"Start the Fight": No. 18 Penn State faces physical duo of teams in Upstate New York

After taking care of LIU in a gritty and physical 3-2 win, No. 18 Penn State finds itself in another physical test this weekend against Clarkson and St. Lawrence.’

The season-opening jitters were quite visible against the Sharks, as the Nittany Lions found themselves out-shot and out-hit in the opening frame.

“I did not like the fact that we didn’t come out very strong,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “I think we got caught in the headlights a little bit.”

Gadowsky and his squad will look to have a much stronger performance, taking on a Clarkson team showcasing a similar attribute of physicality as LIU.

Alongside the physicality element of the Golden Knights is the element of momentum, coming off a massive split series against then-ranked No. 20 Notre Dame.

“We saw what [Clarkson] did with Notre Dame, they’re skilled and physical,” forward Danny Dzhaniyev said. “So you’ve got to look out for not really giving into their system of hockey.”

The duo of Cody Monds and Austin Roden lead the charge for the green and gold through the first weekend of collegiate play.

Monds took the reins on the offensive front, with two goals in Clarkson’s 3-1 upset win in Game 1 against the Fighting Irish.

Between the pipes, Roden was sensational, with 27 saves in the first contest and 48 saves across the weekend.

For the blue and white, the mantra for this weekend is simple: start the fight.

“You have to be ready to start the fight, especially this weekend, playing two big heavy teams that will be physical,” Vermont transfer Jacques Bouquot said. “It’s another really good challenge for this group and I think we’re going to be more ready for it because of [LIU].”

After a sluggish start out of the gates on Long Island, the Nittany Lions are looking to change the tide against the Golden Knights and the Skating Saints.

“We’re looking for a much more competitive mentality right at the start of the game,” Gadowsky said. “We’re looking to, as a mentality, be ready to go right from the start.”

“Getting a fast start is definitely huge,” Dartmouth transfer Tanner Palocsik said. “If you can put a team on their heels right from the start, it’s going to be a long night.”

Coming from the ECAC, Palocsik has familiarity with playing both Clarkson and St. Lawrence, and he recognizes the challenges they bring.

“I think they’re going to do the exact same thing [as LIU], especially St. Lawrence,” Palocsik said.”So they’re going to play a hard game, so it’s definitely going to be important to be ready to go right from the start.”

The physicality forefront of St. Lawrence is headlined by Tomáš Mazura, a 6-foot-4 forward who notched three points in the season-opening victory over RIT.

Not giving into a different style of hockey seems to be the message going into the weekend, a message that Gadowsky looks to implement as the season progresses for the blue and white.

“You have to be physical on pucks, that’s what it’s about for us,” Gadowsky said. “It’s not about how many guys we put in the third row, it’s how many pucks we win.”

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