No. 6 Penn State hockey (16-6-0, 8-4-0 Big Ten) took on Robert Morris (7-9-3, 7-5-3 Atlantic) at PPG Paints Arena — the home of the NHL’s Pittsburgh Penguins — on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions left the Steel City with a 6-2 victory over their in-state foe.

Sam Sternschein, Connor MacEachern, Mason Snell, Kris Myllari, Max Sauvé, and Alex Limoges got the goals for Guy Gadowsky’s team, which wrapped up non-conference play with a strong 8-2 mark. Penn State also improved to 3-0 out of its nearly month-long winter break, which came to a close last weekend.

Senior goalie Peyton Jones made 42 saves en route to his 72nd victory as Penn State’s starting netminder.

How It Happened

Penn State got off to a lightning-quick start to Saturday’s game when Sam Sternschein tipped home a Cole Hults point shot 13 seconds into the contest. Guy Gadowsky’s team cashed in on an early power play after Robert Morris’ Grant Herbert took a tripping penalty two seconds earlier. Hults recorded the only helper on Sternschein’s 11th of the year.

Connor MacEachern made it 2-0 to the Nittany Lions when he stuffed home a one-timer with 17:31 to play in the first period. The freshman buried his third of the year beyond Colonial goaltender Justin Kapelmaster after a nice feed from Kevin Wall, who also got the lone assist on the goal.

The Nittany Lions dominated the puck possession battle and flow of play throughout the first period, and Mason Snell was rewarded for that with an easy tap-in at the far post. Evan Barratt found the freshman blueliner with a nifty feed, and Penn State took a 3-0 lead with 10:28 to play in the opening frame. Liam Folkes picked up the secondary assist on Snell’s second of the year.

Kris Myllari added a fourth with a simple wrist shot from the point that found its way beyond Kapelmaster and into the net. Myllari’s second of the year extended the Penn State lead to 4-0 with 5:22 to play in the first, and it capped off a truly dominant opening 20 minutes of play for the Nittany Lions.

Robert Morris provided a strong pushback in the second period by registering five of the first six shots on goal of the frame. However, Peyton Jones was equal to all of them until Justin Addamo beat him in the high slot midway through the frame.

The Colonials’ push was met with an answer by Penn State. Nate Sucese made a nifty move and pass immediately off a faceoff, and he found Max Sauvé for a tap-in from point-blank range to re-extend the Nittany Lions’ lead to four goals with 7:41 to play in the middle period.

Later in the frame, a complete breakdown in transition led to a clear-cut Robert Morris 2-on-1 rush, and Grant Herbert rifled a wrister over Peyton Jones’ glove and into the net. Penn State’s lead was cut to 5-2 with 4:19 left in the middle frame, and that’s how it stayed entering the game’s second intermission.

The third period went by fairly quickly and featured some chippiness between the sides, and Liam Folkes hit the crossbar on a great chance on an odd-man rush. Alex Limoges’ empty-netter sealed the 6-2 victory for Penn State.

Takeaways

• Nate Sucese only showed up on the scoreboard once with an assist, but he had an unreal game for the Nittany Lions. Sucese was particularly flying in the first period, when he generated at least five high-percentage scoring chances nearly single-handedly. The senior also made a really nifty play on Max Sauvé’s second-period goal by pushing the puck through his opposing center’s legs on a faceoff.
• Robert Morris’ second-period response to Penn State’s onslaught of goals in the opening frame was impressive, but Peyton Jones was equal to nearly everything thrown his way. The Colonials found a way to slip a couple scores past the netminder following bad breakdowns defensively, but he was excellent and a big reason why Penn State maintained its strong grip on the contest throughout the frame.
• The Nittany Lions’ January struggles have been well-documented over the past few seasons, but the team is 3-0-0 out of its nearly month-long winter break. Sure, those three wins came against Niagara and Robert Morris, but it’s an encouraging sign to see from a team with national title aspirations.
• Penn State actually made a bit of history tonight. Sam Sternschein’s first-period tally tied the program record for the fastest goal to begin a game. Casey Bailey also scored 13 seconds into a game back in 2013.

What’s Next?

Penn State will host its first Big Ten series of the new decade when Michigan travels to Pegula Ice Arena. Puck drop is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday and 6 p.m. on Saturday in Hockey Valley.