Penn State’s Paul DeNaples (3) against Michigan in the second period on Nov. 16, 2018. DeNaples may be a freshman, but he’s experienced at 20 years old. Craig Houtz Courtesy of Penn State Athletics
When when current defenseman Paul DeNaples talks about his first Penn State men’s hockey game, he means the very first one, when the program made its Division I debut in Pegula Ice Arena.
He was in the arena Oct. 11, 2013, when the Nittany Lions defeated Army in front of 6,370 fans. For the then-teenage hockey player from Scranton, the emotions and memories were immediate and impactful, and they remain vivid more than five years later.