Penn State’s Big Ten hockey season far exceeded expectations. At least those set by the conference’s coachesbefore the season began, anyway.
The Lions, picked to finish last in their second season of Big Ten play, finished fourth and were in contention for the regular season title up until the final weeks of the season. It’s an accomplishment that earned the Lions a date with No. 5 Ohio State in Thursday’s conference tournament opener, and also handed head coach Guy Gadowsky the Big Ten coach of the year title.