Why Penn State’s Frozen Four berth is only surprising to those not connected to program

In four days the Penn State hockey team will play the most important game in program history, a national semifinal matchup against Boston University, the second of two semifinals Thursday night during the Frozen Four in St. Louis.

When Penn State relaunched its varsity hockey program for the 2012-13 season (there were 27 games over parts of five seasons from 1940-1947), such success was unexpected by almost anyone except those directly connected to the program.

In fact, some adaptations to the coaching staff’s recruiting plan were necessary from the start.

“We found very quickly that there’s a lot of people that love Penn State University but there’s not a lot of guys that are going to be willing to lose for what people thought were going to be a lot of years,” coach Guy Gadowsky said. “So, we had to sort of pivot what we were looking for and what we decided to look for was guys who wanted to welcome the challenge where many people said, ‘You’re going to get killed. You’re not going to win a game for three years.’ It takes a special competitor to welcome that.”

Those early adopters provided a firm foundation for the program. Along with the $100 million gift from Penn State alumnus and hockey benefactor Terry Pegula that jump-started the program, the DNA of the Penn State hockey came from those determined players — the same type of contributors the coaching staff still seeks.

While all coaches want talent, Gadowsky has a soft spot for players who contribute to the team’s chemistry and fit.

Penn State’s hockey program revitalized the sport on campus, in central Pennsylvania and far beyond. Specifically, Penn State adding a team made the Big Ten Conference a reality on ice and other programs, like Arizona State, followed suit and moved up to the varsity level nationally.

Maybe some did not see a Frozen Four on the horizon when things started at Penn State, but those were not the people preparing for games, pulling on sweaters or putting in hours of practice time.

Now, with 462 games complete in the program’s modern era, the most important game remains ahead. It’s an 8:30 p.m. puck drop Thursday against BU, which respects what Penn State has done.

“We’ve never faced them but having a chance to watch their games, they really transition fast. They’re great off the rush. They have a lot of speed,” BU coach Jay Pandolfo said. “They’re believing in themselves, too. So, it’s going to be really tough matchup for us.”

It’s a big challenge — BU has advanced to the Frozen Four three seasons in a row — but Penn State knows a bit about challenges and long odds. Along with the overall arc of the program, this season offers its own comeback story after the Penn State went winless in its first nine Big Ten games and was pretty much left for dead at midseason before becoming perhaps the hottest team in college hockey as the campaign moved toward its culmination.

“We’re thrilled to be here, but I don’t think the group is patting itself on the back at all,” Gadowsky said. “I think they’re enjoying improving every week and competing with each other.”

That internal competition has led to external success, with the team 15-4-4 since January.

At this point, though, they’re not focused years of history or a second-half winning streak. They’re just focused on one more game.

Timeline of Penn State hockey firsts

Here’s a look at key moments since the start of 2012-13 season:

First game: Oct. 12, 2012 vs. AIC (Loss, 3-2)

First victory: Oct. 13, 2012 vs. AIC (4-3)

First game at Pegula Ice Arena: Oct. 11, 2013 vs. Army (Win, 4-1)

First Big Ten Conference game: Dec. 6, 2013 at Wisconsin (Loss, 7-1)

First conference victory: Feb. 8, 2014 vs. Michigan (4-0)

First conference tournament championship: March 18, 2017 vs. Wisconsin (2-1 2OT)

First NCAA Tournament victory: March 25, 2017 vs. Union (10-3)

First regular season championship: 2019-2020

First NCAA Regional Championship: March 30, 2025 vs. UConn (2-1 OT)

First Frozen Four game: April 10, 2025 vs. Boston University in St. Louis