No. 9 Penn State hockey (17-8-1, 9-6-1 Big Ten) closed its series against No. 19 Michigan State (12-12-1, 9-6-1) with its first victory in four games on Saturday night.

In an incredibly defensive goalie battle, Peyton Jones once again became the hero and shut down any and everything Michigan State threw at him, making 42 saves on 43 shots in a standout performance.

Nate Sucese and Connor McMenamin were the goal scorers tonight, with McMenamin’s shot coming 30 seconds into 5-on-5 overtime, securing a national win for Penn State. Cole Hults also got on the board with two assists.

How It Happened

Penn State started the game off slow, failing to register a shot until five minutes into the first period. The first period was rather uneventful as it was filled with tense, highly-defensive hockey with mainly low-percentage shots.

Michigan State held control of the puck for the first half of the first period, but Penn State came back and shifted momentum in their direction in the second half, winning the shot battle 9-7.

The second period was even more tense than the first, with defensive breakdowns on each side leading to a string on intense saves from Penn State goalie Peyton Jones and Michigan State goalie John Lethemon.

After a while of more back-and-forth hockey, it became clear that a goalie duel was transpiring between Jones and Lethemon, two netminders who are some of the best the Big Ten has to offer.

Even when Penn State would go on the penalty kill — once in each period of the contest — it didn’t seem like Jones and Penn State’s defense were going to allow any easy goals.

The pace of play significantly picked up halfway through the second period, with both sides partaking in aggressive offensive campaigns and both goaltenders making incredibly clutch point-black saves.

The scoring drought was finally broken with 43 seconds left in the second period when senior center Nate Sucese picked up a rolling puck that got away from junior Cole Hults and flung a turnaround snipe past Lethemon. Thanks to Sucese’s 10th goal of the year and a Michigan State tripping penalty with 25 seconds left, the Nittany Lions were able to begin the third period up by one with 1:35 of a power play remaining.

Penn State wasn’t able to capitalize on this opportunity, as a puck that got away from Evan Bell led to a breakaway for Michigan State’s Tommy Apap. The captain then blew a shot by Jones to tie it up 1-1 13 seconds into the third, and 59 seconds of game time after Penn State took the lead.

Jones and Lethemon’s shut-down performances continued to dominate the pace of the game, but Michigan State significantly outshot Penn State throughout the third, including an incredibly sweat-inducing shift in which Michigan State had five incredibly close scoring chances.

This dominant shift was only paused due to a Evan Barratt roughing penalty that was successfully killed by Penn State’s reliable PK squad.

Aside from a scary moment in which Lethemon was slow to get up following a Paul DeNaples shot from the blue line, the remainder of the third period was rather uneventful. Penn State would be heading to overtime for the second Saturday in a row.

Penn State wrapped up overtime rather quickly with a Connor McMenamin game-winner 30 seconds into OT. The freshman has now scored three game-winning goals for Guy Gadowsky’s side this year.

Takeaways

• A goalie’s duel is a lot like a pitcher’s duel in baseball. Not very exciting due to the lack of scoring, but a masterclass of technique that hockey fans should be grateful for. Lethemon, who’s currently tied for the national lead save percentage, has had the Nittany Lion’s number all season. Peyton Jones’ knack for matching up with dominant goaltenders has been incredibly important to the Nittany Lions, whose scoring numbers have been slightly down this season.
• While it initially seemed like Penn State successfully avoided its notorious January slump, the team’s offensive production has gone significantly downhill since starting the new year 3-0. While Lethemon is a stingy goaltender, Penn State’s ability to spread the ice and create scoring chances has been incredibly hindered these past two weeks.
• Penn State’s penalty kill team was lights out as always and a huge part of the team’s victory tonight. Even when they had to go on a penalty kill late in the third when momentum was highly in Michigan State’s favor, they didn’t falter and stood their ground.

What’s Next

Penn State will be back at Pegula Ice Arena next weekend against Notre Dame. Puck drop is scheduled for 6 p.m. on Friday, January 31 in the first game of the series.