Penn State men’s hockey still searching for identity after home-opening loss to Michigan

Penn State men’s hockey is five games into the 2020-21 season, but has so far been unable to win a game.

Now 0-5, Penn State was only able to get the puck past Michigan’s goaltender Strauss Mann once during Wednesday’s 3-1 loss at Pegula Ice Arena. The Nittany Lions have been starting off slow the last few games, and the first game in the series against the Wolverines was no different.

“The slow start, to be honest with you, is that we’ve been careless in the neutral zone. That’s what it is. It’s not that we didn’t have the mentality, we’ve actually been careless in the neutral zone and ended up playing in our end,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “... We’re making soft plays in the neutral zone … it’s an execution issue, not a mentality issue.”

The Wolverines put the pressure on the Nittany Lions early in the first period, keeping the puck in Penn State’s defensive end with ease and limiting transitions. Michigan has one of the most talented freshman classes in the nation, including potential 2021 NHL Entry Draft first overall pick, Owen Power.

It wasn’t a freshman, though, but sophomore Nolan Moyle who opened up the scoring for Michigan, getting a shot past Penn State goalkeeper Oskar Autio to open up a 1-0 lead at 4:10 in the first period. Shortly after the goal, Penn State began to speed up and really get into the game. Around the 14 minute mark, the Nittany Lions hustled to get a goal, crowding Mann. Unable to get one through the Michigan goaltender, the chance to even the game ended when Tyler Gratton was sent to the penalty box for slashing, giving the Wolverines their first power play of the game.

Especially weak with penalty-killing, the Nittany Lions came off strong and the game continued 1-0. Autio was invaluable in this game, stopping shots and holding it down in the defensive end for the Nittany Lions. Autio was one of the main reasons the first penalty-kill went smoothly. Penn State’s scoring chances and offense were heavily limited during the remainder of the first period, and Michigan largely kept Penn State out of their own zone.

Even with another slow second period start, freshman defenseman Jimmy Dowd Jr. and Alternate Captain Paul DeNaples stood out among the Nittany Lions. Also part of a strong freshman class, Dowd’s hockey IQ and talent are easy to see. DeNaples made excellent plays in the second period, including a backhand pass to Connor McMenamin that showed off his skill.

“I really like the way Paul DeNaples played,” Gadowsky said. “The way he plays, the identity from the back end that he brings was excellent. I thought Paul DeNaples had an excellent game. I also thought Jimmy Dowd, in terms of moving the puck, in a much different way than Paul — but Jimmy Dowd made a lot of plays from the back end as well.”

At about five minutes into the second period, forward Tim Doherty was sent to the penalty box for high-sticking and Michigan went on their second power play of the game. The Nittany Lions were not as lucky with this power play as they were with the first, and Michael Pastujov shot a puck past Autio into the back of the net, giving Michigan a lead of 2-0.

Soon after, Penn State went on the power play after Michigan’s Johnny Beecher was sent to the penalty box for tripping. Penn State wasn’t able to capitalize on the power play, and went on another penalty kill after Evan Bell was called for hooking at 4:47. Captain Alex Limoges forced Cam York into a hooking penalty, and it was four on four. The remainder of the period went back and forth between the offensive and defensive zones, Michigan continuing to hold a 2-0 lead.

One barrier to the team’s success is a lack of identity, Gadowsky said. In past years, bonding before games began and the ability to gather as a team, as well as coach in person, helped create a cohesive team identity.

“A lot of it has happened in the preseason in the past with a lot of work,” Gadowksy said. “It’s a lot of chalk talks, it’s a lot of discussions about our philosophy and our concepts. We haven’t been able to do that, and when I say I’ve done a poor job, I don’t think I’ve been innovative enough to get to be effective in coaching through Zoom.

“I think it’s gonna take us finding a way to get everybody on the same page at a level that we were able to in past years, when we weren’t doing it through Zoom and everything else … every time we play I think it gives us an opportunity to get better, too, but I think we’re playing catch up right now in terms of how we coach and how far along we are being on the same page. We’re not on the same page, with our systematic details or with our concepts. That’s what it’s gonna take, and we have to put in the work to get there.”

The third period was arguably the Nittany Lions strongest period this season. Penn State came out full of energy, with a sense of urgency.

DeNaples started off the third with two big hits, before defenseman Clayton Phillips was sent to the penalty box for tripping, sending Michigan on another power play. Penn State had their best penalty kill of the season, which led to a final nine minutes of outstanding play from the Nittany Lions.

Alternate Captain Aarne Talvitie rushed up the ice and with Michigan’s goal coming up before him, he unselfishly tossed the puck in a backdoor pass to Bell. Bell slipped the puck past Mann, and Penn State cut the deficit in half, making the score 2-1.

Mann continued to protect the goal throughout the remainder of the period, and the Nittany Lions pulled Autio from the net in a last-ditch effort to even the score. With 1:45 remaining, Michigan scored an empty-net goal, giving the Wolverines a two-goal lead and making the final score 3-1.

“When I talked about our lack of identity — we play fast, and we play tough, and we play hard. We didn’t get to be where we are just by talent, we had a real strong identity that takes a lot of work ethic and a lot of commitment to how we play,” Gadowsky said. “We didn’t have a sense of urgency, we wanted to play an easy game. We did, I don’t know why. We wanted to play an easy game. I think in the third when we’re down, the sense of urgency — then we started to have a little identity. That’s what has to happen from the start.”