Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1486024
D E C E M B E R 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 T his was supposed to be some- thing of a rebuilding year for the Penn State men's ice hockey team. Maybe it still will be. The Nittany Lions were picked to fin- ish sixth out of seven teams in the Big Ten coaches' rankings ahead of the sea- son and didn't appear in either of the preseason national polls. With the majority of the conference campaign still to be played, there's no telling how PSU will fare in the months to come. So far this season, only one Big Ten team — Wisconsin — has failed to crack the top 20, and six teams were ranked in the Nov. 21 polls. That's going to make for a daunting stretch from now until the end of the season. However, the early returns suggest that Penn State is going to be competi- tive with the best of them. Already this year, the Nittany Lions have two victories over opponents that were ranked No. 1 at the time. On Nov. 4, they stunned Michigan 3-0 at Pe- gula Ice Arena, capitalizing on junior goalie Liam Souliere's second consecu- tive shutout to capture the first game of a two-game series. Six days later, the Lions did it again. Facing Minnesota on the road, they got 2 goals from senior forward Con- nor MacEachern, including the decisive score less than a minute into the third period. The wins were the first in the 11- year history of Penn State's varsity ice hockey program over No. 1-ranked op- ponents. They were also a testament to how well the Nittany Lions' returning play- ers have meshed with the additions that coach Guy Gadowsky made through the transfer portal in the offseason. Against Michigan, Penn State got goals from a pair of transfer forwards: graduate Ashton Calder and senior Ture Linden. Calder came to PSU after a season at North Dakota and three years at Lake Superior State. He had played in 141 games heading into his Nittany Lion debut, the third-highest total among active collegiate players. Linden arrived in State College after four years at Rensselaer Polytechnic In- stitute, where he led the Eastern College Athletic Conference in goals (20) and points (39) a year ago. Gadowsky said he wanted to be selec- tive in deciding which transfers he and his staff thought they might want to pursue in the offseason. "We weren't going to do it unless they helped us with our culture off the ice, and then fit certain roles on the ice," he said. "Based off what you saw on the ice [against Michigan], they've been con- sistent with what they bring. I can tell you that the impact they've had on the team is what created the offense that you saw on the ice. "It's not just the goals. They're both a great fit for Penn State, and that's prob- ably the most important reason." Through 16 games, Linden was lead- ing the Nittany Lions with 13 points on 4 goals and 9 assists. Calder, mean- while, was tied for second on the team with 6 goals. Penn State's leading goal scorer in the early going was senior for- ward Kevin Wall with 7. In addition to the offensive surge, the Lions have gotten steady goaltending from Souliere. Heading into an early- December trip to Ohio State, the junior from Brampton, Ontario, was second OLYMPIC SPORTS A transfer forward from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Ture Linden was leading the No. 7-ranked Nittany Lions with 13 points on 4 goals and 9 assists through 16 games. PHOTO BY DANIEL ALTHOUSE Mix And Match Returning talent and astute transfer additions have combined to spark the PSU men's ice hockey team M AT T H E R B | M A T T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M