UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Guy Gadowsky’s desire to have Penn State cut down on their penalties meant Nikita Pavlychev needed to take a night to watch and regroup.
Pavlychev, the Penn State freshman who was the Penguins’ seventh-round draft pick in 2015, continues learning and growing each day in Hockey Valley. Since arriving at Penn State, he's added 15 pounds to his 6-foot-7 frame, settled into the routine of classwork and keeps a close eye on what’s happening in Pittsburgh with the help of the NHL Network.
While much has changed for the native of Yaroslavl, Russia, one detail remains the same.
“The refs always see the big guy,” Pavlychev said with a smile spread wide. “They’re going to be paying attention to me and it’s easy to pick up on so I got to adjust to that and I got to learn how to control my stick.”
Pavlychev’s 13 minor penalties are the most on the top-ranked Nittany Lions. Prior to last Friday's game against Michigan State, Gadowsky wanted Pavlychev to sit out and think about some of his unnecessary penalties, keeping him off the ice before he returned to play the series finale Saturday night. It was the first time all season that Pavlychev, who has three goals and six assists, didn't play.
At 217 pounds – Pavlychev said he consumed enough chicken and pasta in the past three months to add 15 pounds of “good weight,” something he hadn’t done in such a short amount of time in the past -- Penn State certainly looked a lot different without him.
The 19-year-old watched from the side, but took it in stride, chalking it up to the NCAA learning curve. He had 161 penalty minutes in 58 games last season, when he played for Des Moines of the junior-level United States Hockey League.
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