For the second game in a row against Robert Morris, the Penn State men’s hockey team was able to put up a win with special teams.

After scoring three power play goals in a win over the Colonials on November 1, Penn State scored two goals on the man-advantage last night to steal a 3-2 win from the Colonials. The Nittany Lions tallied a season-high 62 shots on goal in the win, which gives the team a berth in the championship game of the Three Rivers Classic on Saturday night.

The first period started slow for both teams, as neither could get a shot past the starting goaltenders. The Colonials got on the board first in the second period as Tyson Wilson scored at the 5:38 mark. Penn State’s Taylor Holmstrom took a tripping penalty at 5:36, and Robert Morris took advantage just two seconds later. RMU’s Cody Wydo won the faceoff and passed to Wilson, who fired a slapshot over Matt Skoff’s right shoulder.

Three minutes later, Penn State answered. Nate Jensen scored a power play goal at 8:58, his first since the season opener, to tie the game. A Robert Morris turnover forced by Curtis Loik deep in the Penn State offensive zone led to David Glen’s pass to a waiting Jensen at the point, who wristed the puck past Colonials’ goaltender Terry Shafer. A late Colonial goal by David Friedmann gave Robert Morris a 2-1 lead going into the third period.

A power play goal by Penn State captain Tommy Olczyk tied the game at two halfway through the period, but the game was in doubt until there were just two minutes left. Shafer held off a barrage of Penn State shots, but couldn’t stop Eric Scheid on an odd-man rush that gave the Nittany Lions the deciding goal. Holmstrom took a shot that was blocked by a Colonial defender, but the puck took an odd bounce directly to Scheid, who had a wide open net.

“[As I was shooting] I was thinking ‘Just don’t miss,'” Scheid said after the game. “I couldn’t have asked for a more gift-wrapped goal. After their second goal, it was nice to get that bounce.”

“I think we played a very good game, and when you play a good hockey game you load the dice in your favor,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said. “We did a lot of things right tonight. When you play good hockey, the bounces go your way. It’s nice to see that our power play goal is working on different fronts. I hope it continues.”

Penn State will play tonight against Boston College for the Three Rivers Classic championship at the Pittsburgh Penguins’ CONSOL Energy Center. The game starts at 7:30 p.m. after Robert Morris and Bowling Green face off at 4:30 p.m. in the consolation game.