By Warren Kozireski —
Virtually precisely one yr in the past Dylan Lugris was invited to the Frozen 4 in St. Paul to not play, however to just accept the Hockey Humanitarian Award representing a participant’s dedication to the group in addition to his or her workforce.
Quick ahead one yr and this time Lugris and his Penn State Nittany Lions earned their approach to the primary Frozen 4 in program historical past by defeating Maine and the College of Connecticut within the Allentown Regional.
“Just a few ups and downs at first coming off the summer time and looking for a task,” Lugris stated about his season. “I believe from what my profession has been right here, I’m super-proud of the whole lot that I’ve been in a position to overcome from junior to highschool hockey to get right here. And I’m super-excited to have the ability to play on the Frozen 4—it’s been a dream of mine since I used to be a bit of child.
I couldn’t be extra blessed to be at Penn State and I’m so grateful to the coaches for giving me an opportunity.”
Lugris, a senior ahead with 4 objectives and eight assists in 39 video games this season, was enjoying a 3rd line proper wing roll for Penn State, who misplaced their first six Massive Ten convention video games this season however rebounded within the second half.
“There wasn’t actually that one defining second, I believe we simply began placing wins collectively and simply began rolling and it was a snowball impact the place we simply received higher and higher. We weren’t getting blown out, we simply needed to be extra constant and staying optimistic.
One in all many little issues that allowed Lugris to succeed in the highest stage of school hockey is consideration to element. On the follow day previous to the nationwide semi-finals, he spent important time back-handing puck after puck from his personal finish out of the zone and out of hurt’s means.
“Every time we go into a brand new constructing you by no means understand how the ice is or board and the way they bounce, so I identical to to attempt to get in that space and put pucks off the glass as a lot as I can. After I over-complicate my recreation that’s once I get into bother, so enjoying easy, arduous hockey is what I’ve discovered probably the most success for me. So, each time in a brand new barn…form of see how the boards are.”
Lugris was honored partially final yr for his work with the Penn State Sled Hockey Traditional, now in its third yr. And identical to that focus to element, it can proceed after Lugris leaves the Pleased Valley campus quickly.
“We had one other nice Hockey Traditional and we raised greater than we did final yr. I’m super-thankful to be in a spot like Penn State that’s been in a position to give us all of the assets we will to offer an occasion like that and so they’ve been in a position to develop and develop and I’m excited to see what’s subsequent.”
(Picture by Koz, NY Hockey OnLine; photograph taken April 2024)
