# 2017–18 Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey season

The 2017–18 Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey season was the 12th season of play for the program and the 5th season in the Big Ten Conference. The Nittany Lions represented Pennsylvania State University and were coached by Guy Gadowsky, in his 7th season.

## Season

Fresh off of their first tournament appearance, Penn State entered the season looking to improve on their newfound success. Unfortunately, the team had some difficulty finding traction early in the season. The Nittany Lions split each of their first five weekends of the season, progressively declining in the rankings, until they were knocked out altogether by Notre Dame. Peyton Jones, who had played spectacularly as a freshman, was struggling early in his sophomore season and began losing his first grip on the starting role.
In mid-November Penn State began to find their form and began a nearly 2-month unbeaten streak. They jumped back into the top-20 after a 4–0 shoutout against Ohio State that saw Jones seize his primary job in the crease and by mid-January the team had nearly returned to their preseason ranking. Immediately following their run, however, the offense flagged and the team went 8 games without a win. Because that stretch was played almost entirely against ranked teams, PSU wasn't punished too harshly in the standings (ending up at 16), but their hopes at returning to the tournament were balanced on a razor's edge. The team was tied for 5th in the conference entering the final weekend and they were facing a top-10 team in Minnesota. Surprisingly, the Nittany Lions easily handled the Gophers and leapt ahead of Minnesota in the standings, ending up as the 4th seed by just 1 point.
When the conference tournament began, PSU was again facing Minnesota. The team took advantage of their home games and swept the Golden Gophers with a nail-biter in the second match. The four consecutive wins essentially flipped Minnesota and Penn State in the rankings. When the team headed to South Bend the following week they were ranked 12th in the country and all but guaranteed a spot in the tournament regardless of the result. The team performed well against the Fighting Irish but fell 2–3.
Penn State was ranked 12th by the NCAA selection committee and given a #3 seed in the tournament. They opened against Denver as the de facto home team since they were the host for the Midwest Regional. Unfortunately, the team was overwhelmed by the Pioneers; Denver scored the first four goals and outshout the Nittany Lions 42–27 en route to a 5–1 win.

## Departures

| Player | Position | Nationality | Cause |
| Ricky DeRosa | Forward | United States | Graduation (Retired) |
| David Goodwin | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with SaiPa) |
| Sean Kohler | Forward | Canada | Left Program (Retired) |
| Vince Pedrie | Defenseman | United States | Signed Professional Contract (New York Rangers) |
| Dylan Richard | Forward | Canada | Graduation (Signed with Manglerud Star Ishockey) |
| Zach Saar | Forward | United States | Graduation (Signed with Utah Grizzlies) |
| David Thompson | Defenseman | United States | Graduation (Retired) |

## Recruiting

| Player | Position | Nationality | Age | Notes |
| Evan Barratt | Forward | United States | 18 | Bristol, PA; selected 90th overall in 2017 |
| Cole Hults | Defenseman | United States | 19 | Stoughton, WI; selected 134th overall in 2017 |
| Alex Limoges | Forward | United States | 20 | Winchester, VA |
| Adam Pilewicz | Defenseman | United States | 21 | Sewickley, PA |
| Sam Sternschein | Forward | United States | 19 | Syosset, NY |
| Alex Stevens | Defenseman | United States | 20 | Plymouth, MI |

## Roster

As of September 3, 2017.

## Standings

2017–18 Big Ten ice hockey standingsvte :
| | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Conference record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record | Overall record |
| | GP | W | L | T | SOW | PTS | GF | GA | GP | W | L | T | GF | GA |
| #2 Notre Dame†* | 24 | 17 | 6 | 1 | 1 | 53 | 66 | 47 | 40 | 28 | 10 | 2 | 117 | 87 |
| #3 Ohio State | 24 | 14 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 77 | 55 | 41 | 26 | 10 | 5 | 131 | 85 |
| #4 Michigan | 24 | 11 | 10 | 3 | 2 | 38 | 70 | 72 | 40 | 22 | 15 | 3 | 136 | 121 |
| #13 Penn State | 24 | 9 | 10 | 5 | 2 | 34 | 70 | 72 | 38 | 18 | 15 | 5 | 138 | 120 |
| #18 Minnesota | 24 | 10 | 12 | 2 | 1 | 33 | 65 | 69 | 38 | 19 | 17 | 2 | 102 | 100 |
| Wisconsin | 24 | 8 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 28 | 69 | 83 | 37 | 14 | 19 | 4 | 115 | 124 |
| Michigan State | 24 | 6 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 21 | 53 | 77 | 36 | 12 | 22 | 2 | 91 | 117 |
| Championship: March 17, 2018 † indicates conference regular season champion * indicates conference tournament champion Rankings: USCHO.com Top 20 Poll; updated March 12, 2018 ||||||||||||||||

## Schedule and Results

| Date | Time | Opponent$^#$ | Rank$^#$ | Site | TV | Decision | Result | Attendance | Record |
| Exhibition ||||||||||
| October 1 | 3:07 PM | vs. Ottawa* | #10 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania (Exhibition) | | Funkey | L 3–4 $^{OT}$ | 4,482 | |
| Regular season ||||||||||
| October 6 | 7:00 PM | at Clarkson* | #10 | Cheel Arena • Potsdam, New York | | Jones | L 1–2 | 2,317 | 0–1–0 |
| October 7 | 7:07 PM | at St. Lawrence* | #10 | Appleton Arena • Canton, New York | | Jones | W 4–1 | 2,758 | 1–1–0 |
| October 13 | 8:05 PM | at #7 Minnesota | #11 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | FSN | Jones | W 3–1 | 8,840 | 2–1–0 (1–0–0–0) |
| October 15 | 4:05 PM | at #7 Minnesota | #11 | 3M Arena at Mariucci • Minneapolis, Minnesota | FSN | Jones | L 3–6 | 8,114 | 2–2–0 (1–1–0–0) |
| October 19 | 7:03 PM | vs. American International* | #11 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | W 7–5 | 6,018 | 3–2–0 |
| October 20 | 7:07 PM | vs. American International* | #11 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Funkey | L 2–3 $^{OT}$ | 6,149 | 3–3–0 |
| October 27 | 7:07 PM | vs. Michigan | #15 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | W 5–4 $^{OT}$ | 6,096 | 4–3–0 (2–1–0–0) |
| October 28 | 8:07 PM | vs. Michigan | #15 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | L 2–5 | 6,011 | 4–4–0 (2–2–0–0) |
| November 3 | 7:07 PM | vs. Mercyhurst* | #17 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Funkey | L 4–7 | 5,982 | 4–5–0 |
| November 4 | 7:07 PM | vs. Mercyhurst* | #17 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | W 7–5 | 6,089 | 5–5–0 |
| November 10 | 7:35 PM | at #6 Notre Dame | #19 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | | Jones | L 3–5 | 4,574 | 5–6–0 (2–3–0–0) |
| November 11 | 5:40 PM | at #6 Notre Dame | #19 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana | NBCSN | Jones | L 0–1 | 4,160 | 5–7–0 (2–4–0–0) |
| November 17 | 10:05 PM | at Arizona State* | | Gila River Arena • Glendale, Arizona | | Funkey | W 7–0 | 2,842 | 6–7–0 |
| November 18 | 9:05 PM | at Arizona State* | | Gila River Arena • Glendale, Arizona | | Jones | W 4–2 | 3,104 | 7–7–0 |
| November 24 | 7:07 PM | vs. Michigan State | | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | W 7–2 | 5,931 | 8–7–0 (3–4–0–0) |
| November 25 | 8:07 PM | vs. Michigan State | | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 5,824 | 8–7–1 (3–4–1–0) |
| December 1 | 7:05 PM | at #11 Ohio State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Funkey | T 5–5 $^{SOW}$ | 4,281 | 8–7–2 (3–4–2–1) |
| December 2 | 4:05 PM | at #11 Ohio State | | Value City Arena • Columbus, Ohio | | Jones | W 4–0 | 3,861 | 9–7–2 (4–4–2–1) |
| December 8 | 7:05 PM | vs. Robert Morris* | #18 | PPG Paints • Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania | | Jones | W 5–2 | 2,471 | 10–7–2 |
| December 9 | 7:07 PM | vs. Robert Morris* | #18 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | W 7–4 | 6,089 | 11–7–2 |
| January 5 | 7:07 PM | vs. #15 Wisconsin | #14 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | W 5–1 | 5,822 | 12–7–2 (5–4–2–1) |
| January 6 | 7:03 PM | vs. #15 Wisconsin | #14 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | T 3–3 $^{SOW}$ | 5,963 | 12–7–3 (5–4–3–2) |
| January 12 | 7:37 PM | vs. #6 Ohio State | #13 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | W 5–2 | 6,077 | 13–7–3 (6–4–3–2) |
| January 13 | 7:03 PM | vs. #6 Ohio State | #13 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | L 1–5 | 6,182 | 13–8–3 (6–5–3–2) |
| January 19 | 8:03 PM | at #20 Michigan | #12 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | BTN | Jones | L 0–4 | 5,574 | 13–9–3 (6–6–3–2) |
| January 20 | 7:31 PM | at #20 Michigan | #12 | Yost Ice Arena • Ann Arbor, Michigan | | Jones | L 2–3 | 5,800 | 13–10–3 (6–7–3–2) |
| January 26 | 9:03 PM | at #18 Wisconsin | #14 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | BTN | Jones | L 2–4 | 9,190 | 13–11–3 (6–8–3–2) |
| January 27 | 8:07 PM | at #18 Wisconsin | #14 | Kohl Center • Madison, Wisconsin | FSW | Jones | T 4–4 $^{SOL}$ | 13,689 | 13–11–4 (6–8–4–2) |
| February 2 | 6:33 PM | vs. #2 Notre Dame | #17 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | L 3–5 | 6,229 | 13–12–4 (6–9–4–2) |
| February 3 | 4:07 PM | vs. #2 Notre Dame | #17 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | | Jones | T 2–2 $^{SOL}$ | 6,221 | 13–12–5 (6–9–5–2) |
| February 16 | 6:33 PM | at Michigan State | #16 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | BTN | Jones | L 2–4 | 5,649 | 13–13–5 (6–10–5–2) |
| February 17 | 5:03 PM | at Michigan State | #16 | Munn Ice Arena • East Lansing, Michigan | BTN | Jones | W 3–2 | 6,368 | 14–13–5 (7–10–5–2) |
| February 23 | 6:33 PM | vs. #8 Minnesota | #18 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | W 5–1 | 6,171 | 15–13–5 (8–10–5–2) |
| February 24 | 7:03 PM | vs. #8 Minnesota | #18 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania | BTN | Jones | W 5–2 | 6,172 | 16–13–5 (9–10–5–2) |
| Big Ten Tournament ||||||||||
| March 2 | 7:03 PM | vs. #11 Minnesota* | #15 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania (Big Ten Quarterfinal Game 1) | | Jones | W 5–3 | 4,170 | 17–13–5 |
| March 3 | 7:03 PM | vs. #11 Minnesota* | #15 | Pegula Ice Arena • University Park, Pennsylvania (Big Ten Quarterfinal Game 2) | | Jones | W 6–5 | 5,025 | 18–13–5 |
| Penn State wins series 2–0 ||||||||||
| March 10 | 5:33 PM | at #5 Notre Dame* | #12 | Compton Family Ice Arena • Notre Dame, Indiana (Big Ten Semifinal) | ESPNU | Jones | L 2–3 | 4,892 | 18–14–5 |
| NCAA Tournament ||||||||||
| March 24 | 7:07 PM | vs. #3 Denver* | #12 | PPL Center • Allentown, Pennsylvania (NCAA Midwest Regional semifinal) | ESPN3 | Jones | L 1–5 | 7,491 | 18–15–5 |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from USCHO.com Poll. All times are in Eastern Time. ||||||||||

## Scoring Statistics

| Name | Position | Games | Goals | Assists | Points | PIM |
| Andrew Sturtz | RW | 37 | 14 | 26 | 40 | 62 |
| Brandon Biro | LW | 37 | 9 | 22 | 31 | 18 |
| Nate Sucese | LW | 36 | 14 | 15 | 29 | 26 |
| Trevor Hamilton | D | 38 | 6 | 23 | 29 | 35 |
| Denis Smirnov | LW/RW | 30 | 15 | 12 | 27 | 6 |
| Chase Berger | C | 38 | 11 | 16 | 27 | 4 |
| Liam Folkes | C | 38 | 13 | 10 | 23 | 0 |
| Alex Limoges | C | 37 | 7 | 14 | 21 | 16 |
| Cole Hults | D | 38 | 3 | 17 | 20 | 43 |
| Evan Barratt | C/LW | 32 | 11 | 7 | 18 | 34 |
| Nikita Pavlychev | C | 35 | 9 | 5 | 14 | 36 |
| Kris Myllari | D | 38 | 5 | 9 | 14 | 4 |
| Erik Autio | D | 30 | 2 | 12 | 14 | 10 |
| James Robinson | F | 37 | 6 | 5 | 11 | 53 |
| Sam Sternschein | LW | 25 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 6 |
| Kevin Kerr | D | 20 | 1 | 9 | 10 | 4 |
| Alec Marsh | C/LW | 35 | 2 | 7 | 9 | 24 |
| James Gobetz | D | 35 | 1 | 8 | 9 | 18 |
| Brett Murray | LW | 21 | 1 | 5 | 6 | 23 |
| Derian Hamilton | D | 22 | 1 | 3 | 4 | 6 |
| Peyton Jones | G | 35 | 0 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| Blake Gober | F | 16 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Chris Funkey | G | 6 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Matt Erlichman | G | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Adam Pilewicz | D | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Alex Stevens | D | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Bench | - | - | - | - | - | 2 |
| Total | | | 138 | 236 | 374 | 424 |

## Goaltending statistics

| Name | Games | Minutes | Wins | Losses | Ties | Goals Against | Saves | Shut Outs | SV % | GAA |
| Matt Erlichman | 2 | 4:07 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1.000 | 0.00 |
| Chris Funkey | 6 | 243 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 12 | 104 | 1 | .897 | 2.96 |
| Peyton Jones | 35 | 2036 | 17 | 13 | 4 | 103 | 983 | 1 | .905 | 3.03 |
| Empty Net | - | 26 | - | - | - | 5 | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 38 | 2309 | 18 | 15 | 5 | 120 | 1088 | 2 | .901 | 3.12 |

## Rankings

| Poll | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week | Week |
| Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 (Final) |
| USCHO.com | 10 | – | 11 | 11 | 15 | 17 | 19 | NR | NR | NR | 18 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 14 | 17 | 16 | 16 | 18 | 15 | 12 | 13 | 12 | 13 |
| USA Today | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 15 | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | NR | 13 | 13 | 13 | 12 | 12 | NR | NR | NR | NR | 13 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 13 |
*USCHO did not release a poll in week 1.

## Players drafted into the NHL
### 2018 NHL Entry Draft

No Penn State players were selected in 2018.