Penn State men’s hockey has been swept in the past three conference series. With only two conference wins this season, it’s ranked second to last in the Big Ten and has dropped out of the USCHO Poll for the first time this season.

The last time Penn State won was against Army on January 6, when it had to climb its way out of a four-point deficit. Its record-breaking game against the Black Knights closed out its non-conference play and brought it to the last 15 Big Ten games of the season.

While the last couple of games have featured a subpar performance from the team, the “kid line” continues to shine through a rather dismal stretch for the Nittany Lions. The line is comprised of Matt DiMarsico at left wing, Aiden Fink at right wing, and Reese Laubach at center. The past two weekends have ended in losses for the Nittany Lions, but the kid line has put up points almost every game.

“They are our best line at creating turnovers by far,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “I think that’s a really underrated reason for their success. We are very, very impressed with their work ethic to win pucks.”

Gadowsky went on to exclaim that he’s confident in the intensity of the team, especially the freshmen.

“I think it’s just the chemistry with us, we’ve played together awhile now,” DiMarsico said of the line’s success. “We play off each other really well, and I think it’s paying off.”

“They all live together, they’re all in the same grade, so that helps them a lot,” defenseman Jarod Crespo added. “They clicked really well and, honestly, hopefully, other lines start doing the same thing.”

Senior captain Christian Berger shared Crespo’s hope for the future of the team with the kid line as an influence.

“We trust them on and off the ice, and they honestly just love the game,” Berger said. “They really have fun out there, and we love to see it.”

The kid line and the rest of Penn State will face Ohio State at home at 6 p.m. on Saturday, January 27. The weekend’s event is the annual “Wear White” game.

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