Penn State Hockey: Season Recap, Stretch Run Preview

Superlatives So Far

Most important goal: Connor McMenamin OT Winner vs. St. Thomas (MN)

• It wasn’t against a heavyweight opponent, but McMenamin’s goal to beat St. Thomas (MN) was the most important for Penn State. That goal avoided a disastrous loss or tie. If Penn State had lost/tied that game, they would be sitting in a much worse position in the Pairwise, much closer to the bubble. It would leave much less room for error in the second half.

Biggest win: November 10th at Minnesota (4-2 W)

• This was a tough choice, as Penn State had no shortage of big wins in this first half. But I went with the road win at #1 Minnesota. The reason this was the choice is because this was the win that started turning heads around the nation. Sure, they knocked off #1 Michigan the week prior, but that could easily have been chalked up to a fluke performance in front of a raucous home crowd. Following it up a week later proved that this Penn State team is for real, and the nation took notice.

Biggest surprise: F, Ture Linden

• Ture Linden transferred from RPI to Penn State this summer as a grad transfer. He was coming off a career year at RPI where he had 39 points, but it remained a big question mark as to whether he would be able to build off that season. After all, he had only had 27 points in his entire career before his massive 2021-2022 campaign. Those questions were answered quickly when he exploded onto the scene in Hockey Valley, recording 10 points in his first 5 games in the blue and white. He has since cooled off a bit, but sits at 20 points now. Not bad for a player who seemed to be a depth piece at best at the start of the season.

Biggest disappointment: Special Teams

• It is hard to find fault in much during the first half that this team had, but one area of major concern is special teams. Penn State’s special teams, both the power play and penalty kill, has been horrendous. The power play is only clicking 16.13% of the time, which is 43th out of the 62 Division 1 hockey teams. That number is actually a bit higher than it was most of the season due to a couple of power play goals right before the break. The power play had been ranked firmly in the bottom-10 for most of the year. This is fairly unusual for a Guy Gadowsky coached team, who usually finds success on the man advantage. The penalty kill isn’t much better. Penn State has only killed off 78.8% of the penalties it has taken, which is also 43rd in the nation. Penn State is going to have to improve on these numbers if they want to reach their full potential as we move towards the postseason. 

First half MVP: G Liam Souliere

• Penn State has always been a goalie away from being something truly special. Penn State got above average, if not inconsistent, goalie play from Peyton Jones during his tenure. It was enough for an occasional tournament appearance, but not much else. Liam Souliere is providing that next level of play that Penn State needed. He currently holds a 0.921 SV% and a GAA of 2.20. Both of those marks are in the top-20 among goaltenders nationally and, if they hold at the end of the year, would be the best in program history. Goaltending has been the biggest difference this year for the Lions by far. They have been able to win games that are low scoring, something that was unheard of in the past.