Penn State hockey can't sustain momentum in lopsided loss to Ohio State

Penn State hockey tied its worst margin of defeat at Pegula Ice Arena ever Saturday, falling 6-0 to No. 12 Ohio State.

The Nittany Lions couldn’t sustain the momentum from a shootout victory over the Buckeyes from the night before, falling to 14-13-1 on the season, and 5-12-1 in Big Ten play.

“To lose in that fashion doesn’t feel good, kind of a little bit of a kick in the stomach,” senior defenseman Clayton Phillips said.

The defining moment

There was no singular moment in this 5-0 drubbing that wrapped up Penn State’s loss in a neat and tidy package.

Penn State played with the Buckeyes in the first period, arguably producing the better of the chances.

The Buckeyes went up 1-0 at the 7:50 mark of the first, and a second goal by Wise with 2:23 remaining in the first really took the air out of the building.

The Nittany Lions never applied any real game pressure from that point forward. Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said he felt his team tried to rush things, feeling impatient after falling behind. That, Gadowsky said, only caused further problems.

One big thing

Gadowsky opted for senior Oskar Autio in net Saturday, after sophomore Liam Souliere stopped 28 of Ohio State’s 30 shots and won the shootout Friday.

The Nittany Lions followed the same pattern with success last week in a sweep over Wisconsin.

Penn State did not receive the same payoff Saturday. Autio allowed six goals on 27 shots, and while he can’t be faulted for any of the goals in particular, the difference was plain between the two teams’ netminders.

“It was the same as the weekend before,” Gadowsky said when asked about his decision. “Liam had a great game on Friday night, but Oskar’s been playing extremely well and Oskar had a really good night last Saturday as well. So we went for the same formula.”

Jakub Dobes built a wall in the Ohio State crease on the other end. Penn State forged plenty of chances, especially in the first two periods.

Dobes thwarted them all, making 51 saves on the night.

“He’s a great player,” Phillips said. “I think we all take full accountability for the lack of production tonight, but you’ve definitely gotta tip your cap to him. He had a heck of a weekend and made it tough on us.”

Penn State and Ohio State goal-scorers

Ohio State: Jake Wise (8) from Will Riedell (6) and Michael Gildon (3) at 12:10 of the first period

OSU: Jake Wise (9) from Joe Dunlap (6) and Michael Gildon (4) at 17:37 of the first period

OSU: Joe Dunlap (6) from Cam Thiesing (15) and Jake Wise (14) at 1:58 of the second period

OSU: Georgii Merkulov (15) from Quinn Preston (10) and James Marooney (5) at 12:03 of the second period

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OSU: Mason Lohrei (3) from Cole McWard (11) and Quinn Preston (11) at 1:05 of the third period (PPG)

OSU: Tate Singleton (8) from Travis Treloar (5) and Gustaf Westlund (7) at 14:41 of the third period

Next up for Penn State

Penn State travels to South Bend, Indiana, to take on Notre Dame in a two-game series beginning next Friday.