Penn State men’s hockey team back on home ice

It happens for every college hockey team every year, but it’s always a bit of an adjustment.

Penn State has not played at home in nearly a month, and has played just two games total in that span.

There is no easing back into the schedule, however, with two key games in the Big Ten chase opening 2016 with a visit from Minnesota (8-9, 3-1 Big Ten) at 6:30 p.m. Friday and 3 p.m. Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena.

“It’s been a long break, and obviously these are some of the games we look forward to,” senior defenseman Luke Juha said. “Minnesota’s a powerhouse every single year.”

When fans last saw the Nittany Lions (12-3-3, 2-0) at home, the team was beating Princeton 6-3 on Dec. 11. With a break for final exams and the holidays, there were a few days away from the ice, then the team returned for games in Pittsburgh. A 6-4 loss to Robert Morris ended a nine-game unbeaten streak, then the team recovered, albeit with some heavy legs, to beat Clarkson 5-1. That was 10 days ago.

Since then there has been a lot of internal observation, correcting things big and small.

A major point of emphasis has been the team getting away from a reliable, clean defense. The Nittany Lions had been among the nation’s best at taking few penalties, but gave opponents nine power plays on 10 penalties in Pittsburgh last week.

Those numbers troubled head coach Guy Gadowsky.

“We have to be a lot more disciplined in our defensive game,” he said. “We also took (10) penalties, gave up nine power plays on the two days, which is a lot for us. We have to get back to not giving up odd-man rushes, and not taking penalties.”

The odd-man rushes were another major point of concern, especially in the first game against the Colonials, when at times the game resembled a track meet of end-to-end action as the team peppered goalie Eamon McAdam with shots.

They will need to correct all that against a highly-skilled Golden Gopher team that is far better than its record may imply.

Minnesota’s strength of schedule is rated toughest in Division I, and the team suffered a lot of turnover from last season, including losing longtime starting goalie Adam Wilcox.

“They’re a super-strong team,” said Juha, the Big Ten’s No. 3 star last week after collecting a goal and three assists during the tournament. “I don’t think their record shows how good they are.”

Stepping into that job, and starting every game so far this season, has been freshman Eric Schierhorn.

Another reason not to be deceived by records is Minnesota is leading the Big Ten, and the conference games take over as most important from now until March.

The Nittany Lions will not have the “Road Zone” filled with students this weekend, with the new semester not starting until Monday, but the team still anticipates good energy in the building, and they appreciate the value of every point they can get in the conference.

“Every game is important,” Juha said. “We go into every game expecting to win, and the home crowd always gives us an extra edge.”

This story was originally published January 7, 2016 at 8:23 PM with the headline "Penn State men’s hockey team back on home ice."