Penn State scores late to earn 4-3 win over Michigan State
The sixth-ranked Penn State men’s hockey program needed some late-game scoring to take down No. 17 Michigan State on Friday night. It got the Spartans by scoring a 4-3 win off the Spartans at Pegula Ice Arena. With the win, the Nittany Lions moved to 11-2 on the season and 5-2 in Big Ten play.
How it happened
Jimmy Dowd Jr. put Penn State on the board first with his unassisted goal with 9:25 left to play in the first period. Michigan State answered Penn State’s goal quickly with a Matt Basgall goal assisted by Miroslav Much and Nicolas Muller with just over 7 minutes to go in the first period.
The tie wouldn’t last.
The Nittany Lions found themselves with a second too many men on the ice penalty in just two games, this time Ryan Kirwan charged for the snafu. The Spartans jumped on the Lions’ mistake and put themselves up 2-1 with a power play goal from Jagger Joshua, assisted by Muller.
The second period was much slower. Michigan State’s penalty kill unit stopped Penn State twice in the period, keeping the Spartans’ slate clean on the night. Christian Sarlo scored what would’ve been the equalizing goal in the period. But, it was waived off because his stick was too high in the crease.
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Nearly 14 minutes later, Christian Berger buried the equalizing goal with assists from Jarod Crespo and Connor MacEachern with just 3:38 left on the clock in the second. The goal tied the game at 2-2, but it lasted just 23 seconds as Cole Krygier scored for the Spartans, assisted by Tanner Kelly, making it a 3-2 game going into the third period.
The third period turned up the heat. Dowd Jr. was disqualified with 14:39 left to play for a five-minute major for roughing. Joshua had a penalty for the Spartans moments after, which led to 4 on 4 for two minutes. Ture Linden scored a goal that was called off, yet again, on a goalie interference call.
Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky challenged the call but was unsuccessful. With 5:37 left to play in the game, Berger, again, scored the game-tying goal for the Nittany Lions, this time unassisted. Late in the third period, Michigan State’s David Gucciardia was called for a tripping penalty with 1:42 to play. That opened the door for the Nittany Lions’ late-game score.
Penn State jumped on the opportunity as Tyler Gratton scored the game-winning goal with assists from Tyler Paquette and Xander Lampa.
Takeaways
There were many takeaways from this game, none bigger than the resilience of the Nittany Lions. The Lions kept playing their brand of hockey and pushed on.
“The coaching staff worried about this one a little bit because Thanksgiving is coming up. It isn’t a part of the student’s packages, so we expected a very sparse student section, and the community came and packed it full,” Gadowsky said. “It was nice to see.”
Similar to the past few games, Penn State still missed more opportunities than it would have liked. Shooting with the ferocity of this fast-paced attack, the missed chances didn’t upend the effort.
What’s next for Penn State
The Nittany Lions take on the Spartans again tomorrow at 7 pm at Pegula Ice Arena.
