Growing up in a hockey family presents challenges and opportunities.
For Army West Point defenseman Mac Gadowsky, hockey was always there, but the sophomore never felt pressure to play.
“Ever since I could remember, it’s something I wanted to do,” said Gadowsky. “When I was a kid, it was NHL highlights in the morning and then weekends going to my dad’s games.”
Gadowsky’s father, Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky, previously coached at Princeton and Alaska, where Mac was born.
“He never pushed us. He’s just always been there when we needed it,” said Gadowsky, who has a brother Magnus, a freshman forward at Amherst as well as a younger sister.
After three seasons of junior hockey in the NAHL, Gadowsky committed to West Point.
When asked if that was a hockey or career decision, the cyber science major said, “Both. At the time, Army was the only Division I team talking with me. Doing my research, it was clear how amazing this school is in terms of building your character, building leaders with character. That shined bright with me.”
His freshman season got Gadowsky noticed. He totaled 23 points as a blueliner and was named to the Atlantic Hockey all-freshman team.
This year, Gadowsky has taken things to another level. His 11 goals lead all defensemen nationally, and his 31 points are second to Denver All-American Zeev Buium.
Over a six-game stretch in January, Gadowsky scored six goals and added eight assists. It’s no coincidence that the Black Knights won all six games. Before that, Army West Point was winless in nine games, scoring just nine goals.
“We had kind of a lull in the middle of the season,” said Gadowsky. “That was tough. Even though we weren’t winning, we weren’t playing bad hockey.”
Gadowsky says the team found confidence is a big weekend series against Mercyhurst in January, when the Black Knights scored a combined 22 goals, including three by Gadowsky.
“We didn’t change our core, but changed how we looked at the game,” he said. “We needed to get beyond, ‘We need to win and we need to score.’ We got better at playing a complete game and tried to have fun and focus on the details.”
Gadowsky’s 11 goals this season is more than he scored in total in three years of juniors and his first year of college hockey. He attributes it to becoming more familiar with Army’s system, which suits him.
“Our system fits my style,” he said. “Shooting from top circles and get movement in front, that’s led to goals. There’s a little bit of luck as well.”
When asked about his favorite college hockey memories so far, Gadowsky pointed to two games against his dad’s Penn State team, one in Happy Valley last season and the other a matchup with the Nittany Lions at the Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., on Dec. 12.
“Both games were pretty amazing for different reasons,” said Gadowsky. “The game at Penn State was a dream come true after being there during my teen years and wishing that someday I would be on that ice playing a college hockey game.
“D.C. was a spectacular weekend for all of us, full of experiences like using the Capitals facility, attending the Army-Navy game and visiting the Pentagon and Arlington National Cemetery. I was super thankful for the opportunities.”
Army West Point currently sits in fifth place in the Atlantic Hockey America standings, the final bye position. The Black Knights are on a 9-1 roll, including taking five points from first-place Sacred Heart last weekend.
Up next is a trip to archrival Air Force this weekend. The Black Knights’ goal is to lift the Riley Cup as playoff champions, especially fitting in Army coach Brian Riley’s last season.
“I don’t think we’ve talked about it too much,” said Gadowsky. “We don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. But in the back of our minds, that would be a pretty special moment for him.”
