Well, a series split is better than getting swept in an inaugural weekend, but there is a lot of work to be done by this new and young Penn State team....a lot of work. It's hard to critique anything out of a program's first series in its history, because there's no doubt the coaches were trying a lot of different things to get a feel for what might work and what won't, on a team with 17 freshmen. Vermont was a good opponent for a series like that, as they played with a very short bench and aren't exactly a powerhouse. There were flashes of talent from these freshmen, for sure, but there's definitely work to be done.
Let's start with offense - they don't have any. They get the occasional offensive rush and then it's back to defense for what seems like the entire game. When they did manage to get the puck into the offensive zone, it was a free-for-all. It didn't look like there had been any preparation for setting up offensive plays, although the players with experience did show that they knew what should've been happening. One big problem is the same big problem they had with the club team last season - nobody in front of the net for rebounds, screens, generally harrassing the goalie, etc.
So let's try their defense. They should be pretty good at it, because they spent about 95% of the series on defense. That's understandable, all things considered, and it makes sense to focus on defense with a brand new program, knowing you're going to get hammered for most of a game. Still, they need to work on it. Vermont in the offensive zone always had two players on point, ready to set things up, with nobody covering them. Scrums along the boards drew too many Penn State players into the scramble, or drawn in too close to it, and it left Vermont with open players with the inevitable result - a whole lot of shots. Penn State did need to improve on their willingness to fight for a puck on the boards, and they did do that, but at the cost of covering the Vermont players who were set up on the points. I'm sure the coaches saw the same thing and will be working on that. In Penn State's defensive zone, there was just way too much open ice between Vermont players and Penn State players.
Special teams - weren't. The power play is non-existent. There was no conventional cycling of the puck to set up a play, no standard-looking "players on point" setup, etc. It was just a more crowded offensive rush that usually ended up back in their defensive zone again. There isn't much to say because there really isn't a power play to talk about.
Penalty kill - they were better at this because that's basically the game they played the whole series, even with very few penalties. They're not afraid to block shots, and did a lot of that successfully. The biggest trouble they had was clearing the puck on a penalty kill. They scramble for the puck, they block shots, but they have a hard time getting the puck out of the zone, so they never get a chance to catch their breath.
All in all, they have a good core of freshmen who showed flashes of talent and hockey smarts, and with good coaching they should be fine in their first season of D-1 play. It's way too early to evaluate them or write them off based solely on this first series of mostly defensive play. They've obviously worked on defense in the short preseason, and that will serve them well, because they definitely are going to get hammered all year. There are some good defenders, some good forwards, and we got to see two good goalies (one a freshman) who could be even better with a little help from their teammates. The coach has made a point of saying they want to be playing their best hockey by tournament time - the standard line from coaches - and they do have the players to be a good team by playoff time....if they're coached right.
D-1 hockey at Penn State has been a long time coming, and it was fun to finally see it start.
Game two highlight video:
. Pretty sure that I got a few years on you. 
