Skating with the Pack: How Dylan Lugris and Penn State have turned the Coyotes into a Community

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Since stepping onto campus halfway through the 2021-22 hockey season, Dylan Lugris has found a way to make an immediate impact on the ice.

In 51 games with Penn State, he has 17 points off of 11 goals and six assists, with most of those goals coming in critical moments down the stretch. This season, the third-year forward has racked up career-highs across the board, with seven goals and 10 points in 26 games.

While his on-ice talents are one thing, it’s his off-ice outreach that has inspired so many not just in Hockey Valley, but in the entire State College community.

In hockey, your locker room and fellow teammates are considered your family. Yet for the Buffalo, N.Y., native, he found himself a second family with Happy Valley’s local sled hockey team: the State College Coyotes.

Lugris first became acquainted with the Coyotes after going to the HUB-Robeson

Center on campus and participating in LifeLink, a program that allows kids with disabilities to enjoy games and activities with college kids their age.

After a few trips with LifeLink, Lugris started going to practices every Sunday with the team, and soon, he wasn’t the only Nittany Lion showing up.

“Dylan came his freshman year and got really interested in it,” seven-year team captain Sara Becker told CommRadio. “Then sophomore year he started to bring the rest of the team along.”

While the practices were a great bonding experience, Lugris noticed that the team never played any games against other teams.

Hockey itself is a rather expensive sport, but with sled hockey, sleds and extra equipment have to be factored in, making travel for the Coyotes nothing but a pipe dream.

That is until Lugris stepped into action.

“I said ‘Why don’t we play [at Pegula Ice Arena] and we’ll raise some money,” Lugris said. “And that’s what we ended up doing.”

And thus, the Penn State Sled Hockey Classic was born.

Lugris relayed his idea to the rest of the Penn State squad and was met with profuse support.

“They were all for it,” Lugris said. “The fact that everybody bought in and were excited to be there and excited to give back, it made the experience so awesome for the Coyotes, the fans, and us.”

The team began building up the Sled Hockey Classic from scratch, from the planning to the organization to the execution of the event, alongside promoting the GoFundMe for the team.

With the release of new jerseys before the annual “Wear White” game last season, Lugris and the team auctioned off their game-worn threads, with all proceeds going to the State College Coyotes.

By the time the auction ended, the team had raised over $20,000 and the effect was felt instantaneously.

“It’s honestly been program-changing for us,” Becker said. “We were not competitive at all the first few years and then COVID was really hard on the team… I don’t even have words for the difference [the fundraiser] has made for us.”

With the added funds, not only were the Coyotes able to travel to compete in games and tournaments, but they were also able to grow community support and in turn, the team itself.

“Last year, I think they had eight or nine players and now this year the roster is up to 21 or 22,” Lugris said. “So it’s really special seeing the community react the way they have, supporting the Coyotes, it’s been awesome.”

After the success of the initial Sled Hockey Classic, Lugris and the team continued to go to each practice and build a stronger bond with the Coyotes’ players and give them a feel of the Happy Valley hospitality.

“It’s not always easy to be the person in the wheelchair that stands out,” Becker said. “But having Lugris and the players come out and treat everybody like a normal hockey player and bring a hockey culture we’ve never really had before, I think our players really appreciate it.”

One player in particular, Russ, has become so fond of Lugris and the Penn State hockey team, that in the latest jersey reveal for this year’s “Wear White” game, Russ made a star appearance in the video.

“When Russ first came to us he was very quiet and shy, wasn’t really sure about us,” Coyotes head coach D.J. Wilson said. “But having that one-on-one opportunity with Dylan, we probably got about 1,000 thank you’s.”

“He’s been there since the beginning and he’s a big Penn State fan,” Lugris said. “ So being able to bring him out there and put him in the duds and show him up was fun.”

With his continuous efforts surrounding the State College Coyotes, Lugris is up for the Hockey Humanitarian Award, awarded to a college hockey player who has given back to their community in a true humanitarian spirit.

For Lugris, it’s never been about the award, it’s always been about helping his community.

“That’s what makes him great. He’s not here to talk about himself or do it for any selfish reasons,” Wilson said. “He truly cares about each one of our athletes and giving them the opportunity to be competitive and travel to play against other teams at their level.”

“What’s so unique about Dylan is I think it’s really easy for a player to find a cause they are invested in and take some ownership,” Becker said. “But I’ve never seen an athlete who’s been able to bring most of his team with him along the journey.”

With the second annual Penn State Sled Hockey Classic scheduled for Saturday, Feb. 3 at 9:45 a.m., it’s safe to say Lugris and the rest of the team will not just be playing for the win, but playing for the Coyotes and the cause they’ve worked so hard to support.

“We’ve put our best foot forward in making it even better this year,” Lugris said. “That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

For the Coyotes, this event is about more than hockey, it’s about family.

“The hockey community is something else,” Wilson said. “What we’re experiencing and what the players are experiencing, they know they have something special going on and they’re all more than happy to be a part of it.”

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