Following an impressive opening series sweep over then-No. 14 Arizona State, Penn State men’s hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky returned to Pegula Ice Arena to speak to the media.
Embarking on his 14th season with the Nittany Lions, Gadowsky provided status updates on key defensemen, praised Gavin McKenna’s performance and spoke about a new roster addition.
Here’s what he had to say on Tuesday evening.
Availability report
Former first-round NHL draft pick Jackson Smith was notably absent from Penn State’s first two games at Arizona State, which was attributed on the broadcast to an illness .
During his presser, Gadowsky confirmed an illness for Smith and expressed optimism he’ll return for the team’s next series against Clarkson at Pegula Ice Arena.
Additionally, defenseman Jarod Crespo left Friday night’s game with injury but returned on Saturday and registered one shot in the Nittany Lions’ 4-2 win.
“I think he deserves a lot of credit. He gutted it out, certainly wasn’t his best, but it wasn’t a situation where he could hurt it more, so a couple days off this week,” Gadowsky said.
For a talented squad already playing without defenseman Cade Christenson until at least Christmas, depth on the D-line should be in a better spot moving forward.
McKenna’s power play prowess
Gavin McKenna’s college debut drew national attention, with the first two games broadcast on NHL Network. The forward lived up to the hype with a goal and two assists, as well as some flashy moments.
Gadowsky came away impressed with his special teams performance, with McKenna earning minutes with the penalty kill group. He said it’ll create another element for opponents to be aware of.
“He’s extremely quick, extremely fast, and he has a really good stick,” Gadowsky said. “He’s a very smart hockey player. So we can do that, I think in the future … I’m not sure that they will kill as much as they did this past weekend, but it’s nice to know that.”
McKenna also got it done on the power play, assisting Aiden Fink for the team’s first goal of the season.
“You can’t teach that,” Gadowsky said. “It’s just fun to watch it. It’s just everybody that’s played the game.”
New netminder
Gadowsky was complimentary of Kevin Reidler’s performances in net, but he also provided an update on the team’s depth at the position.
Gadowsky said senior John Seifarth, who isn’t listed on the team’s official roster this season, has stepped away to focus on academics. Seifarth started five games for the team last year, going 3-2, after previously being a member of Penn State’s club hockey team.
“He’s been away all semester to focus on academics, and then just this week, decided that he’s going to step away permanently,” Gadowsky said. “This year, he wants to graduate on time and do well academically.”
That puts the Nittany Lions down to two goalies — Reidler and freshman Josh Fleming — though Gadowsky said the team is in the early stages of finding a third to bring on.
