No. 12 Penn State men’s hockey (13-10-3, 6-7-3) took on the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines (12-10-2, 7-7-2) on Saturday night.

The Nittany Lions could not get into a groove offensively on Saturday, falling 3-2. Norris, Dancs, and Raabe all scored for Michigan, as Folkes and Myllari scored late in the third period for Penn State.

How It Happened

Penn State didn’t play well on Friday night and came out in need of a strong opening period. Gadowsky’s squad, however, gave up a goal just 26 seconds into the contest as Josh Norris slotted one past Peyton Jones in net.

Michigan would strike again in the opening period. Andrew Sturtz was booked for interference with 11:39 to play in the period, and Michigan’s Dancs extended the Wolverine lead to 2-0 with the man-up advantage. The Wolverines would carry that 2-0 lead into the first intermission.

The second period came and went without any goals to report. The real story of the period was Lavigne’s play in goal. The Michigan goalie kept out a handful of grade-A chances for Penn State. Through two periods of play, the Wolverines’ goaltender had made 31 saves without giving up a goal. Michigan carried its 2-0 lead to the final intermission.

The third period didn’t offer any opportunities for Penn State to come back in any meaningful fashion. The Nittany Lions looked impatient and lacked creativity in the final period of play. With 5:47 remaining in the final period of play, Michigan’s Raabe scored his first goal of the season to give the Wolverines a 3-0 lead.

Guy Gadowsky pulled Peyton Jones from goal with about 4 minutes remaining in the period, and that paid off with a Liam Folkes goal with 1:59 to play. Kris Myllari put the Michigan fans on edge with another goal with 53 seconds to play, but Penn State couldn’t complete the comeback.

Player of the Game

Hayden Lavigne | Sophomore | Goalie

Lavigne had saves in Saturday’s matchup, denying every opportunity that Penn State had. The sophomore was terrific, hardly making a mistake all night. Despite a lapse of concentration late in the contest, Lavigne was still fantastic.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will head to Madison, Wisconsin to take on the Badgers for the first of two games on Friday, January 26. The matchup will take place at 9 p.m. and will be broadcast on BTN.