The 2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey season was the 14th season of play for the program and the 7th season in the Big Ten Conference. The Nittany Lions represented Pennsylvania State University and were coached by Guy Gadowsky, in his 9th season.
| 2019–20 Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey season | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Big Ten, Champion | |
| Conference | 1st Big Ten |
| Home ice | Pegula Ice Arena |
| Rankings | |
| USCHO | 8 |
| USA Today | 7 |
| Record | |
| Overall | 20–10–4 |
| Conference | 12–8–4–1 |
| Home | 11–5–3 |
| Road | 9–5–1 |
| Neutral | 0–0–0 |
| Coaches and captains | |
| Head coach | Guy Gadowsky |
| Assistant coaches | Keith Fisher Matt Lindsay Andrew Magera |
| Captain(s) | Brandon Biro |
| Alternate captain(s) | Kris Myllari Liam Folkes |
| Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey seasons « 2018–19 2020–21 » | |
On March 12, 2020, the Big Ten announced that the tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.[1]
Departures
edit| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chase Berger | Forward |  United States |
Graduation (Signed with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) |
| Chris Funkey | Goaltender | United States |
Graduation (Retired) |
| Derian Hamilton | Defenseman |  Canada |
Graduation (Signed with Norfolk Admirals) |
| Kevin Kerr | Defenseman | United States |
Graduation (Retired) |
| Ludvig Larsson | Forward |  Sweden |
Graduation (Signed with Binghamton Devils) |
| Alec Marsh | Forward | United States |
Graduation (Signed with Fayetteville Marksmen) |
Recruiting
edit| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tyler Gratton | Forward | United States |
20 | Pottstown, PA |
| Bobby Hampton | Forward | United States |
21 | Middletown, NJ; transfer from Northeastern, red shirt |
| William Holforster | Goaltender | Canada |
21 | Mississauga, ON; previously played club hockey, did not play |
| Kenny Johnson | Defenseman | United States |
21 | Ann Arbor, MI |
| Connor MacEachern | Forward | Canada |
20 | Brooklin, ON |
| Connor McMenamin | Forward | United States |
20 | Collegeville, PA |
| Clayton Phillips | Defenseman | Canada |
20 | Edina, MN; transfer from Minnesota |
| Mason Snell | Defenseman | Canada |
19 | Clarington, ON |
| Kevin Wall | Forward | United States |
19 | Penfield, NY; selected 181st overall in 2019 |
Roster
editAs of September 3, 2019.[2]
| No. | S/P/C | Player | Class | Pos | Height | Weight | DoB | Hometown | Previous team | NHL rights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 
|
Cole Hults | Junior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1998-05-22 | Stoughton, Wisconsin | Madison Capitols (USHL) | LAK, 134th overall 2017 |
| 3 | 
|
Paul DeNaples | Sophomore | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 184 lb (83 kg) | 1998-09-19 | Moscow, Pennsylvania | Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) | — |
| 4 | 
|
Kris Myllari (A) | Senior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1997-02-05 | Kanata, Ontario | Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) | — |
| 6 | 
|
James Gobetz | Senior | D | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 1996-08-06 | St. James, New York | Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) | — |
| 7 | 
|
Evan Bell | Junior | D | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 191 lb (87 kg) | 1997-06-25 | Livonia, Michigan | Fargo Force (USHL) | — |
| 9 | 
|
Alex Limoges | Junior | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1997-09-16 | Winchester, Virginia | Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) | — |
| 10 | 
|
Brandon Biro (C) | Senior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1998-03-11 | Sherwood Park, Alberta | Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL) | — |
| 11 | 
|
Max Sauvé | Sophomore | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 1998-09-02 | Acushnet, Massachusetts | Avon Old Farms (USHS–CT) | — |
| 13 | 
|
Nikita Pavlychev | Senior | F | 6' 7" (2.01 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | 1997-03-23 | Yaroslavl, Russia | Des Moines Buccaneers (USHL) | PIT, 197th overall 2015 |
| 14 |
|
Nate Sucese | Senior | F | 5' 9" (1.75 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1996-07-12 | Fairport, New York | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) | — |
| 15 |
|
Kenny Johnson | Freshman | D | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 230 lb (104 kg) | 1998-05-28 | Ann Arbor, Michigan | Victoria Grizzlies (BCHL) | — |
| 16 |
|
Mason Snell | Freshman | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2000-06-18 | Courtice, Ontario | Penticton Vees (BCHL) | — |
| 17 |
|
Evan Barratt | Junior | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 1999-02-18 | Bristol, Pennsylvania | USNTDP (USHL) | CHI, 90th overall 2017 |
| 18 | 
|
Clayton Phillips | Junior | D | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | 1999-09-09 | Edina, Minnesota | Minnesota Golden Gophers (Big Ten) | PIT, 93rd overall 2017 |
| 19 |
|
Connor McMenamin | Freshman | F | 5' 11" (1.8 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | 1999-02-25 | Collegeville, Pennsylvania | Tri-City Storm (USHL) | — |
| 20 | 
|
Aarne Talvitie | Sophomore | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 198 lb (90 kg) | 1999-02-11 | Espoo, Finland | Espoo Blues U20 (Nuorten SM-liiga) | NJD, 160th overall 2017 |
| 21 |
|
Kevin Wall | Freshman | F | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 190 lb (86 kg) | 2000-02-01 | Penfield, New York | Chilliwack Chiefs (BCHL) | CAR, 181st overall 2019 |
| 22 |
|
Alex Stevens | Junior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 200 lb (91 kg) | 1997-02-27 | Plymouth, Minnesota | Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL) | — |
| 23 | 
|
Blake Gober | Senior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 179 lb (81 kg) | 1995-01-18 | Colleyville, Texas | Bloomington Thunder (USHL) | — |
| 24 |
|
Adam Pilewicz | Junior | D | 6' 1" (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1996-07-20 | Sewickley, Pennsylvania | Johnstown Tomahawks (NAHL) | — |
| 25 |
|
Denis Smirnov | Senior | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 1997-08-12 | Moscow, Russia | Fargo Force (USHL) | COL, 156th overall 2017 |
| 26 |
|
Liam Folkes (A) | Senior | F | 5' 8" (1.73 m) | 182 lb (83 kg) | 1996-02-26 | Scarborough, Ontario | Brockville Braves (CCHL) | — |
| 27 |
|
Sam Sternschein | Junior | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 204 lb (93 kg) | 1998-04-27 | Syosset, New York | Lincoln Stars (USHL) | — |
| 28 |
|
Tyler Gratton | Freshman | F | 6' 2" (1.88 m) | 187 lb (85 kg) | 1999-08-06 | Pottstown, Pennsylvania | Central Illinois Flying Aces (USHL) | — |
| 29 |
|
Connor MacEachern | Freshman | F | 5' 10" (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 1999-07-01 | Brooklin, Ontario | Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) | — |
| 31 |
|
Peyton Jones | Senior | G | 6' 4" (1.93 m) | 210 lb (95 kg) | 1996-02-14 | Langhorne, Pennsylvania | Lincoln Stars (USHL) | — |
| 35 |
|
Oskar Autio | Sophomore | G | 6' 0" (1.83 m) | 183 lb (83 kg) | 1999-10-06 | Espoo, Finland | Chicago Steel (USHL) | — |
Standings
edit| Conference record | Overall record | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | W | L | T | 3/SW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA | ||
| #9 Penn State | 24 | 12 | 8 | 4 | 1 | 41 | 79 | 70 | 34 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 121 | 88 | |
| #10 Ohio State | 24 | 11 | 9 | 4 | 1 | 38 | 62 | 62 | 34 | 18 | 11 | 5 | 91 | 80 | |
| #17 Michigan | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 65 | 52 | 34 | 16 | 14 | 4 | 92 | 72 | |
| #18 Minnesota | 24 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 4 | 38 | 66 | 62 | 34 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 95 | 94 | |
| Notre Dame | 24 | 9 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 37 | 59 | 59 | 34 | 14 | 13 | 7 | 90 | 91 | |
| Michigan State | 24 | 11 | 11 | 2 | 0 | 35 | 54 | 54 | 34 | 15 | 17 | 2 | 80 | 82 | |
| Wisconsin | 24 | 7 | 15 | 2 | 2 | 25 | 63 | 89 | 34 | 14 | 18 | 2 | 110 | 124 | |
| Championship: March 21, 2020 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 1, 2020 | |||||||||||||||
Schedule and Results
edit| Date | Time | Opponent# | Rank# | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exhibition | |||||||||||
| October 6 | 1:07 PM | vs. Ottawa* | #13 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania (Exhibition) | Jones | W 5–0 | 1,236 | ||||
| Regular Season | |||||||||||
| October 11 | 7:07 PM | vs. Sacred Heart* | #13 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 8–2 | 6,062 | 1–0–0 | |||
| October 12 | 4:37 PM | vs. Sacred Heart* | #13 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 5–4 | 6,111 | 2–0–0 | |||
| October 18 | 7:30 PM | vs. Alaska* | #9 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 7–0 | 5,898 | 3–0–0 | |||
| October 19 | 7:07 PM | vs. Alaska* | #9 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Autio | L 0–4 | 6,146 | 3–1–0 | |||
| October 25 | 7:07 PM | vs. Robert Morris* | #12 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 2–1 | 5,799 | 4–1–0 | |||
| October 31 | 7:01 PM | vs. #7 Wisconsin | #12 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | W 6–1 | 5,793 | 5–1–0 (1–0–0–0) | ||
| November 1 | 6:01 PM | vs. #7 Wisconsin | #12 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | W 4–2 | 5,980 | 6–1–0 (2–0–0–0) | ||
| November 8 | 7:07 PM | vs. Michigan State | #6 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | L 0–2 | 6,071 | 6–2–0 (2–1–0–0) | |||
| November 9 | 6:07 PM | vs. Michigan State | #6 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 6–4 | 5,936 | 7–2–0 (3–1–0–0) | |||
| November 15 | 8:05 PM | at Minnesota | #8 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | FSN+ | Jones | W 8–2 | 8,032 | 8–2–0 (4–1–0–0) | ||
| November 16 | 8:05 PM | at Minnesota | #8 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | FSN+ | Jones | W 6–3 | 8,203 | 9–2–0 (5–1–0–0) | ||
| November 22 | 7:07 PM | vs. #11 Ohio State | #6 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 5–4 | 5,739 | 10–2–0 (6–1–0–0) | |||
| November 23 | 6:07 PM | vs. #11 Ohio State | #6 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | L 3–4 | 5,213 | 10–3–0 (6–2–0–0) | |||
| November 29 | 7:00 PM | at Merrimack* | #7 | J. Thom Lawler Rink • North Andover, Massachusetts | Autio | W 7–0 | 1,961 | 11–3–0 (6–2–0–0) | |||
| November 30 | 6:05 PM | at #15 Massachusetts–Lowell* | #7 | Tsongas Center • Lowell, Massachusetts | Jones | L 2–3 OT | 3,766 | 11–4–0 (6–2–0–0) | |||
| December 6 | 8:37 PM | at Michigan | #6 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | FS1 | Jones | L 1–4 | 5,246 | 11–5–0 (6–3–0–0) | ||
| December 7 | 7:31 PM | at Michigan | #6 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | Jones | W 3–1 | 5,444 | 12–5–0 (7–3–0–0) | |||
| December 13 | 7:05 PM | at #15 Notre Dame | #7 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | NHL Network | Jones | W 4–2 | 3,806 | 13–5–0 (8–3–0–0) | ||
| December 14 | 6:05 PM | at #15 Notre Dame | #7 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | Jones | L 0–3 | 4,306 | 13–6–0 (8–4–0–0) | |||
| January 3 | 7:07 PM | vs. Niagara* | #8 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 3–2 | 5,497 | 14–6–0 (8–4–0–0) | |||
| January 4 | 6:07 PM | vs. Niagara* | #8 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Autio | W 2–0 | 5,819 | 15–6–0 (8–4–0–0) | |||
| January 11 | 7:05 PM | vs. Robert Morris* | #6 | Colonials Arena • Neville Township, Pennsylvania | Jones | W 6–2 | 3,312 | 16–6–0 (8–4–0–0) | |||
| January 17 | 7:00 PM | vs. Michigan | #6 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | L 0–6 | 6,294 | 16–7–0 (8–5–0–0) | |||
| January 18 | 6:00 PM | vs. Michigan | #6 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Autio | T 4–4 3x3 OTL | 6,278 | 16–7–1 (8–5–1–0) | |||
| January 24 | 7:00 PM | at #19 Michigan State | #9 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | Jones | L 2–4 | 6,017 | 16–8–1 (8–6–1–0) | |||
| January 25 | 6:00 PM | at #19 Michigan State | #9 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | BTN | Jones | W 2–1 OT | 6,017 | 17–8–1 (9–6–1–0) | ||
| January 31 | 6:00 PM | vs. Notre Dame | #8 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | T 3–3 SOL | 6,226 | 17–8–2 (9–6–2–0) | |||
| February 1 | 6:00 PM | vs. Notre Dame | #8 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | Jones | L 2–4 | 6,475 | 17–9–2 (9–7–2–0) | |||
| February 7 | 7:00 PM | at #13 Ohio State | #9 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Jones | T 2–2 SOL | 7,704 | 17–9–3 (9–7–3–0) | |||
| February 8 | 5:00 PM | at #13 Ohio State | #9 | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | Jones | W 6–3 | 9,295 | 18–9–3 (10–7–3–0) | |||
| February 14 | 8:02 PM | at Wisconsin | #9 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | Jones | L 3–4 | 9,095 | 18–10–3 (10–8–3–0) | |||
| February 15 | 8:02 PM | at Wisconsin | #9 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | FSW | Jones | W 3–2 | 13,054 | 19–10–3 (11–8–3–0) | ||
| February 21 | 8:31 PM | vs. #18 Minnesota | #11 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | T 3–3 3x3 OTW | 6,151 | 19–10–4 (11–8–4–1) | ||
| February 22 | 6:31 PM | vs. #18 Minnesota | #11 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | W 3–2 | 6,328 | 20–10–4 (12–8–4–1) | ||
| Big Ten Tournament | |||||||||||
| Tournament Cancelled | |||||||||||
| *Non-conference game. #Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. | |||||||||||
Scoring Statistics
edit| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nate Sucese | LW | 34 | 11 | 27 | 38 | 16 |
| Evan Barratt | C | 34 | 12 | 22 | 34 | 28 |
| Alex Limoges | C | 30 | 11 | 21 | 32 | 8 |
| Cole Hults | D | 34 | 8 | 22 | 30 | 18 |
| Liam Folkes | C | 33 | 11 | 14 | 25 | 6 |
| Brandon Biro | LW | 25 | 10 | 15 | 25 | 8 |
| Denis Smirnov | LW/RW | 31 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 6 |
| Aarne Talvitie | C/LW | 30 | 6 | 13 | 19 | 2 |
| Sam Sternschein | LW | 29 | 12 | 5 | 17 | 10 |
| Nikita Pavlychev | C | 27 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 44 |
| Connor McMenamin | LW | 32 | 4 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
| Paul DeNaples | D | 34 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 4 |
| Connor MacEachern | F | 34 | 3 | 8 | 11 | 18 |
| Kris Myllari | D | 34 | 2 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Clayton Phillips | D | 27 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 20 |
| Kevin Wall | RW | 26 | 2 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Evan Bell | D | 25 | 1 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Tyler Gratton | RW | 31 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 24 |
| Mason Snell | D | 26 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 6 |
| Alex Stevens | D | 20 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 12 |
| Max Sauvé | F | 14 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Peyton Jones | G | 30 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| James Gobetz | D | 26 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 8 |
| Kenny Johnson | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Adam Pilewicz | D | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Blake Gober | F | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oskar Autio | G | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| Total | 121 | 218 | 339 | 280 |
Goaltending statistics
edit| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oskar Autio | 5 | 256 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 8 | 106 | 2 | .930 | 1.87 |
| Peyton Jones | 30 | 1780 | 18 | 9 | 3 | 77 | 876 | 1 | .919 | 2.60 |
| Empty Net | - | 27 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 34 | 1063 | 20 | 10 | 4 | 88 | 982 | 3 | .918 | 2.56 |
Rankings
edit| Poll | Week | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 (Final) | ||
| USCHO.com | 13 | 13 | 9 | 12 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 11 | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | |
| USA Today | 9 | 10 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 6 | 8 | 5 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 7 | 7 | |
Players drafted into the NHL
edit| Round | Pick | Player | NHL team |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 209 | Chase McLane† | Nashville Predators |
† incoming freshman
References
edit- ^ "Big Ten Statement on Competitions, Recruiting". Big Ten Conference. March 12, 2020. Archived from the original on March 14, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2020.
- ^ "2019–20 Men's Ice Hockey Roster". Penn State Nittany Lions. Retrieved August 22, 2017.
- ^ "Penn State Nittany Lions (Men) 2019-2020 Schedule and Results". College Hockey Stats. Retrieved December 5, 2019.
- ^ "Penn State Univ. 2019-2020 Skater Stats". Elite Prospects. Retrieved March 7, 2020.
- ^ "USCHO Division I Men's Poll". USCHO.com. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
- ^ "NHL DRAFT: Second day of NHL Draft concludes, nearly 70 players with NCAA ties chosen overall". USCHO.com. Retrieved October 8, 2020.