Gavin McKenna’s first collegiate goal was a big one.
McKenna scored the game-winning power-play goal in no. 5 Penn State’s 4-2 comeback victory over no. 14 Arizona State on Saturday.
The 17-year-old freshman prodigy slapped a rocket of a shot past Sun Devil goalie Connor Hasley from his knee in the right circle. The goal, his first as an NCAA player, gave the Nittany Lions their first lead of the contest with just under two minutes remaining in regulation.
McKenna, who was booed heavily by the Arizona State student section every time he had the puck, gave a savage “forks down” salute during his celebration.
He and his teammates triumphantly skated off the ice giving the same hand symbol to the Sun Devil crowd, which chanted “overrated” in his direction most of the night.
“I heard the boos when I got to touch the puck, and yeah, it was fun,” McKenna said post-game on Friday. “I think playing in [front of] a crowd like that, it’s easy to get up for a game like this.”
McKenna finished the season-opening series in Tempe, Arizona with three total points. He recorded two primary assists on Friday in his team’s 6-3 victory.
The Whitehorse, Yukon native will be the most closely watched player in college hockey this season as the projected first overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. McKenna spent the last three seasons with the CHL’s Medicine Hat Tigers and is eligible to play college hockey due to the NCAA’s vote last November to permit Canadian junior players to participate in Division I competition.
