UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - After opening the 2013 portion of their schedule with a pair of close losses at Connecticut, men's hocky head coach Guy Gadowsky talked to GoPSUsports.com about the first half of the season and gave his insight on the team's growth during the first half of their inaugural season.

The Nittany Lions will host three straight games on their home ice before taking to the road to play in two great hockey venues . The US National U18 Team will travel to Happy Valley for a pair of games on Friday, Jan. 11 and Saturday, Jan. 12 with faceoff scheduled for 7:30 on both nights. After hosting Neumann University on Tuesday, Jan. 19 before heading to Philadelphia to tangle with Vermont at the Wells Fargo Center, home of the NHL's Philadelphia Flyers. After taking the week off, Penn State heads to East Lansing, Mich. to face Michigan State at Munn Ice Arena.



U.S. U18 National Team Notes
Penn State welcomes the United States Under-18 National Development team to the Greenberg Ice Pavilion this weekend. The team plays collegiate teams and competes in the United States Hockey League (USHL). They are currently 6-18-3 in USHL play.

Here are five players to become familiar with: Forwards J.T. Compher, Evan Allen, Tyler Motte, Michael McCarron and Hudson Fasching .

Last Friday, the United States U-18 Nationals defeated Michigan 5-3 in Ann Arbor, Mich. They recorded 2-2 ties against current top-5 teams, No. 1 Minnesota on Oct. 10 and No. 4 New Hampshire on Dec. 9. On Nov. 1 they defeated the Dubuque Fighting Saints, the top team in the USHL and former team of Penn State forward Max Gardiner.

United States U-18 goaltender Thatcher Demko played with Penn State forward Casey Bailey last season with the Omaha Lancers of the USHL.

Notes for US National U18 Team provided by Pat White, GoPSUsports.com men's hockey blogger.
 

--NITTANY LIONS--