Penn State’s win over Clarkson gives fans a glimpse of what this season could be
There hasn’t been a year in Penn State men’s hockey’s short history with the type of expectations facing this season’s iteration of the team. And they aren’t unwarranted.
Phenom Gavin McKenna’s presence can do that on its own, but it’s not just about him. Defenseman Jackson Smith was a top-15 pick in the 2025 NHL Draft pick. Luka Misa was a fifth-rounder in 2024. Mac Gadowsky was a top-10 finalist for the Hobey Baker Award last year. So was Aiden Fink — whose return leads the charge from last year’s Frozen Four team.
This is a roster that is loaded with talent, which is why Friday night’s result is now expected to be the norm in Hockey Valley.
The Nittany Lions bounced back from a 6-4 loss to Clarkson Thursday night to defeat the Golden Knights, 5-2, in Pegula Ice Arena and move to 3-1 on the season — meeting the expectations for the best team in program history, at least for one night.
Head coach Guy Gadowsky said after Friday night’s win that he’s glad the first home series is in the rearview.
“I‘m glad we got it behind us. I am,” Gadowsky said. “...This is a big win for us, because Clarkson is a very good team. They’re very tough, big, tough team. I think for the most part, we handled it pretty well. Obviously disappointed in the result last night, not necessarily the game, and then tonight, just very, very happy that we were able to come back against a very good team. So now I don’t think we’re going to have those jitters moving forward.”
Friday night’s win was a stark contrast compared to the loss the night before, when the Nittany Lions gave up four unanswered goals after taking a 4-2 lead. That game felt more like a coronation for the program, with the presenting of the Frozen Four banner for the 2024 team. This one felt like more of an arrival — proof of what the program can be this season.
And that starts with McKenna, who moved unlike anyone else on the ice with the puck on his stick, in full control and capable of manipulating his opponents and the puck however he pleased. Even when McKenna — who didn’t record a point but did register four shots and had more than a few precise passes — isn’t asked about, his talent gets brought up.
After the game, for example, forward Charlie Cerrato spoke about teammate Nic Chin-Degraves and how he’s willing to adapt to a role, and how that will allow him and to have a longer professional career than others. With an exception.
“There’s a select few,” Cerrato said. “Gav is a different story.”
But part of what makes this team special is how McKenna and his teammates have rallied around each other in the face of expectations. They could easily fall into the trap of buying into their own talent too much, but instead the Nittany Lions remain focused on the collective, and what they can all achieve together.
That may not have been more apparent than the altercation at the end of Friday night’s game that saw 5-foot-8 Lev Katzin fight with — and drop — Clarkson’s Ty Brassington, who’s 6-foot-2. Katzin was in that fight after Cerrato and JJ Wiebusch were initially involved in the altercation.
The shortest player on the team, Katzin did not hesitate to defend his teammate. And that’s part of what can help make this team great.
“I think that’s why we went so far last year, because each and every one of us had each other’s backs, and we were so close as a group on and off the ice,” Cerrato said. “I think seeing that is a great step.”
There will inevitably be more altercations. Penn State is a team with a target on its back. It is no longer the hunter, but the hunted. And every night they will get the best their opponent has to offer.
That’s something they’re very aware of.
“Going in the season, we brought in a ton of talent and some big names, so we know every night we’re going to get whoever we play’s best game,” Forward Ben Schoen said. “So I think for us, it’s going to be just starting games off better. I think we need to start off better our first shifts, first period, but [Guy Gadowsky] has been saying it since the beginning — we’re going to get every team’s absolute best, and we need to be ready to go.”
But those are the perks of having talented players like McKenna, Fink, Smith, Mac Gadowsky and the rest of the Nittany Lions. The expectations can become a privilege. And while Thursday night’s result was not what the team wanted, Friday’s very much was.
And it gave the fans in Pegula a taste of what this team can do this season.
