Late Power Play Tally Gives No. 16 Penn State season opener victory over LIU

NEW YORK – No. 16 Penn State faced adversity as it opened its season with a come-from-behind victory over Long Island.

The Nittany Lions traveled into shark-infested waters at Northwell Health Ice Center, where the team donning yellow and blue set the physical tone early.

“The first five minutes, it was a little rough,” forward Dylan Lugris said. “But I think everybody kind of got their feet under them after the first and got a little better as the game went on.”

“The first period, they came out extremely hard,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “They’re a big physical team and it was nice to see our younger guys handle it.”

The young talent of Penn State made their impact felt early, as freshman Matt DiMarsico opened the scoring with 2.7 seconds left in the first period, redirecting a point shot from Dartmouth transfer Tanner Palocsik.

“Being a hometown kid from Pennsylvania, that already means everything to play for this program,” DiMarsico said. “And first game to lead off the scoring, I mean, it was an incredible feeling.”

DiMarsico seemed to be all over the ice in the season opener for the blue and white, finishing the game with five shots alongside his tally.

“He’s been doing the right things all preseason, so it wasn’t a shock to us that he got a goal in this game,” Lugris said. “He works his butt off, so we were all happy to see him score.”

DiMarsico was one of three new faces to make their way onto the scoresheet, joining Palocsik and fellow freshman Aiden Fink, who both had an assist.

Despite the late first-period goal, the Nittany Lions found themselves in a hole less than five minutes into the middle frame, thanks to two quick Sharks goals from Preston Brodziak and Riley Wallack.

In front of a sold-out LIU crowd, it looked like Penn State was on its heels, but Gadowsky’s squad seemed unfazed by the challenge lying in front of them.

“There was no message on the bench,” Gadowsky said. “The leadership, the older guys handled that. They were calm, they didn’t panic.”

One of those leaders, Ryan Kirwan, took charge and evened the scoring at two apiece in the final minute of the second period.

The blue and white got back to their identity in the final frame, stifling the Sharks’ offense and holding them to just three shots on goal.

The frustration continued to build for the blue and yellow, ultimately leading to a costly five-minute major penalty on Noah Kane with just over 10 minutes left, giving the Nittany Lions a prime chance to capitalize.

And capitalize they did, as Dylan Lugris potted a net-front goal off a Ryan Kirwan pass in the waning seconds of the major penalty, which would stand as the game-winner.

“We want to do our best [on the power play] game in, game out,” Lugris said. “We want to make sure that when we get the chance, we want to make sure that we capitalize.”

Coming off a 2022-2023 season where the blue and white converted on the power play at a measly 15.9%, winning the special teams in the season opener is a step in the right direction for the Nittany Lions.

A final push from LIU came to no avail, and Penn State skated out of East Meadow with a victory in front of tremendous fan support on the road, something the team credited to the win.

“They’re the best. You can’t find a better support group,” Lugris said. “Those people live and breathe Penn State hockey and we couldn’t have done anything without them.”

The blue and white will travel to New York again the following weekend to take on Clarkson and St. Lawrence back-to-back.

The road doesn’t get any easier, facing a Clarkson team coming off a big upset over No. 20 Notre Dame, but Gadowsky and the Nittany Lions will take the momentum of their own into Potsdam.

“I thought all four lines gelled and had chances,” Gadowsky said. “I liked our mentality the last two periods and I expect that to continue.”

Joshua Bartosik is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jsb6137@psu.edu.