Aiden Fink hit a major milestone last Saturday night, but true to form, he didn’t even realize it until after the final horn. The Penn State junior quietly etched his name into the program’s history books, becoming the fastest Nittany Lion ever to reach 100 career points. It came in game No. 87, during a series sweep of Minnesota, when Fink assisted on freshman Jackson Smith’s third-period goal.
He found out the news the way many college athletes do these days - through Instagram, postgame. For Fink, it wasn’t about the personal accolades. He was locked in on the sweep, which also included a third assist that night on captain Dane Dowiak’s empty-netter, pushing his career total to 101 points.
If you ask Dowiak, none of this is surprising. Not the points, not the humility, not the quiet focus.
“Every single day just starts new,” Dowiak said Monday at Pegula Ice Arena. “He’s not worried about the points or the goals...
He just wants this place to win. That’s the coolest thing to me - you’ve got a guy with 100-plus points, and all he cares about is winning.
That’s a recipe for success.”
Fink’s been building that recipe since he arrived in State College. His 41 career goals are tied for 10th in program history, and his 60 assists rank ninth.
He’s just two points shy of cracking the top eight overall. And while the numbers speak volumes, the awards back them up - unanimous All-Big Ten First Team last season, a Hobey Baker Top-10 finalist, and a Big Ten Player of the Year finalist.
But ask Fink what it all means, and he’ll steer the conversation back to the big picture.
“It means a lot,” Fink said Monday. “But obviously, my main goal here is winning the national championship.
Super cool. Did not know about it, kind of just wanted to play my game and battle for a national championship.
That’s still my main goal.”
That goal stays front and center this weekend as No. 8 Penn State (14-6-0, 6-4-0 Big Ten) hosts Notre Dame (4-15-1, 0-10-0) for a two-game set at Pegula.
The puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday (streaming on B1G+), and 8 p.m.
Saturday (televised on Big Ten Network). The Nittany Lions are riding a three-game win streak and looking to close out a five-game homestand with a perfect record - and a climb in the Big Ten standings.
If they pull it off, expect Fink to be in the middle of the action. He’s not just a scorer; he’s a catalyst.
This season, he’s posted three goals and 11 assists, including four multi-point games - two of which have come in the last three outings. He’s been skating alongside freshman standout Gavin McKenna, and the chemistry is showing.
Head coach Guy Gadowsky knows Fink’s numbers grab headlines, but what impresses him most is the way Fink gets them.
“You can’t deny Aiden Fink is an excellent scorer,” Gadowsky said. “But when he’s at his best, the real influence is how he does it.
His motor - he gives so much. That’s the one thing people need to understand.
He consistently gives a lot of himself. No one scores every game, but he never coasts.
Ever. I haven’t seen that out of him.
He gives so much of himself in every game.”
And that’s the heartbeat of this Penn State team. Fink’s impact goes beyond the scoresheet.
He sets the tone. He leads by example.
He’s the guy who doesn’t take a period off.
Fink got a taste of the big stage last season when Penn State made its first run to the Frozen Four. He led the team in goals (23), assists (30), and points (53) - building on a strong freshman campaign (15 goals, 19 assists).
This year started hot, too, with a six-game point streak before an injury at Ohio State in late October sidelined him for seven games. The Nittany Lions went 3-4 in his absence.
Since returning, he’s tallied five points in four games.
His presence makes a difference - not just on the scoresheet, but in the locker room and on the ice. Dowiak summed it up best.
“You see the work he puts in every single day, and he makes everybody else around him better,” the captain said. “It’s honestly a pleasure to play with him. It’s something I’m going to remember for a really long time because he’s going to be playing hockey for a really long time.”
For now, though, Fink isn’t focused on the next level or even the next milestone. He’s locked in on the next game - and the ultimate prize.
“Everyone congratulated me on the bench, in the locker room, that stuff, and it’s pretty cool,” Fink said. “But again, national championship’s the main goal.”