Nittany Lions find old magic by reuniting trio

Some things just work, some combinations are just magical.

A certain candy company brags about combining chocolate and peanut putter, and beer and wings work quite well while watching football games.

The Penn State men’s hockey team reunited one of its most prolific lines last weekend, and the dividends were apparent rather quickly.

Back on the same line for two wins against Wisconsin were David Goodwin, David Glen and Andrew Sturtz.

Simply put, they work quite well together.

“I think everyone’s pretty happy about the change,” Goodwin said Tuesday at the team’s weekly session with the media. “Glen, Sturtz and I feel pretty confident with each other. I think, hopefully there’s more success like we had last weekend.”

The junior said it took a period or so for the trio to recapture their magic, even if they had practiced all week.

Before Friday, they had been together for just six games, but it was apparent almost immediately they still had their magic. They had combined for five goals and 10 assists, and a plus-12 plus-minus rating (on the ice that many more times for Penn State goals than Badger goals) earlier in the season. They had three goals and three assists against the Badgers, and combined to be plus-seven.

“A lot of it is we’re all willing to battle and put our body on the line,” Glen said. “We’re not afraid to go in the corners and do the hard things. Goody and Sturtz are both such smart players, they make it pretty easy to play with them.”

Even if they worked together so well early, coach Guy Gadowsky had Goodwin join Eric Scheid and Dylan Richard, because the latter two were struggling despite being such prolific scorers. The coach knew that move was not going to be permanent.

“At that time, actually, that line was probably our most dominant line of the year,” Gadowsky said. “We always wanted to get back to it at an appropriate time.”

Glen also was part of a fairly successful line for parts of his first three seasons, joining Curtis Loik and Kenny Brooks — the “identity line” as they were known — and the team captain said he appreciates why both lines work in their own way.

Goodwin, who was part of one of the nation’s top lines last season with Casey Bailey and Taylor Holstrom, also has appreciated his assignments this season, and it’s not like the shakeups were desperately needed. The No. 14 Nittany Lions (15-4-3) are in the Big Ten title hunt heading to Ohio State for games Friday and Saturday.

“You appreciate guys like Andrew Sturtz and how hard he works, and David Glen and how hard he battles,” Goodwin said. “Just a little bit different, but obviously Dylan and Scheid, they were phenomenal linemates.”

Williamson hanging up skates

Gadowsky said Mike Williamson has decided to end his career. The junior defenseman, a sixth-round draft pick of the Vancouver Canucks, played in just six games this season, his last in early December, notching one assist. He played in just 16 games last season and totaled three goals and six assists for his career.

“He’s obviously been struggling with injuries for over a year now,” Gadowsky said. “The episodes get worse and worse every time. After talking with his family and the physicians, he’s come up with that decision.”

Gadowsky did not clarify the exact nature of the injuries, but said they were not concussion-related, and the junior will remain with the team and help the program however he can.

Honors for Eamon

Eamon McAdam was named the Big Ten’s second star of the week on Tuesday, following the junior goaltender’s 39-save performance in a 4-1 win over Wisconsin on Saturday.

It was his first game since suffering an injury against Minnesota the previous weekend, and he said he felt “perfectly fine” in the win.

“I feel like I’m, not 100 percent, but back very close to it,” McAdam said. “Our training staff’s done an amazing job getting me back to health.”

Gadowsky said the team’s alternation in goal will continue, so Matthew Skoff will start Friday and McAdam gets the nod on Saturday.

Home ice advantage

Something Penn State fans can proudly brag about: Pegula Ice Arena is a tough place to play. The Nittany Lions are 11-3-1 there this year, and 24-5-4 over the last two seasons, putting them in the top five for wins and win percentage over that span in Division I.

“It’s like nothing else,” Glen said of the home ice advantage. “… The Roar Zone and crowd here is amazing and we definitely build off it. You can see it in our game.”

Even with such a young program, in just its fourth season, the team also appreciates how knowledgeable fans are, cheering not just for goals and saves, but also when penalties are killed and booing when officials miss a subtle call.

“This is a much more educated hockey audience than I had anticipated,” Gadowsky said. “Which makes it really wonderful for the guys. I know they love that. They love when things that don’t show up on the scoresheet are appreciated by the crowd.”

Big Ten suspensions

After a melee at the end of Sunday’s game between Michigan and Ohio State, the Big Ten handed out suspensions Tuesday to two players from each team, and all of them will miss games against the Nittany Lions.

Michigan’s Dexter Dancs and Cutler Martin, and Ohio State’s Brendon Kearney and Dakota Joshua were all involved in the altercation after the game and will have to sit out a game — the Buckeyes host the Lions on Friday, the Wolverines next play at Penn State on Jan. 28.

This story was originally published January 19, 2016 at 7:44 PM with the headline "Nittany Lions find old magic by reuniting trio."