They're not kidding around: How "The Kid Line" is headlining a hungry Penn State squad

Coming into the 2023-2024 men’s hockey season, an air of skepticism shrouded the Penn State Nittany Lions.

After an overtime loss in the NCAA Tournament Regional Final, the blue and white lost 54.3% of its goal-scoring and 44.6% of its points total heading into the new season.

The questions surrounding the Nittany Lions’ offensive capabilities were soon answered thanks to a trio of freshmen: Aiden Fink, Reese Laubach and Matt DiMarsico.

A considerable amount of wonderment and hype surrounded that group, with both Fink and Laubach being NHL prospects and DiMarsico finishing in the top 20 in goals for the USHL last season.

Each of the three players started to find their groove through the first month of collegiate play, but the youngsters blossomed once Big Ten play came around on Nov. 4 against Notre Dame.

Due to the abundance of injuries plaguing the Nittany Lions, Fink, Laubach and DiMarsico were put on a line together and found the back of the net in Game 2 against the Fighting Irish, never looking back since.

“I think it’s just kind of all who we are,” Laubach said. “I think we knew we had a role we had to fill so we came in and it’s been fun.”

That fun translated further onto the ice as the trio skated together again two weeks later in Ann Arbor, with Fink recording his first career hat trick and the group finishing the weekend with 15 points combined.

“Off the ice, we created a bond that I think translated onto the ice which is really good,” Fink said. “That’s what helped the chemistry coming into that Notre Dame series where we were put together and we just kept going.”

They continued to build on that mark with a 13-point performance over the following weekend against the Lindenwood Lions, and have found themselves combining for 35 points over the past 10 contests.

Since joining forces, the forwards have been nicknamed “The Kid Line”, but have been playing a style of hockey that proves they are anything but kids.

“From a team standpoint, it doesn’t matter if they’re freshmen or seniors,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “They certainly have added a very needed spark to our overall, not only our offense but our overall mentality.”

That mentality allowed the blue and white to win a game in Yost Arena at Michigan for the first time since 2019 and split a top 10 Minnesota Golden Gophers team at Pegula Ice Arena.

Once the team secured the massive win over the maize and blue, Fink, Laubach and DiMarisco had transformed from just three freshmen starting their college hockey careers to one of the most productive lines in the nation.

“I think just being freshmen helps us create an identity,” DiMarsico said. “We’re not going to be pushed around by anyone, even though we are young. I think it just helps us create toughness against other teams’ top lines and just kind of play the same way against everybody.”

The inexperienced group of forwards has already seen their fair share of elite college hockey players, including playing against a Golden Gophers squad littered with 13 NHL Draft picks.

For “The Kid Line”, everything comes easy, including the chemistry and synergy the trio has when out on the ice.

“I think we all have different skill sets, but we all kind of combined them and you can just see the way we play out there,” DiMarsico said. “We just know where each other is gonna be.”

“We just go and play freely,” Laubach said. “It’s kind of what we’ve been doing and obviously it’s working out but it’s a ton of fun.”

That free flow of hockey led to Fink earning HCA Rookie of the Month honors after tying the national lead with eight goals and 14 points, becoming just the second-ever Nittany Lion to earn the award.

The seventh-round draft pick of the Nashville Predators also finds himself tied for third in the nation in rookie scoring, while DiMarisco and Laubach put up 13 and six points respectively in November.

“They’re just so much fun to watch and the energy is really infectious,” Gadowsky said. “They look like they’re little kids on Christmas morning playing knee hockey.”

While the first two months of the season have been a heightened level of fun for the young guns, the trio knows the job is far from over to get the blue and white to the top of the college hockey world.”

“All three of us love coming to the rink every day and pushing each other,” DiMarsico said. “I don’t think there’s any better place to play hockey than Penn State and we embrace that.”

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