Penn State hockey preview: Ryan Kirwan leads PSU into series with Wisconsin
Penn State hockey freshman Ryan Kirwan shoots the puck about as well as any player to come through the Nittany Lions’ program, Guy Gadowsky said this week.
Kirwan, Gadowsky says, is already armed with an NHL-level shot. He’s scored five times this season in 22 games to lead Penn State’s freshman class into a series with Wisconsin, beginning Friday at 7 p.m.
The Nittany Lions expected him to score, but he’s fashioned himself into an effective creator as well. Kirwan ranks sixth in the Big Ten among freshmen with 16 points.
He comes into this weekend riding a stretch of four games with five assists. Kirwan’s posted 12 points in his last 12 games, too.
“I think I’m a player whose main focus is to get pucks on net,” Kirwan said this week. “I think my defensive game has been an emphasis of mine this year, just doing the little details in the defensive zone so that in the offensive zone I can feel more confident when I do have the puck.”
Clearly, he’s a piece for the Nittany Lions to build around moving forward — and that’s important considering how the 2021-22 season is playing out for Gadowsky’s team.
Penn State sits in last place in the Big Ten, five points behind sixth-placed Michigan State. The Nittany Lions haven’t finished a season below fifth since 2013-14, their second campaign at the Division I level. They’ll have to go on quite the run to close out the season to continue that stretch.
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The remainder of the season will be approached with an eye toward player and culture development, Gadowsky has said on numerous occasions.
The Nittany Lions aren’t necessarily a young team. They frequently field a lineup with more upperclassmen than underclassmen. But, Gadowsky pointed out, this roster lacks experience in key situations, and that’s something he and the coaching staff will work to build up down the stretch.
“[Previously] you had a lot of guys that were out in those situations and had experiences like that, freshman year, sophomore year, junior year,” Gadowsky said earlier this month.
“No matter how much you talk about it, write on the chalkboard and show video, it’s about having that experience when the lights are on and the stadium’s packed, and points are on the line against Big Ten opponents.”
PSU’s task for the remainder of the season boils down to “getting Penn State hockey back,” Gadowsky said this week.
Kirwan’s recent success is among the first signs of those building efforts bearing fruit.
“It’s been very obvious from the start of the year,” Gadowsky said.”The way he changes, the way he approaches being the third man high without the puck, his attention to that has impressed us.
“So, has he gotten better? His performance has. But he’s really made a goal for himself right from the start to be a complete hockey player, not just rest on his natural ability.”
Penn State vs Wisconsin: Scouting the Badgers
Wisconsin comes into this game having won four of its last seven after starting the season 4-11-1.
The Badgers bested Penn State 4-1 at the Kohl Center in December before losing a thrilling overtime game, 5-4, to close out that series. They’re coming off a sweep of Michigan State.
Freshman defenseman Corson Ceulemans is the star of the show. A first-round pick by Columbus, he leads Wisconsin with 16 points in 21 games played.
The senior forward trio of Tarek Baker, Brock Caufield and Jack Gorniak has 15, 14 and 11 points, respectively.
Junior goaltender Jared Moe has won the job in net over Cameron Rowe. He’s got a 2.50 goals-against average and a solid .925 save percentage coming into this series.
Wisconsin has struggled to score for most of the season, ranking in the bottom third of college hockey with 51 goals in 24 games.
The Badgers have been better since the beginning of December, though, averaging 3.25 goals per contest.
Notably, they have one of the worst penalty kill units in the country, with a 72.6 percent success rate.
