By Tom Zulewski
PHILADELPHIA (The Phanatic Magazine) - Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky has preached discipline and hard work in his two plus year’s as the Nittany Lions bench boss.
Saturday night his team lacked both qualities.
Rob Hamilton’s second goal of the season, coming at the 9:27 mark of the third period, sealed the 5-2 victory for the Vermont Catamounts Saturday at the Wells Fargo Center.
Freshmen goalie Mike Satanguida stopped 31 shots as the Catamounts picked up their first win of the season and improved to 1-1-1 on the year. Perkasie, PA native Eamon McAdam stopped 24 shots in front of his hometown crowd.
Penn State would open the scoring at 11:56 of the first period after a great individual effort by junior forward Taylor Holstrom. Mike Williamson’s initial point shot was blocked in front by a Vermont defender and trickled to the right of Santaguida. Holmstron fought through a check and deposited the rebound into the net. The play did go under review but replay showed the puck crossed the line before the net was knocked off it moorings.
Tommy Olczyk would score a shorthanded goal at 13:56 of the first to make it 2-0 Penn State after Taylor Holstrom took a boarding penalty that sent Vermont on the power play. Jake Fallon would cut Penn State’s lead to one goal at 15:27 of the second.
Penn State has had trouble this season staying out of the sin bin and Saturday night’s contest was no exception. The Nittany Lions were penalized nine times, including a questionable five-minute major and game misconduct penalty to David Glen at 1:43 of the second for contact with the head on Vermont forward Mario Puskarich.
Gadowsky after the game was disappointed with his team’s effort.
"It doesn’t take Scotty Bowman to figure this out, we got to change," Gadowsky said. "I thought this game was poor and I didn’t like our flow and tempo."
Penn State has now taken three major penalties in their last two contests.
Philadelphia Flyers prospect Nick Luukko would equalize the game at 6:42 of the second stanza with a point shot that fluttered on goal, squeaking pass McAdam stick side. The goal was demoralizing for Penn State who had just killed off Glen’s five-minute major penalty.
The Catamounts would take the 3-2 lead at 9:45 of the second on Matt White’s strange goal coupled with some sloppy goalie play by McAdam. Vermont defender Robert Polesello fired a shot from center ice that bounced off the backboards right through the crease. On the scramble, the puck bounced off Penn State defenseman Nate Jensen into the net.
Vermont dominated the second period outshooting Penn State by a 12-1 margin.
"We started off hot," McAdam said after the game. "It was kind of a game changing point there where the puck kicked off the wall. I misjudged it and I put that one on me."
The Nittany Lions didn’t fair much better in third as Vermont extended their lead to 4-2 on Brendan Bradley’s shorthanded marker at 2:30 of the third. Bradley broke into the zone and skated by Penn State defenseman Mark Yanis, who was going for the check instead of playing the puck. Bradley’s initial shot was stopped by McAdam, but he left a gaping rebound for Bradley to bury.
Captain Tommy Olczyk was demonstrative about his team’s performance postgame.
"One shot in the second period is embarrassing," said Olczyk. "Quite frankly, I’m sick of losing games like this. It’s hard to swallow and we had a good week of practice after getting swept by Air Force ... I think a lot of guys including myself have to look at ourselves in the mirror and figure it out."
The loss drops the Nittany Lions to 1-3-1 on the year.
Vermont hosts the Notre Dame Fighting Irish next weekend in Burlington, while Penn State travels to Pittsburgh to take on Robert Morris next Friday Nov. 8.
Notes: Penn State was 0-5 on the power play
*Vermont was 1-6 on the power play
*Accordingto College Hockey Inc., Penn State is third tallest team by height in the country (6’0.78) and
second biggest team by weight (195.52)
*The Nittany Lions boast the most underclassmen in the country with 22
*Vermont has three players selected by NHL clubs: Connor Brickley (FLA, 50th overall 2010), Michael Paliotta (CHI, 70th overall 2011), and Nick Luukko (PHI, 179th overall 2010)
*Penn State has four players: Max Gardiner (STL, 74th overall 2010), Patrick Koudys (WSH, 147th, 2011), Eamon McAdam (NYI, 70th overall, 2013) and Mike Williamson (VAN, 175th overall, 2013
*UVM has produced 14 NHL players including former Philadelphia Flyer John LeClair and current Tampa Bay Lightning captain Martin St. Louis.
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