Forward gets game-winner late in comeback victory for Nittany Lions
© Nicholas J. Cotsonika
TEMPE, Ariz. — Gavin McKenna ripped a one-timer from the right circle on the power play with 1:53 left in the third period Saturday, scoring his first collegiate goal and giving Penn State the lead. Full of emotion, he made a “forks down” gesture, the opposite of Arizona State’s “forks up.”
Then, after the Nittany Lions sealed a 4-2 comeback win at Mullett Arena, the 17-year-old skated to the end zone by the Sun Devils student section. On back-to-back nights, the students had booed him when he touched the puck. On this night, they added a couple of chants.
“Overrated!”
“Gavin [stinks]!”
McKenna rapped the glass with the blade of his stick, smiling and celebrating.
“They’ve been giving it to me all weekend, obviously,” McKenna said. “I’m expecting that for most of the year. Yeah, so I thought I’d give it back to them.”
McKenna hammered a one-timer for his first NCAA goal late in the 3rd on the power play
What a weekend for McKenna, the most coveted recruit in NCAA hockey history and the favorite to be the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
He had two highlight-reel assists Friday in his first game, a 6-3 win. Now he had the winning goal in his second game. Each was broadcast on NHL Network and streamed on the NHL YouTube channel.
“Special players make special plays at the special times, and that’s exactly what happened,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said.
McKenna was last season’s player of the year in the Western Hockey League and the Canadian Hockey League. He had 129 points (41 goals, 88 assists) in 56 games for Medicine Hat, plus 38 points (nine goals, 29 assists) in 16 playoff games.
He came to college to prepare to play in the NHL potentially next season. At 6-foot, 170 pounds, he wanted to take advantage of more time in the gym with the shorter college schedule, and he wanted to play against older, stronger opponents.
You could see why Saturday. The Sun Devils wanted to be physical on him. On one play, he was outmuscled. On another, he was bumped off the puck, and he retaliated with a crosscheck.
Penn State beat Arizona State 4-2, powered by McKenna’s first collegiate goal
He heard it from the student section as he skated to the penalty box at 4:05 of the third period with the Nittany Lions trailing 2-0. Forward Nicholas Chin-DeGraves bailed him out by scoring a short-handed goal at 5:29 to cut the deficit to 2-1.
“I let my emotions get to me on that penalty,” McKenna said. “Obviously, you don’t want to take that penalty, but we scored on it. Shout out to ‘Graves.’ And, yeah, I think I’ve learned to deal with it. It’s going to be something I’ve got to learn all year, to just stay calm and not let it get to me.”
Gadowsky was not worried about it.
“That is why he came here, to get bigger, stronger,” Gadowsky said. “But give him some time. I’ll tell you what; I thought his play without the puck was really, really good all weekend. Like, I underestimated how good he was with that, so he’s coming. And trust me, he’s getting bigger and stronger every week. Give him a couple months.”
Forward JJ Wiebusch tied it 2-2 at 8:30 of the third, and when the Nittany Lions got a power play late in the period, it became a made-for-NHL Network moment. Defenseman Mac Gadowsky, the coach’s son, sent a pass from left to right for McKenna.
“Great pass by Mac cross ice, and boy, did he …” the coach said, his voice trailing off for a moment. “Oh, my God, did he label that.”
McKenna made no mistake.
“Obviously, it was a big power play,” McKenna said. “I saw Mac. He was looking to hit me, and he hit the seam. I shot it, tried to pick my spot and saw it was in the back of the net.”
© Chris Coduto/Getty Images
That silenced the fans, including the students. Yeah, there is a reason McKenna has generated all the hype. Be careful calling him overrated.
“It’s nothing new, honestly,” McKenna said. “Maybe just the booing when I touch the puck. That might be new. But for the most part, there’s always a target on my back. I’ve kind of learned to play like that, and yeah, it’s nothing new to me.”
After the game, as families flooded the hall, McKenna did a quick interview and then headed out to the ice for a photo. He held up the puck he had shot into the net. In black marker on white tape, it said “1st NCAA Goal.”
First of many.
“I thought he was excellent all weekend, and look, give him credit for handling all the noise as well,” the coach said. “A lot of people are here. He handles the noise like an absolute 20-year vet. He really is. The way he handles his emotions and all the noise around him is outstanding. It’s amazing.”
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