Finally.

After many close losses, blown leads, and tough games, the Penn State men’s hockey team earned its first Big Ten victory in program history, defeating No. 10 Michigan, 4-0. The victory was the team’s first since beating Robert Morris 3-2 in Pittsburgh on December 27.

The Nittany Lions wasted no time in the first period, as Zach Saar scored his fourth goal of the year by squeezing the puck past Michigan’s Zach Nagelvoort during a scrum in front of the net. The goal was assisted by Taylor Holmstrom and Zach Goodwin.

Penn State was relentless in its attack, and scored a goal just six minutes later to go up 2-0. David Glen won a faceoff in the left circle, took the puck behind the net, and shot it at the back of Nagelvoort’s right leg, where it trickled into the net. Two minutes later, Casey Bailey five-holed the Wolverines’ goaltender to give the Nittany Lions a three goal lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. Nagelvoort would be pulled right after that goal, and the rout was on.

Almost two full periods would pass before the score would change, but with just over four minutes left in the game, Ricky DeRosa tipped in a David Thompson blast to provide the game’s final goal. Four short minutes later, the Nittany Lions had their first ever Big Ten win.

“I feel fantastic because of the work we’ve had to put in to get here,” coach Guy Gadowsky said after the game. “Everybody on the whole team did a heck of a job.”

“To me, this is why I came here, to compete against the best teams in the nation,” Gadowsky continued. “To see the crowd in the student body, and how much fun they were having, it was awesome.”

Penn State will look to pick up more Big Ten wins next weekend when it hosts Michigan State on Friday and Saturday.

Game notes:

• Three stars: 3rd star – PSU’s David Glen (one goal on 3 shots). 2nd star – PSU’s Ricky DeRosa (one goal, one assist on 3 shots). 1st star – PSU’s Matt Skoff (shutout, 32 saves).
• Quick stats: Penalties – Penn State 1 (2 min.), Michigan 3 (6 min.). Shots – Penn State 40, Michigan 32. Faceoffs – Penn State 36, Michigan 24.
• Both Nate Jensen and Luke Juha left the game with injuries in the second period. Due to the injuries, forward Kenny Brooks moved back to defenseman.