It’s not hard to recognize Nikita Pavlychev on the ice. The 6-foot-7 Russian center is usually known for disrupting everything in his path.
He gets in the way of the other team when they’re trying to score. He clears the way for smaller and faster forwards to jam the puck in the net and he hip checks opposing skaters into orbit.
In Penn State’s 5-1 victory against Clarkson, Pavlychev did all of that. He was a battering ram, a destructive enforcer for the Nittany Lions.
It is usually understood that Pavlychev is not on the ice to score nor is he there to assist.