Penn State hockey fans were a little shaken Wednesday afternoon when they learned star goaltender Liam Souliere's transfer destination.4th year starter nittany lions He announced he would be transferring to Minnesota, perhaps Penn State's biggest hockey rival. Soulier entered the transfer portal at the end of March.
Former Penn State hockey star goaltender transfers to Big Ten rival
Liam Souliere left his mark on the program during his four seasons with the Penn State hockey team. He joined the program in October 2018 and had impressive performances with both the CCHL's Brockville Braves and the BCHL's Victoria Grizzlies before ever setting foot on campus, making him the top goaltender in program history at the time. As a candidate, he immediately attracted the attention of fans.
He arrived on campus in time for the 2020-2021 season, fresh off winning Penn State's only Big Ten regular season title the year before. He spent his first year backing up former goaltender Oscar Autio during a season that was changed due to the coronavirus. Ironically, he made his debut in the team's second game that year, away from then No. 11 Minnesota, a narrow 3-2 loss to the Gophers. He got his first win more than a month later in a thrilling 5-4 OT win against No. 11 Arizona State. That season, he appeared in only four games, resulting in disappointing numbers. He achieved his 4.60 GAA with his 1-3-0.
The 2021-2022 campaign was a breakout year for Liam Soulier. He and Autio continued to split time, but Liam Soulier spent more time in the crease than he did that season. He played in 15 games and posted a 7-7-1 record, 2.88 GAA, and .905 SV%.
The 2022-2023 season was when he lived up to the hype Hockey Valley fans have been talking about since 2018. With Autio transferring to Vermont, Souliere was the presumed starter heading into the season. He appeared in 36 of the 39 games he played for the Penn State hockey team that season. He broke countless records for the program throughout the year. His 19 wins were his second-most in a season in program history.
His 2.43 GAA is a single-season program tied for the longest consecutive shutout streak of 184:55 from October 28, 2022 to November 5, 2022. He also led the Nittany Lions to an 8-0 shutout victory over Michigan Tech in the NCAA Tournament. To date, this is the program's only shutout record in postseason play.
This past season was a step back for him, posting a 12-14-1 record, 3.38 GAA, and 0.874 SV%. Despite his down year, he left the program with his 36 wins ranking second all-time and in GAA he was fourth all-time with a 2.93 GAA. He officially entered the transfer portal on March 27th. Now, Penn State will see him don the maroon and gold medal at least four times next year in a biannual series against Minnesota.
Who will step up for the Nittany Lions next season?
This leaves open the possibility that recent Connecticut transfer Arseniy Sergeyev will be the starter on the inside track, with current junior Noah Grannon a reserve.
Penn State hockey suffered a major loss in the transfer portal this offseason with Souliere's departure to Minnesota. Forward Ryan Kirwan transferred to Arizona State, and defenseman Dylan Gratton transferred to Omaha. Forward Chase McClain is still in the portal. When the season opener comes in October, this team will look a lot different than before.
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