Penn State men's hockey continues non-conference slate against Alaska Anchorage

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa – No. 15 Penn State will continue non-conference play when it hosts Alaska Anchorage at home on Oct. 26 and Oct. 27.

Penn State is coming off of a series split against AIC, winning the first game 3-2 and losing the second 6-4. The second game is Penn State’s first non-conference loss since Oct. 8, 2021, against Canisius.

“If you win on Friday, you can pretty much guarantee the other team can be a little rowdy; they’re going to be better,” Guy Gadowsky said.

Last year, the Nittany Lions split seven series with opponents.

Ryan Kirwan, who was named the Big Ten Third Star of the Week, had a goal in the first game and an assist in the second.

Kirwan and his linemates, Danny Dzhaniyev and Aiden Fink, have been “buzzing” according to Gadowsky. In the second game, the entire line contributed to Dzhaniyev’s second-period goal.

Fink also has a three-game point streak and has assisted in four of his first five games as a Nittany Lion.

Looking forward, Penn State holds the upper hand on Alaska Anchorage, going 3-0-2 all-time in the series.

Seawolves Maximilion Hegelson and Ben Almquist are heading into Happy Valley with four-game point streaks, including Hegelson’s team-leading four goals and three assists.

Additionally, goaltender Jared Whale has started five of six games for the Seawolves and has posted a .925 save percentage.

“They have wins against three different conferences already, so yeah, you’ve got to respect that,” Gadowsky said. “You have to win the first one to see if you’ve learned something… but that’s not going to be an easy task against them.”

Speaking of learning something, the Nittany Lions went 46.1% in the faceoff circle on Oct. 21, including Xander Lamppa’s 33.3%.

“It seemed when we needed a big win in the offensive zone, we didn’t get it. When we needed a stop in the defensive zone, we didn’t get it… it’s been a big part of why we win, and we just didn’t have it tonight,” Gadowsky said after the loss to AIC.

Gadowsky noted that the team was going to focus on faceoffs and preventing odd-man rushes before heading into the weekend series.

“It’s just high turnovers and turning over the puck as we get over the offensive blue line, and… from a defensive perspective, we have good gaps in our offensive play; we can break up… their transition easier,” Simon Mack said.

Penn State needs to look to heighten the offensive and keep up defensive dominance.

The d-core set a program record for fewest shots allowed over the weekend, holding AIC to 12 shots last Friday.

“I think we’ve got to come out flying Friday. Give them everything from anywhere… I don’t think many teams can keep up with us playing our full potential,” Reese Laubach said.

Both puck drops are slated for 7 p.m.

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