Penn State can't keep pace in 7-3 loss at Michigan

The No. 6-ranked Penn State men’s hockey program dropped its series opener to the No. 7-ranked Michigan Wolverines, 7-3, on Friday night. 

Penn State moves to 18-8-1 on the season, and 8-8-1 in Big Ten play with the decision.

How it happened

Penn State got off to a hot start. The Nittany Lions came out of the gates dominant, controlling the puck in their offensive zone, and putting up quality shots. 

They dominated the shot chart in the first period, leading 18-7.  Yet, for all of that, the score sheet showed this period was all Wolverines. A little over five minutes into the game, Jackson Hallum put Michigan on the score sheet, finding the back of the net. The assist came from Seamus Casey and Ethan Edwards. 

Then the recent kryptonite for this Nittany Lion team, the penalty kill, struck again. 

Just 37 seconds after a Tyler Paquette tripping penalty, Canadian World Junior star Adam Fantilli found the back of the net with the man advantage with assists from Luke Hughes and Gavin Brindley. 

The Wolverines went into the first intermission up two goals. The second period opened, and the action came immediately. Fantilli thought he had another goal, making the game 3-0, but the officials called it off after a quick review for goaltender interference. 

With just a little under two minutes of play in the second period, Jay Keranan was called for a boarding call, which was a five-minute major, as well as a game misconduct. Xander Lampa struck just six seconds into the power-play, with assists from Paquette and Christian Sarlo, giving the Nittany Lions life.

A little less than eight minutes later, Rutger McGroarty silenced the Penn State momentum with his goal, assisted by Casey and Fantilli. Phillipe Lapointe scored less than a minute later for the Wolverines to put them up three goals with just over nine minutes to play in the period. 

Noah Grannon took over the goaltending duties for the Nittany Lions after the Lapointe goal. With all of the momentum swinging in the direction of the Wolverines, Lampa scored his second goal of the period, bringing this game back to a two-goal deficit for the Lions heading into the second intermission. 

The third period was a battle to the very end. Penn State had many different opportunities, but even after dominating possession one after another, they couldn’t get anything in the net. 

The Nittany Lions pulled their goalie, trying to get something going, but it did not work. Fantilli and Hughes both scored on the empty net to make it 6-2 Wolverines. Alex Servagno scored for the Nittany Lions, and Luca Fantilli notched his first colligate goal for the Wolverines to bring upon the 7-3 final score. 

There was some late-game animosity in this game. Connor MacEachren and Kienan Draper both received misconduct penalties with less than a minute to play, after a scuffle, which initiated a lot of cross-checking. Chase McLane and Edwards of the Wolverines both received roughing minors for a bout just seven seconds later. 

Analysis

• Penn State topped their shot total from last Friday night when they lost to Notre Dame, with 54 shots tonight, doubling Michigan’s shots on the night. 

• Penn State has now allowed five power-play goals in its last five games. This game did not come down to one goal, however, it is still an area in need of improvement. 

• A positive sight in a long night for the Nittany Lion faithful, head Coach Guy Gadowsky gave the freshman goaltender, Noah Grannon, an extended amount of playing time against a top 10 team, and he did well. 

• Grannon allowed only the one late-game goal by Fantilli (Luca) in a little over 25 minutes of action tonight. 

What’s next for Penn State?

The Nittany Lions will take on the Wolverines Saturday at 7:00 PM at Yost Ice Arena.