Penn State hockey falls to No. 13 Notre Dame in controversial fashion

A few tight camera shots helped decide Penn State hockey’s 4-2 loss to No. 13 Notre Dame.

With the game tied 2-2 around the seven-minute mark of the third period, a puck appeared to hit the safety netting above the Penn State zone. The officials allowed play to continue, and Notre Dame’s Landon Slaggert scored what turned out to be the game-winning goal.

A Penn State challenge proved fruitless, as no camera shot from the in-arena feed could clearly show the puck making contact with the netting.

“The puck hit the net,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said. “Obviously, [goaltender Oskar Autio] saw it pretty clean and clear…It hit the net, but hockey’s a fast game. They’re not going to catch everything, and unfortunately they didn’t see that.”

The fact that Penn State’s skaters didn’t play to the whistle seemed to irk Gadowsky more than the call itself, feeling the goal could have been prevented had the Nittany Lions not assumed the play would be blown dead.

“We play to the whistle, regardless,” Gadowsky said. “Regardless of whether it hit the net or not, we had plenty of time to beat our men back and we didn’t. On the one hand, you can look at it, gee, the puck hit the net, it shouldn’t have been a goal. On the other hand, you can look it that — regardless –if we beat our man back to the net, we’re fine.”

It was reminiscent of a similar play against Princeton in Philadelphia’s Wells Fargo Arena during the 2016-17 season, when former goaltender Peyton Jones seemed to give up on a play, figuring a puck had hit the netting. It wasn’t blown dead. Princeton scored, and won the game.

“Hopefully we grow and learn from this one, just like Peyton Jones did back in Wells Fargo Arena,” Gadowsky said.

The controversy added a new twist on a game balanced on a knife’s edge.

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Notre Dame took a 2-0 lead in the first 3:01 of the second period via Max Ellis and Grant Silianoff, who scored on the power play. His goal marked the fifth game in a row the Nittany Lions have conceded a power-play tally.

It came after freshman Carson Dyck took a kneeing penalty in the offensive zone.

“It seems that penalties we’re taking are offensive zone penalties that can be avoided,” Gadowsky said. “Often, you can’t get away with that. I think we’ve come a long way, but we’re still showing some inexperience and a lack of mental toughness. This is absolutely one area that’s an indication that we still have a ways to go.”

Penn State responded quickly to gain a foothold in the game. Defenseman Adam Pilewicz fluttered a knuckling puck into the top corner of the goal from the point at the 4:23 mark of the second period, chopping the lead in half.

Tyler Paquette tied the game at two late in the second period, with a snipe from a bad angle.

Penn State controlled the majority of the play in the third period, leading up to the controversial incident that resulted in the third Notre Dame goal.

That goal, scored with 6:58 on the clock, took the air out of the building.

“You’re taught from a young age to play to the whistle,” Pilewicz said. “We didn’t do that, and they did. And it ended up in the back of our net. As far as our reaction, I think we all put our head down, all pretty disappointed after that. So, not great. We gotta be more mentally tough.”

Ellis finished off the game for the Irish, scoring into an empty Penn State net with under two minutes left.

Game two of the series is scheduled for Saturday at 5 p.m.