Chase Berger Named Men’s Hockey Captain

When Penn State takes the ice on Oct. 11 for its season opener against Clarkson, it will do so with a new player donning the “C” on the front of his jersey.

Coach Guy Gadowsky announced earlier today that senior Chase Berger has been voted team captain for the 2018-19 season, while senior defenseman Kevin Kerr and junior forward Brandon Biro will serve as alternates.

Berger, who was an alternate captain last season under captain James Robinson, is the sixth Nittany Lion to serve as captain. The top-line center has been an iron man for the Nittany Lions, playing in each of the team’s 115 games since he arrived as a freshman in 2015-16.

In that time, he has climbed to third on the team’s all-time scoring list with 89 points. He also serves as the top penalty-killing center for Gadowsky.

“It is an honor to be named captain of this team and to represent this outstanding university by wearing the ‘C’,” Berger told GoPSUsports. “My teammates and I will do everything in our power to make our fellow Penn Staters proud of this hockey team.”

Kerr and Biro will sport an extra letter on their jerseys for the first time in their Penn State careers. Unlike Berger and his iron man streak, Kerr has suffered through injuries the past two seasons, playing just 20 last season and 25 in 2017-18.

When he does play, he is arguably Penn State’s top two-way defenseman. He recorded 10 points last season and 15 the year prior with a combined plus-10 rating.

Biro arrived at Penn State as the youngest player to suit up for the team but has quickly planted himself as one of its most important. A tenacious worker in spite of his 5-foot-11, 180-pound frame, Biro has recorded 51 points in 76 games during his first two seasons, and his 31 points last season ranked second on the team.