"Iron Sharpens Iron" : How Penn State men's hockey is looking to keep the motivation

“Iron sharpens iron.”

That’s what Coach Guy Gadowsky said and the players echoed at Penn State men’s hockey’s first media day about the mentality going into the 2023-24 season.

Coming off of an overtime loss to Michigan in the Allentown Regional Finals last season, the squad is looking to bounce back and get hungry for a national championship this year.

On Oct. 2, Gadowksy and the team announced that Christian Berger would be named captain, and Christian Sarlo and Xander Lamppa would serve as alternate captains.

“It’s very evident that they’re here for the right reasons,” said Gadowsky. “All three of them are committed to the right thing. They’re committed to themselves as athletes… committed to the university [and] great in the weight room.”

Gadowsky said that Berger was the obvious choice for captain, and his peers echoed the sentiment.

“I’ve never played with someone who deserved it more,” Sarlo said. “I can’t really emphasize enough just how easy of a choice he was.”

It’s no big secret that the Nittany Lions lost some of their best offensive talents: Kevin Wall, Ture Linden, Ashton Calder and Connor MacEachern, to name a few.

It’s going to be those players who didn’t get a lot of ice time last year who are going to step up to fill the offensive voids, like Carson Dyck and Dylan Lugris.

Gadowsky said that Dyck will “compete for more ice time,” alongside Lugris.

The best offense is defense, and according to Gadowsky, who quoted Keith Fisher, “This is absolutely the best D-core we’ve ever had.”

Sophomores Carter Schade and Jarod Crespo, who played on a defensive pairing together last season, are looking to have another great year with the squad.

Crespo echoed Gadowsky’s “iron sharpens iron” philosophy, saying that he and Schade make each other better players.

“Whenever we’re together, practice just pushing each other to be better,” Crespo said.

Penn State lost their senior defenseman Paul DeNaples, a huge leader on the team. However, in DeNaples’s absence, Crespo believes the other eight defensemen have a “clean slate” and an opportunity to work for their spots.

The “iron sharpens iron” quote was first used when Gadowsky was asked about the goaltenders. Penn State rosters three, and Gadowsky pointed out that there’s only one net on the ice, so they make each other better.

Though Liam Souliere is the starting goalie, Gadowsky complimented sophomore Noah Grannon, saying “he’s a much better athlete than he ever was.”

Penn State brought in five freshmen, including Nashville Predators draft pick Aiden Fink, and two transfers in Jacques Bouquot and Tanner Palocsik.

“He’s coming in with eyes wide open and doing everything he can to just enhance the areas he sees. He’s an intelligent guy; very attractive person to be around,” Gadowsky said about Bouquot.

Fink said the “culture” and the “amazing” players drew him into choosing Penn State.

Fink was the CJHL and AJHL Most Valuable Player as well as scoring the league-best 97 points in 54 games.

Penn State opens its season on the road at Long Island University on Oct. 7 with a 7 p.m. puck drop.

“We sort of look at one game at a time, and it’s just the way we have to do things… all we’re looking forward to is learning as much as we can about our experience this weekend,” Gadowsky said.

Adrianna Gallucci is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, please email amg7989@psu.edu.