Penn State men’s hockey player wins national award as driving force behind sled hockey fundraiser
When a college coach calls an offseason team meeting at an unusual time, it’s reason for concern among players.
“Nobody knew what it was about. I thought we were going to go over guidelines for the spring,” said Dylan Lugris, a 6-foot-2 junior forward who played in all 36 games for the Penn State men’s hockey team this past season.
Instead that meeting was all about Lugris.
The coaching staff gathered the team to share news that Lugris would be recognized with the Hockey Humanitarian Award. The national award, given annually since 1999, recognizes “college hockey’s finest citizen,” a student-athlete who makes significant contributions not only to his or her team but also to the community-at-large through leadership in volunteerism.
The award was officially presented Friday night during an award ceremony at the 2024 Frozen Four.
Lugris, the first Penn State player to win the award, was honored for his role as the driving force behind the Penn State Sled Hockey Classic, a fundraising event for State College Adaptive Recreation and its sled hockey team, the State College Coyotes.
The team typically practices at Pegula Ice Arena on Sundays and Penn State coaches and players have often practiced with them, settling onto metal sleds with their legs stretched in front of them and learning to play hockey with their arms propelling them as well as taking shots on goal.
It was Lugris’ commitment and curiosity that took that relationship to another level, though.
After wondering if it would be possible for the Coyotes to play in front of the raucous fans who comprise the “Roar Zone” at the arena for Penn State games, he then found a way — with abundant help from his teammates — to make it happen.
The most recent Classic, the second annual, was contested Feb. 3 and raised nearly $20,000 for the Coyotes — a program-changing contribution.
Lugris, a marketing major who’s been recognized as a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and Academic All-Big Ten honoree, appreciates the Hockey Humanitarian Award and typically frames it in a bigger-picture perspective, one that’s a little less about him.
“Obviously it’s a big day for sled hockey and our community,” he said. “When I got here and learned about what they were doing, how the team was practicing with them on Sundays, I just kind of fell in love with the group.”
It’s an affinity his teammates and Penn State fans share. After all, Feb. 3 was a Saturday during an off week for the team, and the puck dropped for the exhibition game 9:45 a.m. — that’s awfully early for any college student, on the ice or in the stands.
“It’s a wonderful event, and a testament to our culture. Everybody gets involved, in every aspect to make it happen,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said. “It’s really one of the things that makes me most proud of our guys and our program.”
The Coyotes team has significantly grown the past couple of years, thanks in no small part to the awareness and fundraising provided by Lugris and his teammates.
A year ago, there were a dozen or less Coyotes on the ice, some with duct-taped numbers on their jerseys. This year there were twice as many players.
“There were 23 people on their team skating out to the blue line hearing their names called and with smiles on their faces,” Lugris said. “Seeing those smiles was my biggest reward. It was like, wow, this is awesome.”
