Penn State hockey upsets No. 1 Michigan
It was a memorable night for Penn State hockey in front of one of its all-time top crowds on Friday. The Nittany Lions upset No. 1 Michigan, 3-0, in front of 6,445 fans at Pegula Ice Arena. Guy Gadowsky’s squad, No. 13 in the country entering the weekend, improved to 9-0-0 on the young season and 3-0-0 in the Big Ten.
Both sides played a scoreless first period before Penn State junior Jimmy Dowd found teammate Ture Linden across the front of the crease and the senior hammered it home 7:18 into the second period. Five minutes later it was senior Ashton Calder on the receiving end of some great passing between Connor McMenamin and Connor MacEachern for the tap-in to make it 2-0 in favor of the Nittany Lions.
Junior Xander Lamppa extended his career-best points streak to three games with an empty-net goal late in the third period.
Penn State rides white-hot goalie Souliere
Goaltender Liam Souliere extended his program-record shutout streak to 176:19 with another three periods of scoreless hockey. He improved his record as a starter this season to 7-0-0 and stopped 17 shots on the night. It was the second straight shutout for the Nittany Lions, who won 4-0 at Wisconsin last Saturday.
“I think goaltenders really relish and can soak in every experience they get,” said Gadowsky. “Souliere, through no fault of his own, had limited experiences for a few years due to playing behind veterans, etc. Then what happened at the end of last season, when he won the job, you saw him get better and better. I think it’s obvious, right? The more you do something, the more comfortable you get. I think that’s exactly what you’re seeing now.
“He doesn’t really act differently, whether we win or lose, and I think because of that, he’s able to take his experiences from starting and build off each and every one. That’s what we saw last year, that’s what we’re seeing now.”
Transfers come up big for Nittany Lions
Both of Penn State’s full-strength goals came from transfer players in their first year with the program. Linden spent the last four years at RPI while Calder is a grad transfer from the University of North Dakota. The pair of veterans have provided a lift for the entire program.
“The reason that we got them specifically is we weren’t going to do it unless they fit both criteria of helping us with our culture off the ice, and then fit certain roles on the ice,” said Gawdowky. “I think that based off what you saw on the ice they’ve been consistent with what they bring, but I can tell you that their impact on the team created the offense that you saw on the ice for sure. It’s not just the goals. I think number one, they’re both a great fit for Penn State, and that’s probably the most important reason.”
Penn State’s 9-0-0 start is the best in program history. The two teams will return to Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday to close out the weekend series with a 7:30 p.m. start.
