UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Prior to last weekend's contests against Arizona State, the No. 8 Nittany Lions' men's hockey team had yet to trail entering the final 20 minutes of a game.
On Friday, Penn State faced that scenario head-on, as they trailed 4-3 to the Sun Devils. But, a three-goal third period provided to be enough as they held on to a 6-5 win in Friday's contest.
"The mindset was to get back into what we know how to do," head coach Guy Gadowsky said postgame. "For us, that means playing fast and I think we did that. I think we pushed the pace a bit in the third [period] and we were rewarded for it.
"Really good third period, and obviously we got on the backs of the [Alex] Limoges- [Evan] Barratt - [Liam] Folkes line, who played great."
The aforementioned line combined for seven points against the Sun Devils, including a pair of goals from Limoges in the third period to put Penn State ahead for good.
"Obviously, we didn't want to lose," Limoges said postgame. "They were definitely better than expected, so I think it was eye-opening for all of us."
Folkes (Scarborough, Ontario) had three assists, including both feeds to Limoges in the final frame.
"Being down after two [periods], we just kind of regrouped in the locker room," he said postgame. "It was kind of our backs against the wall, and it was just desperate hockey in the third period."
Saturday night required Penn State to once again dig deep as they trailed 3-1 heading into the final frame. And for the second time in as many nights, the Nittany Lions rallied to tie the game and force overtime in Pegula Ice Arena's 100th game for the program.
With two more third period tallies on Saturday, Penn State has now outscored opponents 16-4 in the final frame through seven games.
"I think we just weren't playing our style the first half of the game," senior captain Chase Berger (St. Louis, Mo.) said. "When we play our game, that's what we like to do the most. So, we just need to figure out how to do that for 60 minutes."
"There's certain indicators of when we play fast collectively and what happens as a result," Gadowsky said later on Monday. "It sounds easy but it takes a lot of energy and everybody has to be on that page.
"When you have a sense of urgency, you play that way. The challenge is to play that way a lot earlier right from the drop of the puck, but we haven't been able to sustain it," he added. "The third period in both games was us collectively doing just that."
When it comes to how Penn State rallied over the weekend, multiple players had one phrase in mind when describing their comebacks: desperate hockey.
"I think it's fun to play desperate hockey," Limoges said Monday when looking back on the series.
"There's a sense of urgency and we take pride in what we do with the puck. We don't turn it over as much and we're focused on getting it in the zone. I don't think it's difficult to play that style, but it can be tough to play that way as a team."
Freshman defenseman Paul DeNaples (Moscow, Pa.) echoed that sentiment, as he described Penn State's strategy when it comes to fighting back late in games.
"We have a sense of urgency, but you can't get too crazy or nervous and start turning the puck over," DeNaples said. "It showed in the third period when we came out and scored multiple goals. Honestly, we have to translate that into starting the game like that."
"In a sense, it's almost easier to try to make that extra play when trailing 3-1, because if you can get a goal and change the game, it makes a big difference."
Sophomore forward Evan Barratt (Bristol, Pa.), fresh off of his highlight-reel goal seen on ESPN's SportsCenter, highlighted the quiet confidence that Penn State exudes in the offensive zone.
"It's fun when we can play fast and short shifts," Barratt said. "The intensity of the game picks up and any time we have the puck offensively, we know a goal is coming soon so it can definitely be fun out there."
This coming weekend, Penn State will battle Robert Morris in a home-and-home series. They host the Colonials on Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena, before traveling to Pittsburgh on Saturday. Puck drop for both games is set for 7 p.m.
