Dec. 3, 2015
By Maria Canales, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" Coming off a successful string of non-conference games to open its schedule, the No. 19-ranked Penn State men's hockey team (8-2-3) looks to hit the ground running in conference play when the Lions host Michigan State this weekend.
A big piece in Penn State's hot start has been the pair splitting time between the pipes
Senior Matt Skoff and junior Eamon McAdam have been superb of late, holding opponents to zero goals in the last 50 shots and 122:37 of game time. Head coach Guy Gadowsky is confident with the system he has in place behind his two goaltenders.
"…We'll let it play out as it may," said Gadowsky. "As it turns out, if this month is any indication it's working very, very well, so right now if it's not broken we're not going to fix it."
Gadowsky was quick to praise each player for their individual dedication to their craft, noting both players have made the effort to constantly be improving.
Over the course of the 2015-16 season to date, McAdam has tallied six wins and a .929 save percentage. Skoff has recorded two wins and a .900 save percentage.
Gadowsky noted that friendly competition between the goaltenders is what he wants out of them, and that it is useful for not only improving individual skills but also useful for the team.
"Actually I think it's very important, and I think it's becoming an important part of their success," said Gadowsky. "They have a very healthy respect and admiration for each other for sure and I think that when you have two guys that are pushing each other it's advantageous to both of them and I really like having that situation."
As for this weekend, the Nittany Lions will host Michigan State this Friday and Saturday, a team known for their success behind senior goaltender and Pennsylvania native, Jake Hildebrand. The Spartans arrive in Hockey Valley 4-7-2 this season.
Since the 2013-14 season, behind Hildebrand, the Spartans are 5-1-2 against the Nittany Lions. Two of those five wins came as shutout wins.
The Nittany Lions are eager to begin their Big Ten matchups, even if this one is a little earlier on the schedule than others. After this weekend, Penn State won't see conference play again until January.
Elsewhere in the Big Ten, Michigan enters the weekend as the only other Big Ten program currently ranked by the USCHO, at No. 12. With a history of powerhouse programs, the Big Ten has yet to break out successfully this season, to which Gadowsky finds both surprising and expected at the same time.
"If you look at the players that we have coming into the Big Ten, yes, but if you look at the players that have left the Big Ten early, no," said Gadowsky. "It's a little bit of the nature of college hockey right now, that when you get some of these higher profile student-athletes which a lot of the Big Ten schools have been getting, they leave early."
Both Michigan State and Minnesota each have only four wins each so far this season, with Wisconsin and Ohio State raking in three wins apiece. With Penn State leading the conference in wins, Gadowsky hopes that this is a good place to start Big Ten conference play.
"I think every year is an opportunity and we're going to do the best with what we have," said Gadowsky. "…There's a lot of young teams [in the Big Ten] that have a lot of great players that are going to be a lot different after January than they are before."
When asked about how getting wins this weekend would propel the Nittany Lions into further conference play in January, Gadowsky had a simple answer.
"I think so, it certainly always helps," said Gadowsky. "But you know, because the bulk of the non-conference games are played early, certainly it always helps to start well."
The No. 19-ranked Penn State hosts Michigan State this Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. Saturday's game will also feature Penn State's annual Teddy Bear Toss.