It was 18 minutes and 39 seconds into the first period at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia when David Glen picked up the puck and slipped it past Vermont’s netminder Brody Hoffman.
Before Penn State players called themselves victors against Vermont — a game the team won 4-2 — Casey Bailey put another marker on the board.
Lately, this seems all too familiar.
Bailey and Glen have consistently led the team in points this season. The duo played in all 21 games and both lead the team’s offensive statistics with 19 points (11 goals, eight assists). They combine to make up 25 percent of the team’s total points (151) earned so far this season.
Coach Guy Gadowsky agreed that there’s been obvious consistency from the two forwards.
“It seems like [David] Glen and Casey [Bailey] are on the same cycle,” Gadowsky said. “…It seems lately that when one scores the other scores, which is nice, but we do want to get more guys going.”
After the Nittany Lions’ win in Philadelphia, Gadowsky said he has to get more guys to contribute. He said it would be unrealistic to expect the two to continue to lead the team in scoring.
The first-year coach mentioned Taylor Holstrom and that he could surface to be among the leading scorers.
“Taylor Holstrom is emerging as a guy that can be an offensive leader for us,” Gadowsky said. “He’s certainly not the only one that I’d like. I’d like to see more, but he’s the one that comes to mind.”
The junior forward recorded nine points (five goals, four assists) in the 18 games he’s played in this season. As a freshman in 2010-2011, he played for Mercyhurst, where he was named Atlantic Hockey Rookie of the Year. There he led the team in assists, with 24, and ranked third in points, with 33.
Gadowsky said Holstrom is definitely someone he sees stepping up. He said he doesn’t just want to “rely” on Bailey and Glen, but acknowledged their contribution to the team.
“I think they’re both tremendous hockey players and are consistent,” Gadowsky said. “They don’t just settle for the way things go. They try to make things happen. I give them all the credit in the world, but really as we go on…we’re going to need more than two guys to consistently fill the net.”
Bailey, who is on a team-best point-scoring streak with five games, said it isn’t just Glen that he feeds off for motivation. He mentioned Holstrom, Max Gardiner, Kenny Brooks and “all of the guys.”
“I think it’s anybody, anybody who sparks up the team,” Bailey said. “…Glen is definitely one of the guys who does it more often. Watching him play gets you excited, he works hard. He’s a great skilled player. He raises your level.”
Bailey recorded five goals and three assists in the past five games and said he was brought to Penn State to play a scoring role.
“They knew I was a guy who likes to shoot the puck, and fortunately it goes in sometimes,” Bailey said. “I think for it to be working out gives you a lot of confidence.”
Glen, who recorded three goals in the past five games, said that that he and Bailey scoring one after another is just coincidence.
“I think as long as we’re both scoring, we’re both happy,” Glen said. “So hopefully that keeps going.”
