Penn State fell to Ohio State 5-3 Friday night in the teams’ first meeting of a two-game weekend series. The first two periods, fast-paced and exciting, featured numerous scoring chances and solid goaltending on both ends. But it wasn’t enough, and the Lions could not capitalize on a few late chances as they ultimately fell in the final period.

The Nittany Lions remain in third place in the Big Ten after the loss.

How It Happened

The match was fairly even in the first period, with the Lions outshooting the Buckeyes 15-13 through 20 minutes. Tommy Olczyk’s goal 31 seconds into the game was the fastest opening goal of the season for Penn State. Goalie PJ Musico had a several great saves before the Buckeyes’ Matthew Weis tied it up with 5:34 left in the first.

Then, Ohio State’s Tanner Fritz capitalized on a power play early in the second to give the Buckeyes a 2-1 lead. Later in the same period Musico had a huge save, denying Weis on the breakaway and holding the deficit to a single goal. Weis buried his second goal of the game with 7:47 left in the period, giving the Buckeyes a 3-1 lead. Penn State’s Dylan Richard quickly answered Weis’s goal with a rebound off of a Scott Conway shot.

The atmosphere was intense heading into the third. Chances were looking good for the Lions, but they ultimately couldn’t capitalize. Ohio State’s Josh Healey put it past Musico with a wrister from the point to extend its lead to 4-2 with 11:58 left in the third, quickly followed by Luke Stork to make it 5-2. Patrick Koudys shot a one-timer past Frey to give the Lions some life with 5:15 left to play. The effort wasn’t enough, and the Lions fell to the Buckeyes 5-3.

Player of the Game

Ohio State forward Matthew Weis. He made two crucial goals and created chances for the Buckeyes 5-3 victory. Ohio State goalie Christian Frey is an honorable mention, with 46 saves on 49 attempts.

Tweet of the Game

Penn State falls 5-3 to Ohio State. Had a chance to make it 3-3 but two goals by Buckeyes made it 5-2 late.

— Ben Jones (@Ben_Jones88) February 28, 2015

That’s the game story right there. Unlike in past games, Penn State wasn’t able to make a last-minute rally, and ultimately fell on the road.

Video of the Game

Here’s Musico with an incredible save on a Weis breakaway.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions look for revenge against the Buckeyes tomorrow at 7:00 p.m. in Columbus.

Photo: Mark Selders/GoPSUSports