Penn State Hockey Timeline

HOCKEY VALLEY TIMELINE

EARLY YEARS

LATE 1800s-EARLY 1900s

Many of Penn State’s 300 students play pickup hockey on flooded outdoor rinks.

1906-09

Students primarily from the Pittsburgh area organize a hockey team with the intent to seek official approval for an intercollegiate varsity team by the University’s Athletic Association, which oversaw all Penn State sports.

DECEMBER 1909

On Christmas night, the first Penn State hockey team, led by captain Herb Baetz, plays its first-ever intercollegiate game against Carnegie Tech at the Duquesne Gardens in Pittsburgh. Less than a week later, Penn State travels to the Duquesne Gardens once more, and falls to Pittsburgh, 2-1.

JANUARY 21, 1910

University’s Athletic Association rejects an official bid to sponsor ice hockey as an official varsity sport. Penn State students fight to elevate the program for the next two decades.

WINTER 1938

Eight members of the Sigma Phi fraternity form an independent hockey team.

FEBRUARY 1938

On Feb. 12, the team plays an exhibition game against Lakemont, an independent amateur team, in Altoona, Pennsylvania, with Al Hook, a physical education professor, serving as team coach. Ten days later, the independent squad suits up for its first intercollegiate game against Pittsburgh at the Duquesne Gardens, losing 4-0.

1938-39 SEASON

Prior to the start of the 1938-39 campaign, Dr. Carl P. Schott, Dean of the School of Physical Education and Athletics, approves appropriations of $100 for the team.

Dr. Arthur F. Davis, who also coached the first four seasons of varsity hockey at Penn State, is named the team’s head coach. In the beginning of the season, the team practices indoors at the Armory building or outside on the pond at Whipple Dam, and plays three games.

1939-40 SEASON

Penn State joins the Pennsylvania Intercollegiate League with the University of Pennsylvania, Hershey Jr. Cubs, Lehigh and Lafayette.

During the season, Rec Hall becomes the team’s indoor practice facility. The team’s “home” rink was more than 100 miles away in Hershey. Penn State plays its first true home contest Jan. 27, when the team was finally able to play on flooded tennis courts. Three hundred bleachers were also put in for the event.

The team competes in 11 games during the season and compiled a 3-8-0 record.

THE FIRST VARSITY ERA

MARCH-MAY 1940

Hockey and skiing are put before the students at the All-College Elections. Two months later, hockey is voted as an official varsity sport as the Athletic Association approved the measure by a 651-35 majority vote.

DECEMBER 6, 1940

Penn State plays its first game as a varsity sport at the Shaffer Ice Palace in Johnstown, Pennsylvania. The Nittany Lions defeat Carnegie Tech, 3-1, with John Dufford scoring the first goal in Penn State varsity history.

After the first season, the University’s Athletic Advisory Board granted hockey full status with full financial support. Up until that time, the team was able to make its own schedule and handle its own finances. The team uses Rec Hall as its practice facility as several attempts for an outdoor rink throughout the years is unsuccessful.

1940-44 SEASONS

Although there is on-ice success, the United States’ involvement in World War II, combined with the lack of availability of ice on campus, has a devastating effect on the viability of Penn State Hockey.

With many teams dropping the sport, Penn State only plays four games during the 194243 season, including just two collegiate contests.

Ravaged by the war, Coach Davis and Penn State prepared for the 1943-44 season with only three members from the previous year’s squad after losing most of its members to military and civilian enrollment.

With the effects of the war being felt throughout the University, the Athletic Association announces that the suspensions of six sports as a war-time economy measure: hockey, cross country, swimming, gymnastics, tennis and golf.

1946-47 SEASON

Following the end of World War II, the team returns for one final season. James O’Hora, a new addition to the football coaching staff, is selected to lead Penn State for the 194647 season. The Nittany Lions are scheduled to play seven games, but four contests are eventually cancelled due to warm weather.

Following the season, the Athletic Association drops hockey once more, citing limited facilities.

It will be 25 years until organized hockey returns to Penn State.

ICERS ALL-TIME RECORD

Year Record Coaches 1971-72 13-6-0 Larry Hendry

1972-73 10-11-0 J. Hodgson, J. MacNeil, F. Lampe 1973-74 8-15-1 Jim Hodgson 1974-75 11-3-1 Morris Kurtz 1975-76 13-3-0 Morris Kurtz 1976-77 14-6-1 Bob Hettema 1977-78 15-8-3 Clayton John 1978-79 15-2-2 Clayton John 1979-80 18-5-0 Mark Horgas 1980-81 24-6-0 Clayton John 1981-82 24-8-0 Jon Shellington 1982-83 16-12-1 Jon Shellington 1983-84 ^ 24-15-1 Jon Shellington 1984-85 20-11-2 Jon Shellington 1985-86 17-16-3 Jon Shellington 1986-87 24-9-1 Jon Shellington 1987-88 23-11-2 Joe Battista 1988-89 18-13-1 Joe Battista 1989-90 * 23-8-3 Joe Battista 1990-91 26-6-3 Joe Battista 1991-92 25-7-1 Joe Battista 1992-93 33-1-0 Joe Battista 1993-94 24-8-1 Joe Battista 1994-95 27-6-1 Joe Battista 1995-96 26-4-1 Joe Battista 1996-97 27-9-0 Joe Battista 1997-98 * 31-5-1 Joe Battista 1998-99 26-4-3 Joe Battista 1999-00 * 26-7-1 Joe Battista 2000-01 * 28-4-2 Joe Battista 2001-02 * 28-4-1 Joe Battista 2002-03 * 30-3-1 Joe Battista 2003-04 24-8-1 Joe Battista 2004-05 27-6-1 Joe Battista 2005-06 27-10-2 Joe Battista 2006-07 31-6-2 Scott Balboni 2007-08 32-4-4 Scott Balboni 2008-09 32-8-1 Scott Balboni 2009-10 32-5-1 Scott Balboni 2010-11 23-11-1 Scott Balboni 2011-12 29-4-1 Guy Gadowsky 41 yrs. 944-298-52 .746 win pct.

* ACHA National Champions ^ National Champions

7

National Championships

29

National Tournament Appearances

944

Victories

HOCKEY VALLEY TIMELINE

ICERS ERA

NOVEMBER 19, 1971

Penn State Hockey returns at the club level as the Icers defeat the Hampden Leafs, 8-6. The team makes its long-awaited comeback after a petition is signed by more than 3,000 members of the community.

1970s

Larry Hendry serves as the team’s first coach and, during the early 1970s, teams are comprised of undergraduates, graduate students and faculty members before more stringent eligibility rules are put into place.

JANUARY 16, 1981

The Icers edge Upsala, 6-5, in their first game at Greenberg Ice Pavilion, which serves as Penn State Hockey’s home for 32 years, including the inaugural NCAA season in 2012-13.

During their return to campus, the Penn State Icers call three different arenas home. From 1971-78, the team competed at the original Ice Pavilion, which opened in 1955, and located near the current location of the Lasch Football Building. Following two and a half seasons (1978-81) of travelling to Mechanicsburg, Penn State returns to campus and the Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

MARCH 10, 1984

Penn State, coached by Jon Shellington, captures its first national championship with a 7-5 victory over Arizona.

The Icers capture seven total titles, including six ACHA titles during (1984, 1990, 1998, 2000-03) during their 41-year history.

OCTOBER 30, 1987

Joe Battista begins his 19-year tenure (19872006) as head coach with a 5-4 victory against Conestoga. Battista records a 512-120-27 mark behind the bench and leads Penn State to its last six club national titles.

1997-98 SEASON

Following runner-up finishes in 1993 and 1995, the Icers capture their third national championship with a win over Ohio to finish 31-5-1.

MARCH 5, 2001

In its fourth straight national title game, Penn State wins its fifth championship overall, and second in a row, with a 7-2 win over Delaware in Tucson, Arizona. Penn State scores 28 goals in four games with a plus-18 goal margin en route to the title.

MARCH 3, 2002

Penn State wins an unprecedented third straight ACHA title with a 4-0 shutout of Illinois in Laurel, Maryland. Penn State wins its final three games of the tournament by a combined 28-4.

MARCH 3, 2003

The Icers cap their fourth straight, and final of seven national titles, with a dominating 30-3-1 final record. For a second-straight tournament, Penn State wins its title game in shutout fashion, this time 5-0 over long-time rival Ohio on the Bobcats’ home ice.

MARCH 3, 2007

Penn State reaches its 10th consecutive ACHA championship game with a 5-2 win over Delaware in Youngstown, Ohio. The Icers fall to Oakland the next day in the program’s final national title game appearance.

During their history, two Icers—Alon Eizenman (2000) and Neal Price (2002)—are named ACHA Player of the Year, while Penn State boasts 23 ACHA First Team All-Americans and, since 1995, 62 ACHA Academic All-Americans.

Eizenman is also one of three people with Penn State ties inducted into the ACHA Hall of Fame, along with builders Josh Brandwene, a former Icers defenseman and the first head coach of Penn State’s women’s ice hockey team, and Battista.

HOCKEY VALLEY TIMELINE

NCAA DIVISION I ERA

SEPTEMBER 17, 2010

The Penn State Board of Trustees announce the largest private gift in University history—an $88 million donation from Terrence M. and Kim Pegula to fund a state-of-the-art arena and establish an NCAA men’s hockey program. By April 2012, the Pegulas contribute another $14 million for a sum total of $102 million. The team is set to compete for the 201213 season as an independent and move to Pegula Ice Arena for the 2013-14 season.

MARCH 21, 2011

The Big Ten Conference announces its intention to sponsor men’s hockey beginning in the 2013-14 season. The Big Ten will comprise of Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, Penn State and Wisconsin.

APRIL 24, 2011

Longtime collegiate coach Guy Gadowsky is named the first head coach in program history. Gadowsky joins Penn State after successful stints at Princeton and Alaska.

The bench boss hires his two Princeton assistants—Keith Fisher and Matt Lindsay—to serve the same roles while selecting former Penn State Icer Bill Downey as director of operations. The staff oversees the Icers’ final season in 2011-12.

SEPTEMBER 5, 2011

Coach Gadowsky announces the first four members of the Division I era: Taylor Holstrom, Nate Jensen, Bryce Johnson and Justin Kirchhevel.

Holstrom goes on to end his PSU career first in varsity assists (43), second in points (67) and third in goals (24). Jensen finishes tied for first in defenseman goals (7) and second in points (29) and assists (22).

FEBRUARY 2012

Ground breaks for Pegula Ice Arena—the $90 million, multi-purpose arena that serves as the home to Penn State Hockey.

OCTOBER 12, 2012

Penn State competes at the NCAA level for the first time and drops a 3-2 overtime decision to American International at Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

THE GADOWSKY FAMILY

THE FIRST NCAA WIN VS. AIC

Redshirt-sophomore Max Gardiner takes the first faceoff, while freshman Casey Bailey (4:37, 2nd) scores the team’s first goal. Classmate Matthew Skoff makes 26 saves in his debut.

OCTOBER 13, 2012

The Nittany Lions capture their first win with a 4-3 overtime victory against AIC at Mohegan Sun Arena in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.

Freshman David Glen scores the winning goal 38 seconds into the extra frame, while sophomore PJ Musico turns aside 32 shots for the win.

FEBRUARY 25, 2013

Forward Taylor Holstrom scores with 34 seconds left in overtime to lift Penn State to a 4-3 overtime win over Wisconsin in the team’s season finale. The win is the team’s first against a ranked opponent.

JUNE 30, 2013

Incoming freshmen Eamon McAdam and Mike Williamson become the first Nittany Lions to be chosen in the NHL Draft. McAdam is selected by the New York Islanders in the third round (70th overall), while Williamson is the Vancouver Canucks’ sixth-round choice (175th overall).

OCTOBER 11, 2013

Penn State opens the brand-new Pegula Ice Arena with a 4-1 victory against Army in front of a sellout crowd of 6,370.

Defenseman Nate Jensen scores the first goal in the facility at 3:02 of the first period, while Matthew Skoff earns the victory with 25 saves.

DECEMBER 6, 2013

The Nittany Lions play their first Big Ten Conference game, falling to Wisconsin by a 7-1 score in Madison.

JANUARY 12-13, 2014

Penn State welcomes No. 1 Minnesota for its first Big Ten home series at Pegula Ice Arena.

FEBRUARY 8, 2014

Goaltender Matthew Skoff earns his third career shutout as Penn State shuts out No. 10 Michigan, 4-0, at Pegula Ice Arena for the team’s first conference victory. The win is also the first over a top-10 program.

FEBRUARY 21, 2014

After forward Casey Bailey ties the game with five seconds left, freshman David Goodwin’s overtime marker lifts Penn State to a 5-4 victory against No. 10 Michigan for the team’s first Big Ten road win.

HOCKEY VALLEY TIMELINE

FIRST GAME AT PEGULA ICE ARENA PENN STATE VS. ARMY OCTOBER 11, 2013

MARCH 20, 2014

The Nittany Lions win the first Big Ten tournament game in league history with a 2-1 double-overtime thriller against Michigan at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minnesota. Freshman Zach Saar tallies the game-winner from the left faceoff dot at 12:47 of the frame. Matthew Skoff makes a program record 52 saves in a career-high 92:47 of action.

JUNE 6, 2014

Redshirt-senior Patrick Koudys is named the second captain of the Nittany Lions’ Division I era.

SEPTEMBER 11, 2014

Three minutes: the time it takes for nearly 1,000 Penn State students to purchase their season ticket allotment during an online sale.

OCTOBER 11-12, 2014

Penn State’s Tommy Olczyk tallies a penalty shot to open the season’s scoring during a 2-2 tie with Connecticut. The next day, the Nittany Lions dismantle the Huskies, 7-1, in the largest margin of victory during Guy Gadowsky’s tenure. PSU matches it the next week with a 7-1 win over Holy Cross.

NOVEMBER 15, 2014

Penn State grabs its biggest win in relation to national ranking by dominating No. 4 UMass Lowell, 4-1, on the road. The Lions take a 4-0 lead after just 21 minutes behind Casey Bailey’s two goals and Taylor Holstrom’s three assists. Eamon McAdam picks up his first collegiate win in the upset. Guy Gadowsky picks up career win No. 200.

DECEMBER 6, 2014

Penn State goes on the road to earn its first Big Ten sweep, taking care of six-time national champion Wisconsin, 5-2 and 4-2, inside the Kohl Center. Penn State enters the winter break in first place with a 3-1-0-0 record.

DECEMBER 15, 2015

For the first time in program history, Penn State receives a national ranking as the USCHO.com slates PSU 20th. The Lions would earn a No. 19 ranking on Feb. 9.

JANUARY 9, 2015

Casey Bailey tallies the second hat trick in the program’s Division I era, and the first in one period, leading a four-goal comeback against Ohio State at Pegula Ice Arena. The Buckeyes went on to win in the final minute of overtime.

JANUARY 23-24, 2015

For two special nights, the Nittany Lions staged a pair of three-goal comebacks to earn a 1-0-1 series win over Northern Michigan. On Friday, Penn State overcame 3-0 and 4-1 deficits for a 5-4. The next night, while wearing special THON jerseys, PSU again overcame a three-goal deficit for a 5-5 tie.

JANUARY 31, 2015

Penn State’s winning ways continued as senior netminder PJ Musico backstopped a 4-2 comeback win over No. 14 Vermont at Wells Fargo Center. Hometown hero David Thompson’s first collegiate goal was the third and decisive goal as PSU overcame Vermont’s 2-0 lead to earn Big Ten Third Star of the Week.

FEBRUARY 6, 2015

PJ Musico improves to 4-0-1 in his last five outings as the Lions again sweep Wisconsin, the first time Penn State wins four straight contests over an opponent. At the time, Penn State leads the Big Ten with 22 points over Michigan (21).

FEBRUARY 21, 2015

Playing in front of a sold-out Pegula Ice Arena crowd, the Nittany Lions jump out to a 3-1 lead on No. 15 Minnesota, looking for the first win over the Gophers. Minnesota stages a comeback, forcing overtime with a shocking goal just 40 seconds shy of defeat. Nevertheless, the emotionally charged Nittany Lions win on Luke Juha’s seeing-eye shot from the point for the history 4-3 win.

Later that night, the Nittany Lions take the stage across the street inside the Bryce Jordan Center at THON 2015. The men’s hockey team earns another win, taking the Pep Rally Dance competition that results in a viral video.

MARCH 7, 2015

Penn State looked to close Pegula Ice Arena in style for the 2014-15 campaign and to send off its seniors in fine fashion. It takes a total team effort as the Nittany Lions hold off Michigan for a 4-3 win and earn a sweep of the Wolverines for the first time. Penn State finishes the season 13-2-3 in Hockey Valley, the second best mark in college hockey for the season.

MARCH 16, 2015

The Big Ten coaches and media select Penn State leader Guy Gadowsky as Big Ten Coach of the Year. Gadowsky guides the Nittany Lions to a 10-win improvement overall and in the conference title hunt until the final weekend of the season.

MARCH 21, 2015

Casey Bailey, the Big Ten’s leading scorer and Penn State’s first All-Big Ten selection, becomes Penn State’s first NHL signee. Bailey joins the Toronto Maple Leafs on a two-year entry-level contract and plays his first game five days later vs. Florida recording a plus-one rating.

APRIL 10, 2015

Senior goaltender PJ Musico is named the Derek Hines Unsung Hero, Penn State’s first major individual award. Musico becomes the first goaltender to win the award in its nine-year history. The award is given in honor of Derek Hines, a former hockey player at Army, who was killed in action Sept. 1, 2005 in Afghanistan. Musico’s connection to the award went further than just his on-ice talents as he played youth hockey with Hines’s younger brother, Trevor.

APRIL 11, 2015

In the Maple Leafs’ regular-season finale, Casey Bailey makes his sixth appearance of the season. In the first period, Bailey scores his first career goal, redirecting Dion Phaneuf’s shot from the point past NHL Hart and Vezina Trophy winner Carey Price.

AUGUST 20, 2015

Senior forward David Glen is named the third captain of the Nittany Lion program. Glen’s alternate captain is senior Luke Juha.

SEPTEMBER 3, 2015

Five minutes: The amount of time it took for nearly 1,000, 16-game student season ticket packages to sell out for the 2015-16 season.

OCTOBER 10, 2015

Senior forward Curtis Loik nets the first goal of the season just 1:33 into the first period, the fastest goal to start a season in program history. Senior captain David Glen also notches a pair of goals as PSU defeats Canisius 6-1 in the season opener.

OCTOBER 23, 2015

The first senior class to graduate through the program exacts revenge on AIC, the team that defeated them in its first-ever Division I contest four years prior. Freshman Andrew Sturtz tallies the first two goals of his career including the Top Play of the Week on NCAA.org with a Bobby Orr-esque goal at 12:55 of the second period en route to an 8-3 victory. The following night Sturtz tallies the game-winning goal to complete the sweep.

NOV. 13, 2015 - DEC. 11, 2015

The Nittany Lions embark on their longest unbeaten streak in the history of the program going 7-0-2 to close out the first semester of play including a sweep of Michigan State to open Big Ten action.

DECEMBER 14, 2015

Penn State ranked in both national polls for first time ever, opening the USA Today poll at 15th while improving to 14th in the uscho.com poll, the highest ranking they have ever reached.

JANUARY 30, 2016

Penn State travels to NYC to participate in Big Ten Super Saturday Hoops & Hockey at Madison Square Garden against Michigan. Despite a fast start, the No. 15 Nittany Lions eventually fall to No. 6 Michigan 6-3.

FEBRUARY 6, 2016

Junior Zach Saar secured the game-winning goal as Penn State upended Minnesota, 5-3, for its first ever victory at Mariucci Arena.

MARCH 17, 2016

Senior Eric Scheid scored two goals and classmate Luke Juha added a career-high three helpers as Penn State defeated Wisconsin 5-2 in the opening round of the Big Ten Tournament at the Xcel Energy Center.

MARCH 23, 2016

Junior goalie Eamon McAdam becomes the second Nittany Lion to sign an NHL deal as he signed a three-year entry-level contract with the NY Islanders.

APRIL 8, 2016

Senior David Glen was named the 2016 Senior CLASS Award recipient for men’s ice hockey. The award is presented annually to the most outstanding senior student-athlete in Division I men’s hockey.

JUNE 29, 2016

It is announced that Pegula Ice Arena will host its first NHL contest as Terry Pegula is bringing his Buffalo Sabres to Hockey Valley to faceoff with the Minnesota Wild in a preseason contest on September 26, 2016.

SEPTEMBER 26, 2016

Penn State hosts its first-ever NHL Preseason game at Pegula Ice Arena as the Minnesota Wild defeat the Buffalo Sabres, 2-1.

OCTOBER 22, 2016

Sophomore Andrew Sturtz scored the overtime game-winning goal to help lift unranked Penn State past No. 3 Notre Dame, 3-2, marking the highest-ranked team the Nittany Lions have ever defeated.

NOVEMBER 18, 2016

Freshman Denis Smirnov became just the fourth Nittany Lion in program history to register a hat trick during a 7-4 victory over Arizona State.

HOCKEY VALLEY TIMELINE

CASEY BAILEY

OCTOBER 14, 2016 - DECEMBER 2, 2016

Penn State closes out the first semester of play on a 13-game unbeaten streak (12-0-1) including a 10-game winning streak. Both are program records.

JANUARY 16, 2017

Penn State moves to No. 1 in the uscho.com poll for the first time in program history following a weekend sweep of Michigan State at home. The Nittany Lions stood at 16-2-1 overall and secured a program-best 12 game home winning-streak.

FEBRUARY 10, 2017

Senior David Goodwin scored twice, including the game-winning goal to help lift Penn State past Wisconsin, 6-3, to secure head coach Guy Gadowsky’s 250th career victory.

MARCH 4, 2017

Freshman Denis Smirnov broke Casey Bailey’s single-season point record with an assist on a David Goodwin goal during a 6-0 victory over Wisconsin on Senior Night. Smirnov finsihed the season with 47 points to lead all freshmen in the country. His 47 points and 28 assists are both Penn State single-season records.

MARCH 17, 2017

Junior Erik Autio scored the game-winning goal in double-overtime lifting Penn State past top-seeded Minnesota, 4-3, in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals. This game became longest in program history and Big Ten history (93:33).

MARCH 18, 2017

Freshman Liam Folkes scored both goals, including the double-overtime game-winner to lead Penn State past Wisconsin, 2-1, to capture the program’s first-ever Big Ten Tournament Championship. Freshman goaltender Peyton Jones stopped a career-high 53 shots in the victory and was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player.

MARCH 19, 2017

Penn State was selected to its first-ever NCAA Tournament as the No. 3 seed (No. 9 overall) in the Midwest Regional in Cincinnati, Ohio.

MARCH 25, 2017

Eight different players scored as Penn State secured its first-ever NCAA Tournament victory with a 10-3 win over No. 7 Union. The 10 goals scored tied an NCAA record for a team making its tournament debut and was the most goals scored in a single tournament game in 27 seasons (Lake Superior State 10, vs. Alaska-Anchorage 3 (March 17, 1990)).

APRIL 10, 2017

Penn State earned its highest final uscho.com national ranking in program history. The Nittany Lions came in at No. 8 in the final uscho. com poll after falling one win shy of the Frozen Four.

SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

Two minutes and 12 seconds: The amount of time it took the Penn State student section to sell out, the fastest such sellout in program history.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2017

Penn State hosts the Stanley Cup Champion Pittsburgh Penguins in its second NHL preseason game against the Buffalo Sabres, Jack Eichel scored the game-winning goal in overtime as Buffalo defeated Pittsburgh, 3-2.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2017

Penn State begins the season ranked No. 10 in the uscho.com preseason poll, marking the first time in program history the Nittany Lions have begun the year ranked inside the top-20.

NOVEMBER 4, 2017

Junior Andrew Sturtz registered single-game program records of four assists and five points while also becoming the program’s all-time leading goal scorer, passing the previous mark of 45 set by Casey Bailey.

Senior captain James Robinson also registered the program’s fifth hat-trick with the only multi-goal game of his career as the Nittany Lions defeated Mercyhurst, 7-5.

JANUARY 5, 2018

Sophomore Nate Sucese records the second hat-trick of the season and the sixth in program history as Penn State defeats Wisconsin, 5-1.

FEBRUARY 17, 2018

Junior Andrew Sturtz becomes just the second player in program history to reach 100 career points as Penn State defeats Michigan State, 3-2, on the road.

FEBRUARY 23, 2018

Penn State defeats Minnesota, 5-1, at home securing the 100th win for the program and for Guy Gadowsky as head coach of the Nittany Lions.

FEBRUARY 24, 2018

Freshman Alex Limoges scored twice while adding an assist to lift Penn State to its first ever sweep of Minnesota with a 5-2 victory on senior night. The win solidified a fourth-place finish in the Big Ten and gave the Nittany Lions their first-ever season series victory over the Gophers.

Penn State also secured the home-ice advantage in the Big Ten Tournament Quarterfinals best-of-three series as the conference tournament was played at campus sites for the first time in history.

MARCH 3, 2018

Penn State finishes off the sweep of Minnesota in the Big Ten Quarterfinals as freshman Evan Barratt scores the game-winning goal late in the third period for the 6-5 victory. With the victory Penn State advanced to the Big Ten semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons. The Nittany Lions also secured five wins on the season against Minnesota after having just four victories against the Gophers entering the season.

MARCH 3, 2018

Senior Trevor Hamilton is named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year earning the first-ever major conference award for a Penn State student-athlete. Hamilton also becomes the third Nittany Lion to earn a first-team All-Conference nod.

MARCH 18, 2018

Penn State earned its second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth as it was selected as the No. 4 seed in the Midwest Regional in Allentown, Pa. The Nittany Lions also served as the host school for the first-time ever.

NOVEMBER 17, 2018

Sophomore Evan Barratt registered the seventh hat-trick in program history while classmate Sam Sternschein scored the fastest goal to start a period in Penn State history. His overtime game-winner occurred six seconds into the extra session to defeat Michigan 7-6 at Pegula Ice Arena.

DECEMBER 1, 2018

Sophomore Alex Limoges tied a single-game program record with a career-high four assists including three-straight primary helpers in the second period in an 8-5 loss at Wisconsin.

DECEMBER 8, 2018

Senior captain Chase Berger registered four points to become just the third member of the 100-point club. This milestone came as Penn State routed No. 5 Notre Dame, 9-1, marking its largest margin of victory vs. a top-5 opponent.

ERIK AUTIO SCORES THE GAME-WINNING GOAL IN DOUBLE OVERTIME SENDING PENN STATE TO THE B1G CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY AFTER DEFEATING MINNESOTA 4-3.

LIAM FOLKES AND DAVID THOMPSON CELEBRATE THE GAME-WINNING GOAL IN THE BIG TEN CHAMPIONSHIP.

HOCKEY VALLEY TIMELINE

JANUARY 5, 2019

Freshman Aarne Talvitie became just the sixth NCAA player to captain the World Junior Championship gold medal-winning team as Finland defeated Team USA, 3-2. Sophomore Evan Barratt earned a silver medal with the Americans as the duo became the first two Penn Staters to compete in the WJC.

JANUARY 26, 2019

Penn State defeated Michigan, 5-2, during the fourth installment of the B1G Saturday Hoops and Hockey doubleheader at Madison Square Garden. The win marked the program’s first-ever victory at the “World’s Most Famous Arena” in its third game at the venue.

FEBRUARY 8-9, 2019

Penn State outscored Minnesota 13-4 during a weekend sweep, marking the third-straight series the Nittany Lions have swept the Gophers inside Pegula Ice Arena. PSU had just two victories in the inital eight meetings between the two teams in Hockey Valley.

MARCH 9, 2019

Junior Nate Sucese notched his 100th career point becoming the fourth player in program history to reach that milestone during a 6-2 victory over Wisconsin in game 2 of the Big Ten Quarterfinals.

MARCH 10, 2019

Junior Liam Folkes dominated the entire series with nine points over the three games, including scoring the first and last goal of game 3, to lead Penn State to a 4-3 overtime win against Wisconsin in the Big Ten quarterfinals.

MARCH 17, 2019

Sophomore Alex Limoges scored his 23rd goal of the season to set the Penn State single-season record for goals while also becoming the first Nittany Lion in program history to reach 50 points in a season. His 50 points tied for the national lead as Limoges became the first Penn State player to achieve that honor, and his 23 goals were good for second in the nation at year’s end.

OCTOBER 11, 2019

Junior Cole Hults became the eighth Nittany Lion in program history to record a hat trick and the first-ever defenseman to accomplish that feat during an 8-2 opening-night victory over Sacred Heart.

OCTOBER 12, 2019

Senior Brandon Biro scored twice while freshman Mason Snell potted the game-winner as Penn State defeated Sacred Heart 5-4, securing career win No. 300 for head coach Guy Gadowsky.

OCTOBER 17, 2019

Senior Peyton Jones became Penn State’s all-time leader in career shutouts after stopping 29 shots in a 7-0 win against Alaska. Following a three-point evening, senior Denis Smirnov became the fifth Nittany Lion to hit 100 career points.

OCTOBER 25, 2019

Senior Brandon Biro became the sixth Nittany Lion in program history to reach 100 career points with his game-winning goal against Robert Morris.

NOVEMBER 16, 2019

Senior Nate Sucese scored twice passing Andrew Sturtz for first on the Penn State alltime goal scoring list with his 55th and 56th career goals.

NOVEMBER 29, 2019

Senior Liam Folkes scored the first three goals of the game in a 7-0 victory at Merrimack. The hat trick was the ninth in program history, first-ever on the road, and set career long goal and point streaks for Folkes of five and six games, respectively.

NOVEMBER 30, 2019

Junior Cole Hults became Penn State’s alltime leader for points by a defenseman with a third period assist on Nate Sucese’s game-tying goal.

JANUARY 11, 2020

Senior Nate Sucese registered three assists to pass David Goodwin ’17 for the top spot on the Penn State all-time points list in a 6-2 victory vs. Robert Morris at PPG Paints Arena.

JANUARY 18, 2020

Following consecutive shutouts in his two previous starts, sophomore Oskar Autio went the first 26:34 without allowing a goal against Michigan to set a new Penn State record for consecutive shutout streak of 167:09.

FEBRUARY 1, 2020

The Nittany Lions donned all white “Hockey Valley White Rush” uniforms honoring the tradition of Penn State football in front of a record-setting crowd of 6,475 against Notre Dame. The jerseys were then auctioned off raising over $20,000 for Hockey Coaches Care and THON.

LIAM FOLKES AND EVAN BELL CELEBRATE FOLKES’ OVERTIME GAME-WINNING GOAL AGAINST WISCONSIN IN GAME 3 OF THE 2019 B1G QUARTERFINALS AT PEGULA.

HOCKEY VALLEY TIMELINE

EVAN BARRATT LEAPS INTO ALEX LIMOGES’ ARMS TO CELEBRATE LIMOGES’ RECORD-BREAKING 23RD GOAL OF THE SEASON DURING THE BIG TEN SEMIFINALS AT OHIO STATE

FEBRUARY 14, 2020

Junior Alex Limoges set up senior Liam Folkes for a first-period goal giving each player 100 career points as they became the seventh and eighth Nittany Lions to reach that milestone.

LIAM FOLKES AND ALEX LIMOGES EACH REGISTERED CAREER POINT NO. 100 ON THE SAME PLAY AND THE PUCK WAS CUT IN HALF FOR BOTH TO SHARE. WELCOME TO HOCKEY VALLEY

FEBRUARY 21-22, 2020

Penn State took 5-of-6 points from Minnesota to stand four points clear of the Gophers in first place with just one weekend remaining in the regular season. Senior Nikita Pavlychev and freshman Kevin Wall scored just 31 seconds apart to take the lead midway through the third period during a thrilling come-from-behind victory in game two of the series.

KEVIN WALL CELEBRATES HIS EVENTUAL GAME-WINNING GOAL AGAINST MINNESOTA, WHICH LED TO A BIG TEN REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP.

PENN STATE POSES WITH THE B1G REGULAR-SEASON CHAMPIONSHIP TROPHY PRIOR TO A PRACTICE.

FEBRUARY 28, 2020

Penn State secured the No. 1 seed, home-ice advantage in the 2020 Big Ten Tournament and at least a share of the regular-season championship following Minnesota’s shootout loss to Michigan.

FEBRUARY 29, 2020

Penn State became outright Big Ten regular-season champions for the first time in program history as Michigan defeated Minnesota 2-1.

MARCH 23, 2020

The Nittany Lions tie their highest postseason finish coming in at No. 8 in the final USCHO. com poll of the season. Penn State spent all 24 weeks of the 2019-20 season ranked in the top 20 including 19 weeks inside the top 10. The Nittany Lions have now been ranked in 63 consecutive USCHO.com polls.

APRIL 12, 2020

Senior Nate Sucese and junior Cole Hults became Penn State’s first-ever All-Americans after being named to the CCM/AHCA Second Team West.

MAY 11, 2020

Junior Cole Hults became Penn State’s first-ever Big Ten Player of the Year and earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year accolades joining senior Nate Sucese on the All-Big Ten first-team. Junior Evan Barratt was named to the second team while senior Peyton Jones and junior Alex Limoges earned honorable-mention plaudits.

OCTOBER 6, 2020

The Big Ten announces the return of hockey beginning November 13 with a 24-game, conference-only schedule and as part of a scheduling agreement with independent Arizona State, each Big Ten team will host the Sundevils four times for a total of 28 games.

NOVEMBER 19, 2020

Penn State returns to the ice for the first time in 270 days, dropping a 4-1 decision at Minnesota.

DECEMBER 11 & 13, 2020

Sophomore classmates Connor MacEachern and Connor McMenamin scored identical overtime winning goals less than 24 hours apart to sweep Arizona State 3-2 and 5-4.

JANUARY 28, 2021

Senior captain Alex Limoges becomes just the fourth player in Penn State history to reach the 50-goal mark with his overtime winner against Notre Dame capping off a stretch of nine wins over 12 games as the Nittany Lions were one of the hottest teams in the nation.

JANUARY 31, 2021

Penn State entered what turned out to be a 34-day COVID pause due to positive tests among the teams Tier I personnel.

May 6, 2021

Brett Murray (2017-18) makes his NHL debut for the Buffalo Sabres in a game vs. the Pittsburgh Penguins becoming the second Nittany Lion in program history to skate in an NHL contest.

BRETT MURRAY DURING HIS NHL DEBUT VS. PITTSBURGH ON MAY 6, 2021.

MARCH 14, 2020

The NCAA cancels winter championships and the entirety of the 2020 spring sports season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MARCH 14, 2021

Penn State defeated Notre Dame, 6-3, to secure it’s Big Ten record 11th tournament victory and advance to its sixth-consecutive Big Ten semifinal.