Following a sweep over Stonehill and before embarking into Big Ten play with a road series at Ohio State, Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky met with the media on Monday inside Pegula Ice Arena.
Gadowsky shared his thoughts on the team’s performance through eight games, as well as areas for improvement at a crucial juncture in the schedule.
Here’s what he had to say.
Big Ten gauntlet
The Nittany Lions are set to play eight consecutive conference games, beginning with the Buckeyes and finishing at No. 1 Michigan State, vs. No. 2 Michigan and at No. 19 Minnesota.
Gadowsky has long referred to the conference as the “monsters of college hockey,” and on Monday, he doubled down on that stance.
“I do think the Big Ten is a different deal.”
When asked if his team is ready given some underwhelming nonconference results, Gadowsky referenced struggles from other top programs, citing Ohio State’s loss to Sacred Heart.
“College hockey is as close as it’s ever been. I think we had a great test on the road at Arizona State,” Gadowsky said. “So I do think we have been tested … and we’re going to be much better in a month.”
With three of those series coming on the road, Gadowsky said the team’s trip to then-No. 14 Arizona State to open the season, which resulted in a pair of wins, provided valuable experience in a hostile environment.
Defensive depth
Penn State’s defensive unit has struggled to stay healthy, with Cade Christenson out until after Christmas, Jackson Smith missing both games against the Sun Devils and Carter Schade missing last weekend’s series against the Skyhawks, but Gadowsky provided a positive update.
“(Schade) is still day to day, but I’m optimistic that he’ll be back.”
Regardless, Gadowsky remains confident in the depth at the position. He said director of hockey operations George Lewis has worked extensively with the analytics team to determine the best possible line pairings amid shuffling availability.
Breaking down the Buckeyes
Penn State is traveling to take on Ohio State this weekend, whose extremely stout defense could pose issues — and no, this isn’t about football.
Gadowsky highlighted the Buckeyes’ neutral zone presence, calling it the best his squad has faced this season. Ohio State has done well limiting odd-man rushes and causing traffic in transition to slow down opposing offenses, which has led to issues in previous matchups between the two squads.
Forward Ben Schoen, who’s laced up against the Buckeyes in each of his previous four seasons in blue and white, agreed with his coach. He said the key is avoiding penalties, which have plagued the team this season — the Nittany Lions rank No. 1 nationally in total penalty minutes.
“The big thing for us right now is staying out of the box. We’ve struggled with that, and we’ve had talks, and we’ll be better with that, but we can’t be in the box as much as we have been, especially in the Big Ten, because you’ll get eaten up,” Schoen said.
