Penn State Hockey: Nittany Lions lose in first round of NCAA Tournament, but program is on the rise
Penn State hockey was ousted by Denver in the NCAA Tournament, but the future is bright for the program
In just its sixth season at the NCAA Division I level, Penn State hockey just finished its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Although things didn’t work out Saturday night in Allentown for the Nittany Lions, the program is certainly one on the rise.
Penn State entered the tournament as the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region. The site for the game happened to be Allentown, PA, with the Nittany Lions acting as the hosts. Despite the home crowd, Penn State found itself overmatched against Denver — the defending national champions.
The Nittany Lions ran into a tough test Saturday night and unfortunately found themselves dominated from the start.
Denver put up two goals in the first and added two more in the second, including one right at the end of the period. Penn State got on the board in the third period with a Liam Folkes goal, but the outcome was already in hand.
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The Pioneers got an outstanding performance from olympian Troy Terry, who scored a goal and dished out two helpers. Defenseman Ian Mitchell racked up three assists, while Jarid Lukosevicius added two goals.
While the outcome wasn’t what the large Penn State contingency that was on hand would have wished for, there’s little reason for despair.
Penn State is a hockey program on the rise.
Head coach Guy Gadowsky has built a tradition of winning. The program won the Big Ten a year ago and has an NCAA Tournament win under its belt with last year’s 10-3 first-round victory over Union.
With proven success, a beautiful facility at Pegula Ice Arena, and a loyal fanbase, Penn State is a hockey team that players want to come play for. The sky is the limit for Gadowsky as he continues to recruit top talent to come play in Hockey Valley.
The loss in this year’s first round to Denver hurts, but Penn State can take solace in the fact that it has quickly ascended to the highest level of college hockey and is able to compete amongst the best programs in the nation.
There’s no reason to think that the Nittany Lions, under Gadowky’s direction, won’t continue to trend up. Don’t be surprised to see Penn State make a deep run in the tournament in the near future.