No. 6 Penn State men’s hockey (10-2-0, 2-1-0-0 Big Ten) traveled to Columbus on Friday for the first game of a Thanksgiving weekend series against No. 5 Ohio State (8-4-1, 3-2-0-0 Big Ten).

The Nittany Lions managed to upset their Big Ten foes thanks to three goals on a barrage of shots in the second period. As per usual, everyone got involved on offense so the Nittany Lions earned points from eight different skaters.

Peyton Jones put in a full night’s worth of work as well, making 41 saves on 44 shots from the Buckeyes. 

How It Happened

Both teams were slow coming out of the gate, so it took 16:34 of uneventful play in the first period before either team could find the back of the net. A high stick by Derian Hamilton gave the Buckeyes their first power play chance, which they converted into the first goal of the game. 

Trailing 1-0 at the beginning of the second period, the Nittany Lions finally woke up. Evan Barratt struck first to even the score at 1-1 on a goal assisted by Kris Myllari with 15:33 left in the period.

Barratt then found himself on the assisting end of a Penn State power play goal, as he and Liam Folkes set up Brandon Biro for an easy tap-in goal to go up 2-1 with 10:09 still to go in the frame. 

Ohio State took its third penalty of the period, a two-minute minor for boarding, with 8:55 remaining. Despite being down a man, the Buckeyes retaliated, evening up the score at 2-2 just 38 seconds into the Nittany Lions’ power play. 

Cole Hults capped off the period with a beautiful backhand goal — his second of the season and the Nittany Lions’ third of the period — to make it 3-2. Biro and Nate Sucese earned assists for their work to free the puck from the boards and find Hults in space for the go-ahead goal.

Ohio State opened up the scoring at the start of the third period, as John Wiitala beat Peyton Jones’ glove hand to draw things even at 3-3 with a long 17:28 left in regulation. 

The Buckeyes drew an unfortunate delay of game penalty, giving Penn State its fourth opportunity with a man-advantage in the game. Denis Smirnov capitalized on the power play and lots of free space at the point, beating the Ohio State goaltender top shelf on a quick wrist shot from the middle with 11:24 left on the clock.

SNIPESHOWWWWWW @dsmirnov17 pic.twitter.com/wYhrrb4mHC

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) November 24, 2018

The Nittany Lions managed to hold on to the one-goal lead for the remainder of the period to secure a 4-3 upset over the Buckeyes on their first night in Columbus.

Takeaways 

• Evan Barratt continues to be lights-out. He now has a goal in seven straight games and a point in 11 straight, a new Penn State record. 
• Both teams struggled with penalties, spending 10 minutes each in the box. However, Guy Gadowsky’s group won on special teams, converting on 2-of-4 power plays and only allowing the Buckeyes to score on 1-of-4 chances with a man-advantage.
• Both goalies faced shots in volume, as the shot tally finished 44-43 in favor of Ohio State. Ultimately, Peyton Jones was just two saves better than Ohio State’s netminder, which proved to be the difference.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions will aim for a sweep of the Buckeyes when they square off again at 8 p.m. Saturday at Schottenstein Center.