In the final home game of the season, Penn State hockey took on the No. 16 Michigan Wolverines after beating them 6-4 the night before. Michigan is the only Big Ten team that Penn State has a winning record against, and that was obvious in this one. The Nittany Lions sent the Wolverines home with a 4-3 win on Senior Day with the help of four points from David Goodwin and a solid day by P.J. Musico in the crease.

How It Happened

Once again, Penn State scored the first goal early. After a quick possession in the offensive zone, captain Patrick Koudys fired a shot that went off of the post and found David Goodwin, who buried his second goal of the weekend to give his team the lead.

The lead wasn’t to last, as Michigan’s J.T. Compher’s great individual effort tied the game at one.

Less than two minutes later, it was Goodwin’s turn to show off his moves as he deked into Michigan’s zone and fed Scott Conway, who buried the puck and gave his team the lead once again.

The period’s scoring came to a conclusion as Compher scored his second on a shorthanded opportunity with less than two minutes left. A 2-2 game after one period set up what would be a characteristically furious Penn State-Michigan finish.

For most of the second period, neither team could get any offense on the board and instead traded penalties. Eventually, as soon as a Penn State powerplay concluded, defenseman Erik Autio hopped over the bench and fired home his second goal of the year. Almost immediately after, Tommy Olczyk took a feed from Goodwin and scored to double up the Wolverines 4-2 as the period came to an end.

The third period had lots of back-and-forth, chippy play but neither side could light the lamp. With about 11 minutes left in the frame, Michigan’s second-leading scorer, Dylan Larkin, received a ten-minute misconduct and essentially took himself out of the game.

J.T. Compher completed his hat trick with 1:34 to play in the game. After allowing that goal, Musico and Co. held on for the rest of the game, and Penn State sent the Wolverines home by way of sweep.

Player of the Game

David Goodwin, easily. After it was announced that Taylor Holstrom will likely be out for the season with an injury, the sophomore moved over to play center in his absence. He had four points today, so it’s fair to say that the transition has been seamless.

Tweet of the Game

The Class of 2015! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/CKdAUoZDBg

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 7, 2015

The seniors on this team came to Penn State before Division 1 play came to Happy Valley and before Pegula Ice Arena was even built. They stuck around, knowing that Penn State had a lot of work to do to be a competitive team, as it’s the newest D-1 program. Instead of accepting losses, they built a great team in their time here, and their contributions to the program won’t soon be forgotten.

Game Notes

• Penn State’s home record is now 13-2-3, which is one of the best in Division 1 play. Gadowsky and Co. have said all season that the Roar Zone and the rest of the crowd at Pegula Ice Arena really are that motivating, and it shows up on paper.
• The top two lines were simply sick this weekend. The top six forwards scored five goals on Friday and added another three today.
• With the win, Penn State moves within two points of Big Ten-leading Michigan and Minnesota. A regulation win is worth three points, and Penn State will take on Minnesota twice next weekend, so the Nittany Lions control their own destiny when it comes to Big Ten Tournament seeding.

What’s Next?

Next weekend, Penn State will conclude its regular season at Minnesota for a two-game series Friday and Saturday.