Blue White Illustrated

freshman Casey Bailey redirects a shot into the mouth of the goal, the student section erupts to the tune of "Zombie Nation." It's a Beaver Stadium touch- down celebration in miniature. "Obviously it feels great to get that first goal," Bailey says. "Tied the game up there." It also secures his place in history as the scorer of Penn State's first goal in the new hockey era. But the novelty wears off quickly. Fewer than six minutes after Bailey's equalizer, American International re- gains the lead, as Chris Markiewicz slips one past Penn State goalie Matthew Skoff. "Our goaltender is a freshman," Gadowsky says, "but he's played more games than anyone we have. He has a lot of experience." No more goals are scored until the seventh minute of the third period when Penn State's Taylor Holstrom fires a twisting wrist shot that bounces off the left post behind Meisner before settling into the back right corner of the net. The score is tied, 2-2, but for how much longer? As the time ticks away, Gadowsky ups the pressure. The shots increase. Scoring chances increase. Body checks increase. The crowd's noise level in- creases. "I knew this place was going to be rocking," says Meisner, "but this is probably one of the best atmospheres I've ever played in." From press row, which is so close to the ice that reporters can catch a whiff of the players' musty equipment as they skate by, it seems as though the Lions have the momentum. Then with less than three minutes remaining in the third period, American International gets penalized for trip- ping. Advantage Penn State. Certainly, it seems, Penn State's Division I opener is going to have a storybook, come- from-behind ending. Five shot- happy Penn State skaters vs. a short- handed American International squad that's on its heels. But as each of the Nittany Lions' shots travel off their mark, the minutes trickle down. The period ends with the score still tied. The game is going to overtime. "Four-on-four!" the public address announcer says. "One five-minute pe- riod. Sudden death!" The teams take a few moments to rest before they're back at center ice, and then the puck is dropped. The student section is louder than ever. But the Lions only shoot three on- target pucks before the Yellow Jackets take advantage. With 21 seconds left, Jon Puskar smacks a slap shot over Skoff's left shoulder to give American International a 3-2 victory. Penn State finishes with 63 shots on goal compared to American Interna- tional's 29, and even though his team falls to defeat, Gadowsky says he sees promise in the Lions' first NCAA outing. Gadowsky follows his squad into the locker room to share a quick word be- fore his postgame news conference. Meanwhile, American International coach Gary White speaks to the press. "I've been doing this for 30 years," he says before he sits down. "This is the biggest press conference I've ever been involved in, to give you a sense of per- spective." There are just over two dozen people in the room, if you count the police officer standing next to the door. Maybe a little large for a Penn State Olympic sport opener. He answers a round of questions, then a few players take their turn. When Gadowsky takes the micro- phone, he seems to love the fact that 20-some reporters are interested in his squad. "I am thrilled right now," Gad- owsky says as he situates himself at the dais. "I thought we played great. We had no idea what we had. We had no idea if we would be ill-matched. We generated a lot of offense. Twenty shots each period is fantastic. I love the student section and to see the crowd, it was fantastic. That's why I came here. That's why our staff came here. That's why our recruits came here. That's a major reason, and it's just fantastic to see. It's hard to say why I feel so good after an overtime loss, but right now I'm thrilled." Gadowsky gets his first Penn State victory 24 hours later, as the Lions turn the tables on American International, winning 4-3 in overtime at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pa. If their first weekend is any indicator, it's safe to say there will be many more thrilling moments for Penn State ice hockey in the future. NO TE BOOK WOMEN'S VOLLEYBALL Top-ranked Lions extend win streak Penn State is in a familiar posi- tion at midseason, ranked No. 1 in the country and romping to wins over its Big Ten competition. The team had won 12 in a row and stood at 18-1 overall and 8-0 in the league heading into a road match against Ohio State on Oct. 17. The Nittany Lions dropped only five sets in the 12 matches that preceded their visit to Columbus. One of those losses occurred in the opening set against unranked Indiana, a 25-22 setback Oct. 13 at Rec Hall. But Penn State came roaring back, winning the next three sets (25-19, 25-16, 25-21) for a 3-1 victory. Ariel Scott post- ed a match-high 14 kills, while Deja McClendon recorded 12. The Ohio State match was the start of a four-match road trip. The Lions continue their season with visits to Michigan (Oct. 20), Iowa (Oct. 24) and Nebraska (Oct. 28). WOMEN'S SOCCER Schram fuels PSU in victory over Iowa Ranked fourth nationally, Penn State improved to 14-2-0 and 8-0-0 in the Big Ten by edging Iowa, 2-1. Junior Taylor Schram scored both Penn State goals as the Nittany Li- ons won their ninth in a row. It was Schram's first multi-goal game of the season, and Penn State also got a strong effort from senior goalkeeper Erin McNulty, who made five saves. Penn State has never dropped a point to Iowa, owning an 18-0-0 mark against the Hawkeyes. In the 18 meetings with Iowa, Penn State has outscored the Hawkeyes, 67-9.

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