A Pegula White Out is always electric — but it’d never been quite like this.

Penn State’s starters looked up to the Roar Zone as they took the ice and whispered something to each other. If I had to venture a guess, it was a reminder to cherish the insane atmosphere.

These moments don’t last forever.

But at least for then, Penn State hockey was No. 1 in the nation and the whole world was watching.

No. 1 Penn State hockey tied No. 11 Ohio State 3-3 in overtime, and the Buckeyes won the extra shootout point — with Big Ten reign and bragging rights on the line.

How It Happened

Penn State got the first power play of the game after a Buckeye tripped David Goodwin. Kevin Kerr nearly capitalized, but the Nittany Lions needed to settle down a bit. Settle down they did — goalie Peyton Jones and his d core absorbed some Ohio State shot chances and allowed for an eventual Penn State breakaway. Alternate captain James Robinson blasted one through Ohio State goalie Christian Frey’s legs to make it 1-0 at 7:48 into the first.

Frey deserves credit, really — this was a completely different Penn State he was dealing with, not the one he and his squad defeated weeks ago. The Nittany Lions stayed in his zone for the majority of the first, firing off enough chance for a 23-3 shot advantage by the end of the period.

The second started off a bit slower for Penn State, and by that I mean Ohio State managed to get two shots in through the first eight minutes. Nikita Pavlychev got a penalty for cross-checking to send the Buckeyes on a power play, but tight Nittany Lion defense and a slick save off Jones’ stick kept it 1-0 Penn State halfway through.

A wrister from Ohio State’s Josh Healey equalized it for the Buckeyes with 7:39 left in the second. Despite Penn State’s 34-14 shot advantage with 2:09 left in the second, nothing was transferring to the scoreboard. Such is life in Pegula Ice Arena. Prolific defenseman Vince Pedrie finally broke through off a rebound he essentially batted out of the air to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead with 1:34 left in the period.

Penn State started out the third spending too much time in its own zone. The Buckeyes capitalized on this to tie it back up 2-2 with 13:07 left to play. The Nittany Lions took a few drives down the ice and the set up was there each time with no product. Alec Marsh’s second of the season came off a glorious feed from Blake Gober for the 3-2 tiebreaker with 7:19 left to play. Ohio State tied it right back up on the power play with less than seven minutes to play.

Both teams battled to make something happen before the clock ran out, and Pegula was silent for the first time. A “Christian sucks” chant broke the silence and Penn State had 1:23 left to get a gamewinner. No dice.

A broken net made overtime seem even longer than it dreadfully does. Sucese shot. Frey saved. Biro Shot. Frey Saved. A few Buckeye chances missed the net. Penn State got a power play — a golden opportunity missed.  The clock ran out once again and each team earned a point. It was time for the first shootout of the season.

Brandon Biro wasn’t about to miss another gamewinner for the Nittany Lions. In the fifth round of the shootout, he scored. A Buckeye answered with a goal to match. The Buckeyes won the extra point in the sixth round despite unrelenting effort from both teams.

Takeaways

• At the risk of sounding Like My Sport-y, more students should come to these games. Everyone had a blast tonight — it could be like this for you every weekend. Penn State will always be a football school, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be a hockey school, too.
• Penn State’s pk unit proved crucial for better and for worst. Ohio State only got a few shots off each power play if anything at first, then Ohio State tied it up on the power play.
• Puck control, as always, was key. “You can’t shoot if you pass,” but you also can’t shoot if you’re on defense.
• Christian Frey is an elite goalie.
• At this point, the lip synch battle is almost as important to me as the actual game.
• Bring back Timber.

What’s Next

Penn State and Ohio State are back at it in Pegula tomorrow night to finish off their series. The puck drops at 7 p.m.