Lions Split Senior Day Series; THON raises $9.77 million
This was a weekend to remember in Happy Valley for numerous reasons. With over seven different varsity sporting events occurring in less than 48 hours and it being THON weekend, Penn State’s campus was buzzing with activity, visitors, and students alike.
From the hockey side of things, the puck dropped at Pegula Ice Arena against Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. This puck drop was the second to last of the home season, as this season represented the last home series that this year’s seniors would get to play.
Penn State (19-9-4, 9-6-1)) started off the evening with a goal from senior captain David Glen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta) in the sixth minute. Comfortably controlling Ohio State (9-17-2, 4-8-2) for the rest of the first period, the crowd knew Penn State would come out even stronger in the second period.
Vince Pedrie (Rochester, Minn.) continued the scoring with a goal in the fourth minute thanks to assists from senior Eric Scheid (Blaine, Minn.) and Kenny Brooks (Las Vegas, Nev.).
Junior goalie Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) was on fire Friday night, making save after save, even when stopping the puck seemed impossible. McAdam made 33 saves for the Lions on Friday, and his agility and intelligence largely contributed to the Lions’ win.
Late in the second period was when Penn State kicked it into high gear. All within five minutes of each other, David Goodwin, Luke Juha (Mississauga, Ontario), and Alec Marsh (Bridgewater, N.J.) had all netted goals to wrap up the second in the lead, 5-0.
Ohio State notched their one goal of the evening at the start of the third. At one point, Ohio State garnered a double penalty from Penn State, giving them a six to three man advantage. Still, thanks to McAdam’s fantastic skills and Penn State’s calm play, Ohio State never found the back of the net again that evening.
Zach Saar (Richland, Mich.), after being given undeserved penalty after penalty on Friday, netted the final goal of the game, an empty net goal, in the nineteenth minute, granting Penn State the 6-1 win.
Saturday, the official senior day of the Lions, unfortunately did not go as planned. Ohio State snuck away with a 7-4 win. The Buckeyes were able to secure three goals in the first nine minutes of the game, leaving Penn State with a large deficit to fill.
Although Penn State came close to skating away with a win, at one point tying up the game 4-4, Ohio State simply outplayed the Lions.
Despite the loss, Penn State honored the careers of eight amazing seniors, thanking them for their dedication to and passion for both hockey and Penn State.
While this exciting hockey series was going on, 708 of the most driven Penn State students, all chosen to represent their organizations as dancers, were on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center, dancing for the Four Diamonds Fund at THON.
The BJC hit its max capacity of 16,000 multiple times beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening.
The yearly 46-hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon fondly known as THON at Penn State garnered national attention this year as networks such as ABC and ESPN SportsCenter acknowledged the amazing efforts of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
This year, THON’s message was more powerful than ever. After the sudden passing of a Penn State student during a canning trip, and the prompt cancellation of the following canning events, Penn State students rallied and worked harder than ever before to make this THON one to remember.
After 46 magical hours of dancing, pep rallies, and powerful speeches from Devon Still and James Franklin, the total raised for the Four Diamonds Fund benefitting pediatric cancer research was revealed to be $9,770,332.32.
A new year of THON begins tomorrow, where Penn Staters can begin once again to believe beyond boundaries. We are, for the kids!
From the hockey side of things, the puck dropped at Pegula Ice Arena against Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. on Friday. This puck drop was the second to last of the home season, as this season represented the last home series that this year’s seniors would get to play.
Penn State (19-9-4, 9-6-1)) started off the evening with a goal from senior captain David Glen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta) in the sixth minute. Comfortably controlling Ohio State (9-17-2, 4-8-2) for the rest of the first period, the crowd knew Penn State would come out even stronger in the second period.
Vince Pedrie (Rochester, Minn.) continued the scoring with a goal in the fourth minute thanks to assists from senior Eric Scheid (Blaine, Minn.) and Kenny Brooks (Las Vegas, Nev.).
Junior goalie Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) was on fire Friday night, making save after save, even when stopping the puck seemed impossible. McAdam made 33 saves for the Lions on Friday, and his agility and intelligence largely contributed to the Lions’ win.
Late in the second period was when Penn State kicked it into high gear. All within five minutes of each other, David Goodwin, Luke Juha (Mississauga, Ontario), and Alec Marsh (Bridgewater, N.J.) had all netted goals to wrap up the second in the lead, 5-0.
Ohio State notched their one goal of the evening at the start of the third. At one point, Ohio State garnered a double penalty from Penn State, giving them a six to three man advantage. Still, thanks to McAdam’s fantastic skills and Penn State’s calm play, Ohio State never found the back of the net again that evening.
Zach Saar (Richland, Mich.), after being given undeserved penalty after penalty on Friday, netted the final goal of the game, an empty net goal, in the nineteenth minute, granting Penn State the 6-1 win.
Saturday, the official senior day of the Lions, unfortunately did not go as planned. Ohio State snuck away with a 7-4 win. The Buckeyes were able to secure three goals in the first nine minutes of the game, leaving Penn State with a large deficit to fill.
Although Penn State came close to skating away with a win, at one point tying up the game 4-4, Ohio State simply outplayed the Lions.
Despite the loss, Penn State honored the careers of eight amazing seniors, thanking them for their dedication to and passion for both hockey and Penn State.
While this exciting hockey series was going on, 708 of the most driven Penn State students, all chosen to represent their organizations as dancers, were on the floor of the Bryce Jordan Center, dancing for the Four Diamonds Fund at THON.
The BJC hit its max capacity of 16,000 multiple times beginning at 6 p.m. on Saturday evening.
The yearly 46-hour no sitting, no sleeping dance marathon fondly known as THON at Penn State garnered national attention this year as networks such as ABC and ESPN SportsCenter acknowledged the amazing efforts of the largest student-run philanthropy in the world.
This year, THON’s message was more powerful than ever. After the sudden passing of a Penn State student during a canning trip, and the prompt cancellation of the following canning events, Penn State students rallied and worked harder than ever before to make this THON one to remember.
After 46 magical hours of dancing, pep rallies, and powerful speeches from Devon Still and James Franklin, the total raised for the Four Diamonds Fund benefitting pediatric cancer research was revealed to be $9,770,332.32.
A new year of THON begins tomorrow, where Penn Staters can begin once again to believe beyond boundaries. We are, for the kids!
