UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- While the results on the scoreboard weren't favorable for Penn State, the Nittany Lions were simply glad to be back on the ice last weekend.
It was 34-days between games for Penn State. Much like they did before the pause, the Nittany Lions returned to the ice against Notre Dame. Even though they were outscored 12-3, the benefits of finally playing two-full games will do wonders for Penn State as it prepares for the Big Ten tournament.
"You can see that our conditioning was certainly affected, and it was more significant than anticipated," head coach Guy Gadowsky said. "The team is doing great now and working hard this week to give us the best chance we have come tournament time."
Shutting down a program for over a month is something no team wants to go through. But, in a year like this, it is something that has become more of the norm than the exception. Gadowsky cited it as something they were going to have to go through at some point.
The Penn State coach called the struggles last weekend a "necessary evil". No amount of practice last week or conditioning over the team's quarantine period could do enough to keep the team in game shape.
"From a month of not playing, it's really tough," senior forward Alex Limoges said. "Right now, the focus is recovering and how we can make it to next weekend and put together a couple strong games."
Now, with the hardest part behind it, Penn State can focus on the task at hand. The Nittany Lions will return to South Bend for the Big Ten tournament. They will face that same Notre Dame team for the fifth matchup in-a-row, even though matchups three and four were separated by 34 days.
Gadowsky did recall that Penn State has seen the same team for a long stretch of consecutive games before citing the end of the 2017-18 season and start of the 2018 Big Ten tournament when the Nittany Lions faced and defeated Minnesota four times in-a-row.
Now, to start this year's conference tournament, Penn State will need to find a way to upend a Notre Dame team that has won three-of-four matchups against Penn State this season. But an unconventional tournament could come to Penn State's advantage.
Much like it was in year's past, the Big Ten tournament will be one-game, single-elimination at one arena. So, for Penn State, all it needs to do is find a way to win the first game and the Nittany Lions will have a chance.
"A lot of guys are excited for a chance," Limoges said.
But Gadowsky knows that every team is incredibly good in the Big Ten. Now, one year after winning the conference's regular-season championship, Penn State will be the hunters, rather than the hunted.
That is something that can come to Penn State's advantage this weekend. Even though it may not look like it, the Big Ten remains one of the most balanced conferences from top to bottom.
"There are no guarantees in this league and every single team is extremely good," Gadowsky said.
Above all else, the most important thing for Penn State going into Sunday's matchup will be its conditioning. Last week, the Nittany Lions were just getting back on the ice, so they had to take things easily. But this week that won't be the case.
"This week is going to be much different," Gadowsky said. "We are pretty much full go and full maximum with everybody."
With another full week of practice this week, Penn State will hope more time on the ice will lead to putting a more complete game together. Last weekend, the Nittany Lions were happy with the way they started games, but the performance tapered off after that.
Having those two games in the rear-view mirror should help Penn State moving forward.
"I think that experience will help us this weekend," Gadowsky said.
It can be tiring playing the same team so many times in a row. But the players are excited to get another crack at Notre Dame.
"It's got to be a good rivalry," Limoges said. "Things started to get chippy in the second game, and I expect that for the fifth game in a row."
When Penn State takes the ice on Sunday in the Big Ten tournament, everything that happened in the previous 20 games doesn't matter. It will be Penn State and Notre Dame, with the winner moving on.
So, if Penn State can string together a full, 60-minute effort, anything is possible. Last week, the team was glad to just be back on the ice. But this week, the Nittany Lions want more.
