not like we're changing things to be more defensive," he said. "We just want to be a better 200-foot team so that we have control of the puck more." Picked to finish fourth in the Big Ten this season, the Nittany Lions don't open their conference season until De- cember, when they play host to Michi- gan. The Wolverines went 5-0 against Penn State last season and are the de- fending Big Ten tournament champions. If the Lions' freshman class is eager for a challenge – and by all accounts it is – that's fortunate for the team, because they're about to get one. ■ Robinson 'honored, humbled' by selection as captain James Robinson's sophomore season lasted all of one shift. The 6-foot-2 forward suffered a broken collarbone in Penn State's opener against Cani- sius last October, an injury that required season-ending sur- gery and forced him to watch the rest of the campaign from the stands. He's fully recovered now, but when the coaching staff learned recently that his fellow players wanted Robinson to serve as a captain this season, they were surprised. "It's pretty unique, I think, that a guy who played one shift all season gets voted to be a captain," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "But I know he's got a great work ethic, and even though he wasn't able to skate, he worked very hard off the ice." Robinson is one of three captains. The others – seniors David Goodwin and Ricky DeRosa (who, like Robin- son, is an alternate) – saw extensive action last season, with both playing in all 38 games. But while Robinson wasn't on the ice with them, they were impressed with his attitude and determination, traits that were evi- dent when he received Academic All- Big Ten honors. "Jimmy did a great job last year," Goodwin said. "He was always very positive in the locker room, always supportive through the ups and downs of the season, and I think that's a big reason why we voted him an as- sistant captain." A native of Cochran, Alberta, and a two-time assistant captain with the Langley Rivermen of the British Co- lumbia Hockey League, Robinson had enjoyed a strong start to his Penn State career. As a freshman, he played in 32 games, finishing with eight points on four goals and four assists. So it was a big disappointment when his sophomore season ended before it really even began. "It wasn't easy, to say the least," Robinson said. "But with any injury, I think you have to take the positives out of it. I was able to be a normal stu- dent last year. I had a lot more free time, and I definitely took advantage of it in the academic department. I had a couple of great semesters. "And hockeywise, it gave me an op- portunity to, in a way, almost be a cheerleader for the team. I was able to sit up in the stands and watch every game and take mental notes – not only for myself but for my teammates, to help them out." Robinson said it was gratifying to be chosen a captain this season after everything he went through. "To only play one game and be honored with a letter this year, I was very honored," he said, "very humbled." –M.H. ROBINSON

• Cover