Men's Ice Hockey loses tight game to No.5 Penn State

By Annie Renz

The Stonehill men’s ice hockey team put on a thrilling two-game performance against No. 5 Penn State, pushing them to the end of a back-and-forth game one on October 24.  

After going down by one, the Skyhawks went into the second period flying. Joel Lehtinen slotted in his first goal of the season. Twenty-four seconds later, Evan Orr capitalized off a great possession to earn his second goal of the season.  

“It was kind of a blur,” said Lehtinen. “When I scored, I think that helped the team get so much energy, and then Evan scored, and we were buzzing. We got even more energy from that.” 

The day prior, the Skyhawks took their first long road trip of their 2025-2026 campaign to University Park. A bus ride filled with card games followed by a pregame skate and, for some, a swim in the hotel pool made for a fun travel day.  

The team took the ice at Pegula Arena to compete in front of roughly six thousand fans. 

“It’s a top-tier arena. I’ve always enjoyed playing in those environments,” said Connor Androlewicz, the Skyhawks’ goalie. “The fans are into it there. It made for a great environment to play in.” 

Stonehill’s Head Coach David Berard and some of the players said their second period success was credited to sticking to the Skyhawks’ style.  

“We’re at the point now where we can compete against these schools. So, you’re not surprised by it,” said Head Coach David Berard. “We were just trying to stick with our game plan and defend well against them.”  

“It doesn’t matter if they’re ranked third or fortieth. We try to approach each weekend and opponent the same way,” said Androlewicz.  

Penn State responded with a pair of goals of their own, closing out the game 3-2 in the final minute of the game off a penalty against the Skyhawks.  

Penn State’s scoring in the third period began with freshman Gavin McKenna, the projected first overall draft pick.  

Lehtinen said the Skyhawks treated McKenna just like any other player.  

“We looked at some of his stuff he did on the power play because he’s not the number one pick for no reason,” said Lehtinen. “But we just go back to if we play our game, it doesn’t matter who’s against us.”  

The down-to-the-wire finale showed the complete game effort by the Skyhawks to try to even out the scoreboard.  

Coach Berard said his team did not drop off when the Nittany Lions tied the game. He said the team continued to play hard and confidently while continuing to generate chances.  

The frustration that some of the players felt after game one fueled their determination going into game two. 

“It was so devastating because we were so close, especially since we took the penalty at the end with thirty seconds left and they scored. We knew we had them,” said Lehtinen. “The next day, the vibe was good. We knew we could play with them and this helped us play another good game.” 

“We were a little more fired up because we got that game taken away from us. I think it’s all about us, all about our process, and we focus on us going into the second game,” said Androlewicz.  

With this trip to Penn State being early in the season, the team had only played one back-to-back game prior. For Coach Berard, the hard part about back-to-back games is trying to match the energy and execution levels from the night prior. However, his game plan for the team did not change – stick to Stonehill men’s hockey.  

“I thought we did a pretty good job,” said Berard. “The difference in that game is we got down two-nothing. And then we were just chasing it.” 

The Skyhawks were a step behind the Nittany Lions throughout the game. It was a back-and-forth of responses from either side, going from 2-1 to 3-1 to 3-2. Penn State topped off the scoring for the night, closing the game out 4-2.  

“I think the biggest thing is they get a little more of a lead, so they get a little more of a cushion that they felt more comfortable versus the first night we kind of had control of the game throughout,” said Berard.  

The trip may not appear successful on the wins/loss column, but for both Berard and some of the players, there was a lot to take away to be proud of and to work on, while also knowing they put on a great showing for Stonehill.

“Playing close games with them helps us, and, also, other schools recognize that and want to play us too,” said Lehtinen. “Of course, it would have helped if we won. Next time we’ve got to be a little bit better, but I think [the games] will help us for sure.”  

“Any publicity is good publicity, right?” said Androlewicz. “I guess it’s unfortunate we didn’t come out with a win, but I think you’ll see Stonehill men’s hockey playing opponents like that in the future. We always say we’ll play anyone anytime, anywhere.”