Penn State hockey tops AIC in home opener, 3-2
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.- Late game heroics from Aidan Fink and Tanner Palocsik helped the No. 12-ranked Penn State men’s hockey program beat the AIC Yellow Jackets 3-2 and extend their non-conference winning streak to 22 games.
The Nittany Lions move to 4-0 on the season.
Late game heroics, and some firsts
The two heroes of the game, Palocsik and Fink, both found the back of the net in the third period.
Not only did the two players help flip the script on AIC late in the game, but the two goals scored were each of their first as a Nittany Lion.
Fink’s equalizer was also his first goal at the NCAA level.
The Nittany Lions lost a lot of production from last season, and though it is never easy to replace, Guy Gadowsky has looked to the 2023 recruiting class, as well as the graduate transfers to try and help fill that loss of production, and got that Friday night from Fink and Palocsik.
“For us, it means a lot for what we have lost.” Head coach Guy Gadowsky said.
The shot battle
Penn State dominated in the shots battle with 45 shots on goal compared to AIC’s 12.
The Nittany Lions fired off an impressive shot total, but what was more impressive was the fact that Penn State held the yellow jackets to just 12 shots.
To make that feat even more impressive, the Yellow Jackets scored on their sixth and seventh shots of the game. After they scored their two goals, Penn State held them to just five shots in the final 34 minutes and 22 seconds of the game.
Winning the shot battle is something that Penn State tends to do, but they did it in a whole new way in Friday night’s game.
Ryan Kirwan continues to shine
Junior forward Ryan Kirwan has had a hot start to the 2023/24 campaign, scoring a goal in each of Penn State’s first four games of the season.
Kirwan also has two assists, for a total of six points on the season.
“He has an unfair weapon,” Gadowsky said. “His shot, it’s just elite. He is so dangerous because he comes off his kicks so quickly.”
What’s next for Penn State
The Nittany Lions will look to complete the sweep of AIC on Saturday at 5:00 p.m. at Pegula Ice Arena, in University Park, Pennsylvania.
