Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky and five Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley this week following a historic and highly successful run at the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland, where the U.S. Collegiate Selects finished as tournament runners-up in one of international hockey’s most prestigious events.
The 2025 Spengler Cup marked the first time in the tournament’s 102-year history that a team composed of select collegiate players competed in the field.
Dating back to 1923, the Spengler Cup is the oldest invitational hockey tournament in the world, and Gadowsky’s group quickly proved it belonged on the global stage.
Penn State was well represented on the 25-man roster, as junior forwards Aiden Fink, Matt DiMarsico, and defenseman Mac Gadowsky were joined by sophomore forwards Charlie Cerrato and JJ Wiebusch.
The quintet played key roles throughout the week as the Selects navigated a demanding schedule against professional and national-level competition.
The tournament opened with a narrow 3-2 loss to Team Canada, but the Collegiate Selects responded in emphatic fashion.
In their second contest, they stunned host club HC Davos with a 5-3 victory, fueled by a pair of goals from DiMarsico. His performance earned Player of the Game honors and announced the Selects as a legitimate contender.
After HC Davos defeated Canada the following day, the Selects were crowned Cattini Group champions, earning a bye into the semifinals against HC Sparta Praha.
That matchup belonged to Fink, who delivered one of the tournament’s defining performances. The Calgary native recorded four points, including a hat trick and the game-winning goal, in a 5-3 semifinal victory. Cerrato also contributed, scoring on the power play to help secure the Selects’ place in the championship game.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The final featured a rematch with HC Davos in front of a raucous home crowd. Locked in a 3-3 tie late into the contest, the hosts pulled away with three late goals to claim a 6-3 victory and their 17th Spengler Cup title in the 97th edition of the event.
Despite the loss, the Collegiate Selects’ runner-up finish capped an impressive and historic debut.
Fink’s tournament was nothing short of dominant.
He led all players in scoring with four goals and four assists over four games, earning Player of the Game honors in both the semifinal and final.
He was also named to the Spengler Cup All-Star Team and, along with DiMarsico, selected as one of the three Stars of the Tournament for the Selects.
All five Nittany Lions made their mark offensively. DiMarsico finished with two goals, Cerrato added a goal and an assist, and both Wiebusch and Gadowsky recorded assists to complement Fink’s eight-point performance.
Gadowsky and his players now turn their attention back to collegiate competition, as Penn State resumes play this weekend with a home-and-home series against RIT. The Nittany Lions will face the Tigers on Saturday night in Rochester before returning home to Pegula Ice Arena on Sunday.
