Penn State’s men’s hockey team is gearing up for the post-season, fresh off back-to-back wins over Ohio State, one in overtime and another by a 7-goal margin.
The women’s hockey team is playing just as well, top of their conference and in line for their own post-season run.
How well Penn State’s hockey is doing is a pretty fun mirror of how well the US men’s and women’s hockey teams did at the Olympics.
Both men and women played archrival Canada in their respective gold medal games, both games went
to overtime, and USA won both games by a final score of 2-1.
The feel good stories for all four teams has just been incredible to watch unfold. I’m a big fan of the Olympics in general, but knowing that Canada has had the USA’s number for so many years felt fantastic to finally get the win. In fact, this was the first men’s gold medal of my lifetime. Seeing Jack Hughes bury the game-winner will be up there with the “do you believe in miracles” line from 1980.
The women, meanwhile, have consistently been podium finishers, with gold medals coming much more recently. But still, Canada has been the “big bad” for both teams for decades. Megan Keller sliding home the winning goal won’t be soon forgotten.
Closer to home, Gavin McKenna has been churning out productivity at an impressive rate, including 8 points against Ohio State (a program record), and helping the team overcome the Buckeyes in overtime.
Will the Penn State team’s replicate Team USA’s success and hoist some hardware at the end of the season? Who knows. But right now, hockey is a shining beacon of success for both the Nittany Lions and Team USA, and I’m just happy to come along for the ride.
