Penn State men’s hockey seeks revenge in budding rivalry against Ohio State | Penn State

It took nearly four months to do it, but Penn State can finally say it swept a conference opponent.

Guy Gadowsky’s squad headed into the week with two complete victories against Wisconsin last weekend.

Now, with an opportunity to keep their momentum alive, the Nittany Lions have a chance of flipping the script against the first team to sweep them this year — Ohio State.

While the quality of Penn State’s play has certainly improved in the month of January, the team’s first tilt with the Buckeyes left plenty to be desired on the ice.

The scarlet and gray had its way with Gadowsky’s team in the first series, defeating the Nittany Lions with ease, taking care of business in 5-2 and 4-1 bludgeonings on Nov. 5 and 6, respectively.

Though Ohio State saw little resistance through the bulk of its original series with the blue and white, there were times when Penn State had control over its conference rival.

In both of November’s contests, the Nittany Lions held a 1-0 lead after the first period before running out of gas in the ensuing thirds of regulation.

While finishing games has been an issue for the team all season, Penn State has elevated its play in the third period as of late.

The Big Ten may be unpredictable at times, but the aforementioned sweep against the Badgers and a tightly contested series with an uber-talented Michigan team just two weeks ago may allude to a different result with the Buckeyes this time around.

Regardless of the positive change in the blue and white’s groove, Gadowsky isn’t taking the Buckeyes lightly in the upcoming rematch.

“They’re a tough, great team,” Gadowsky said. “It’s something you’ve got to be prepared for. I think a little bit differently of some other teams.”

Gadowsky is no stranger to facing off with the Buckeyes. Since December 2012, the Nittany Lions have played Ohio State a total of 35 times — with the all-time results not swinging in Penn State’s favor.

Against Ohio State, in that frame, Penn State holds a 13-19-3 record, with the Buckeyes getting the better of Gadowsky and company in the last decade.

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Like the relationship the two school’s football teams have with each other, Gadowsky sees the matchup as another budding rivalry in the Big Ten.

“I think we are developing rivalries with a number of teams,” Gadowsky said. “I gotta be honest, I give coach Rohlik and his staff a ton of credit.”

However, Gadowsky isn’t the only one feeling the early emotions ahead of the weekend, as junior forward Connor MacEachern stated his excitement to play at Pegula Ice Arena for another game.

As usual, the crowd will certainly be a factor in a contest with one of Penn State’s biggest conference rivals.

If it’s anything like the Wisconsin series, the upcoming bout with Ohio State is something MacEachern and his teammates are looking forward to.

“The whiteout was unbelievable, I’ve never heard the place louder in the three years I’ve been here,” MacEachern said. “There’s no comparison.”

Though MacEachern has enjoyed the packed arena and the recent success that’s come with it, his expectations are still humble going into another monumental series on the blue and white’s schedule.

“It’s important for us to know that we’re capable of playing as well as we did [against Wisconsin], and we need to keep doing that moving forward,” MacEachern said.

As positive as the outcome was from Penn State’s most recent performance, the focus, as always for Gadowsky, remains on the information the team can take into its next series.

“Just like if you have a poor weekend, you have to take the lesson and move on,” Gadowsky said. “It’s the same as a good weekend — you have to take the lesson and move on.”

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