Liam Folkes helped No. 14 Penn State men’s hockey secure a shootout win Saturday night against No. 15 Wisconsin following a 3-3 draw at Pegula. It was a chippy contest that saw 20 penalties dished out.

Guy Gadowsky’s Nittany Lions are riding a 10-game unbeaten streak heading into next weekend’s home matchup against Ohio State. Penn State is now 10-7-1 all-time against the Badgers since joining the Division I ranks, earning a decisive 5-1 win Friday.

How It Happened

Just 17 seconds in, Trevor Hamilton got charged with a five-minute major for contact to the head of Wisconsin star Trent Frederic, plus a game-misconduct ejection on top of it all. With Penn State’s most veteran defenseman in the locker room, the Nittany Lions struggled to create shots on goal.

Fredric, the Boston Bruins’ first-round pick in the 2016 NHL Entry Draft, missed Friday night’s game because he was in Buffalo winning a bronze medal with the United States at the world juniors. Midway through the first period, Wisconsin’s Jake Linhart repeatedly cross-checked Andrew Sturtz in the back while he was down on the ice, but the play somehow didn’t draw a penalty.

Sophomore right winger Liam Folkes gave Penn State a 1-0 lead on a spectacular power-play goal with 6:49 left in the opening period. The Badgers tied things up a minute later as Linus Weissbach tallied his sixth goal of the season. Heading into the first intermission, the referees endured a barrage of boos from angry Penn State fans who thought they missed a handful of blatant calls.

Evan Barratt found a wide open Brandon Biro with a beautiful pass in the second period, but Biro was turned away by Wisconsin goaltender Kyle Hayton. A few minutes later, the Pegula loudspeakers played the sound of a boxing bell as a scrum broke out with 7:04 to go. Sturtz and Badgers Tyler Inamoto and JD Greenway all received two-minute minors for roughing.

Freshman right winger Sam Sternschein scored the fifth goal of his Penn State career with 59 seconds left in the second period to make it 2-1. Alternate captain Chase Berger notched his second goal in as many nights less than a minute into the third period, but Sean Dhooghe, a 5-foot-3 freshman, soon cut Penn State’s lead to 3-2. Peter Tischke evened the score with 1:52 remaining in regulation.

Sturtz’s would-be game-winning goal with 3:53 left in overtime was disallowed due to goalie interference. Sophomore goalie Peyton Jones stopped all three shots he faced in the shootout, while Folkes provided the extra point on the exact same backhand, forehand move he used in the 2017 Big Ten Championship.

Player Of The Game

Liam Folkes | Sophomore | Right winger

The Scarborough, Ontario, native started and finished this game with goals. Folkes netted a powerplay goal in the first period to take a 1-0 lead, then followed it up with the lone shootout goal to give the Nittany Lions the extra point in the standings.

What’s Next?

Penn State (12-7-3) takes on the Buckeyes next Friday for a 7:30 p.m. clash with No. 8 Ohio State. Saturday’s series finale will be televised on the Big Ten Network at 7.

Editor’s note: An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated Penn State’s upcoming series against Ohio State would be played away at Columbus. Next weekend’s series will actually be played at home at Pegula Ice Arena. We apologize for the error.