Penn State men’s hockey has climbed back into the Top 5 of the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) rankings following a weekend sweep of the LIU Sharks.
The Nittany Lions will conclude their first homestand of the season this weekend with a two-game series against the Stonehill Skyhawks from Easton, Massachusetts. This marks the Skyhawks’ fourth season competing at the Division I level and the first-ever meeting between the two programs.
Head coach Guy Gadowsky earned career win No. 409 last weekend against LIU, passing former Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota head coach Dean Blais for 28th on the all-time wins list. Gadowsky currently ranks eighth among active Division I coaches.
Series Information
Dates: Friday, October 24 (7 p.m.) and Saturday, October 25 (6 p.m.) — both Eastern
No. 5 Penn State Notes
- For the third straight week, a Nittany Lion has been named Big Ten First Star. Junior Matt DiMarsico earned his second career weekly honor after scoring a hat trick last Friday and adding three assists the following night.
DiMarsico became the first Nittany Lion in program history to record multiple hat tricks in the same season. With six goals through six games, he ranks tied for second nationally—just one behind linemate JJ Wiebusch(7). - DiMarsico, Wiebusch, and sophomore Charlie Cerrato form the highest-scoring line in the nation. The trio has combined for 38 points on 17 goals and 21 assists through six games, averaging 2.83 goals and 4.67 points per game.
Since first skating together in January, they’ve appeared in 30 games, producing 49 goals and 62 assists (111 points)—an average of 3.7 points per game. - The trio has been held off the scoresheet just once in their last 15 games dating back to last season.
- Cerrato leads the nation with 15 points and 11 assists, while Wiebusch’s seven goals top all skaters and his 12 points are tied for second nationally.
- Penn State’s special teams have been outstanding. The Nittany Lions have scored at least one power-play goal in all six games, going 9-for-32 (28.1%)—third in the Big Ten and 10th nationally. Their nine power-play goals rank second in the country behind Michigan (11).
The penalty kill has also excelled, going 29-for-31 (93.5%)—second in the Big Ten and seventh nationally. - Freshman goaltender Josh Fleming earned his first career shutout last weekend, just one week after recording his first win. He improved to 2-0-0 with a 28-save performance against LIU. Fleming leads the Big Ten with a .961 save percentage and 1.00 GAA, both ranking third in the nation.
- Junior Aiden Fink has recorded at least one point in every game this season and now has 96 career points, moving past Evan Barratt into ninth on Penn State’s all-time scoring list. He is just seven points shy of Liam Folkes (’20) for eighth.
- Fink is also only four points away from 100 career points in just 80 games, positioning him to become the fastest Nittany Lion to reach the century mark. The current record is held by Alex Limoges, who reached 100 points in 102 games.
Stonehill Skyhawks Notes
- The Skyhawks return six of their top-seven scorers from last season, led by Anthony Galante, the only player to score double-digit goals last year (13 G, 9 A = 22 pts). Galante has appeared in just one game so far this season.
- Cole Melady leads Stonehill with two goals, while Billy Renfrew paces the team with four assists through five games.
- Goaltender Connor Androlewicz returns after starting 28 games last season (11-17-0, .900 SV%, 3.11 GAA). This year he has started four of five games, posting a 1-3-0 record with an .871 save percentage and 3.74 GAA.
- Special teams have struggled early; Stonehill is 1-for-16 (6.3%) on the power play and 17-for-22 (77.3%) on the penalty kill.
- The Skyhawks are averaging 2.00 goals per game while allowing 4.00, having been outscored 20-10 through their first five contests.
