Matthew Skoff certainly doesn’t come across as your typical hockey player. He’s quiet, a little reserved, and seems content to keep an eye on everything going on rather than being the life of the party.
But maybe the calm, observant, and collected persona explains why he is such a good hockey player.
In the first year of Division I play for Penn State, Skoff went 9-8-0 in goal with a .921 save percentage and a 2.48 GAA.
More importantly he finished off the year on a 6-2 record in goal that helped Penn State end the season on a high note with a 3-2 overtime victory against the No. 16 Wisconsin Badgers on the road. Overall, Skoff put together an outstanding first year in net, especially when you consider the uncertainty the fledgling program faced in its first year of Division I play.
Entering this year, the sophomore netminder is displaying a little more swagger. He’s not any louder or any less reserved, but there is a tangible confidence about him that wasn’t as noticeable a year earlier. His shoulders stand a little taller, he enters the room with more confidence and addresses the media with a much more experienced approach.
During the first year in Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State will need Skoff’s quiet command and confidence. Skoff and his fellow goaltenders will be facing some of the best hockey programs in the nation.
“There is a lot of excitement right now,” Skoff said a few days before Penn State’s opener Friday night. “I’m just excited for this opportunity to go out and play for this year and the years after.”
So how does a goalie get improve in the offseason? The same way athletes in other sports hone their skills — with pick-up games.
“There are plenty of talented players in the Pittsburgh area,” Skoff says. “There are a lot of Division I players there and we’re all good friends and we all workout together and getting on the ice isn’t hard at all. We usually workout on individual drills for a while and then we’ll scrimmage.”
When Skoff wasn’t playing with fellow Division I athletes, he made the trip up to the Flyers’ developmental camp earning an invitation following his solid first season in net. In a city where the goalie position can be one of the most scrutinized in town, Skoff says he soaked up all the information he could and hopes to bring it back with him to State College this year.
But Skoff isn’t the only one who will be playing in the crease this season. Freshman Eamon McAdam will earn his fair share of starts as well. McAdam was drafted by the New York Islanders in the third round of the NHL draft earlier this year. McAdam makes the fourth NHL draft choice on the team, but perhaps the most heralded of the bunch.
However, much like his football freshman counterpart Christian Hackenberg across the street, McAdam is still learning the ropes and taking everything in.
“It’s really everything I thought it would be,” McAdam says. “When I committed here I took virtual tours of the rink and got an idea in my head and it’s everything I kind of expected and more. The school has been great, everything about it has been a really great experience so far.”
With both Skoff and McAdam on the roster it opens an obvious competition between the two players. Head coach Guy Gadowsky hasn’t named a starter yet, and if he holds true to last season it will be a goalie system that rides the hot hand.
Even so, it’s a competition that both players say has made them better. More importantly for Penn State it’s positive one. Both players have an obvious chemistry with each other and third goaltender PJ Musico. Musico, a California native is every bit the part of a not-too-serious kid from the west coast who can flip on the switch when it comes to the game.
“There has been great competition between all three of the guys and it really does make us all better,” McAdam says. “We’re trying to outwork each other in practice and I really do believe that it’s making all of us better.”
Shortly after being drafted, McAdam made the trip up to Islanders camp, something he can’t help but smile about as he describes it.
“They liked what they saw, and they told me that they would keep in touch and keep an eye on me, but for now I’m here and I’m in the moment.”
Penn State will need all three goalies to be in the moment through a difficult schedule. But there are worse problems to have in sports than a deep goalie rotation; one that should be intriguing to watch evolve over the next few years.
