Penn State hockey (0-3-0) lost its third straight game against Wisconsin (3-2-0) Monday evening.

Kevin Wall, Tim Doherty, and Connor McMenamin each scored a goal for the Nittany Lions, but that wasn’t enough to keep up with the Badgers.

How It Happened

Following a lackluster series against Minnesota, Penn State appeared to bounce back against the Badgers early in the first period. 

The Nittany Lions controlled play early in the first, appearing more cohesive as a team. Passes were completed without trouble, and the team seemed to have found their jive. 

Kevin Wall, who’s continued to stand out in these early games, opened up the scoring. Wall’s breakaway goal at 8:02 easily got through Beydoun, giving Penn State the lead early on and making the score 1-0. With three goals in three games, Wall’s starting his sophomore season with a bang. Throughout the first period he continued to help drive play, along with graduate student Tim Doherty and freshman Jared Westcott.

Shortly after the Badgers’ Sam Stange tied the game, getting a shot through Autio at 9:30. The Badgers’ goal didn’t appear to shake the Nittany Lions, and they continued to keep the puck in the offensive zone, with Penn State finding itself tied with Wisconsin 1-1.

Late in the first period Jack Gorniak gave the Badger’s the lead, getting a shot though Autio at 14:31. This goal seemed to affect the Nittany Lions, with the Badgers and the Nittany Lions sharing possession of the puck. The back and forth continued until the end of the period, with the Nittany Lions finding themselves down 2-1. 

Second period started off slow for the Nittany Lions compared to the first period. The Badgers, though, had no problem getting the puck in the net, with Stange getting his second goal of the game at 4:54 of the second period, widening the gap to make the score 3-1.

Captain Alex Limoges beat the Badgers in a puck battle to pass Tim Doherty the puck. Doherty was able to get the puck in the back of Wisconsin’s net at 5:09 of the second, his first goal as a Nittany Lion. The Nittany Lions closed the deficit to 3-2, Badgers still leading.

The Badgers Sean Dhooghe forced the puck between Autio’s legs, and then immediately rammed into the Finnish goaltender. A melee insured, with Doherty latching onto Dhooghe. No goal was called, and Penn State ended up going on the power play with a penalty against Dhooghe. No penalty was called against Doherty. 

Penn State couldn’t get a goal on the power play, and the game continued with Penn State unable to drive play like they were early in the first period. Play went back and forth between the two teams for the remainder of the period. Doherty really drove play for the Nittany Lions, helping to get the puck back into the Badger’s zone. While the Nittany Lions at this point had 42 shots on goal, compared with Wisconsin’s nine, they couldn’t get the puck behind Beydoun, and the score remained 2-3 at the end of the second period.

The start of the third period gave Wisconsin their first power play, after DeNaples was sent to the penalty box for interference. The Badgers weren’t able to capitalize on the power play and it ended with them keeping the puck in the offensive zone. Badgers controlled play early in the third, and the score remained 2-3.

Montreal Canadiens prospect Cole Caufield wided the deficit, and Penn State found itself down by two at 5:13 in the third, the Badgers making the score 4-2. Wisconsin then went on their second power play after DeNaples was sent to the penalty box for boarding.

Wisconsin was able to quickly capitalize on the power play, with Caufield notching his second goal of the game at 7:16. Now down by three, Penn State couldn’t get possession of the puck. Power plays have been the Nittany Lions kryptonite this season and it’s no surprise Wisconsin was able to capitalize on high quality scoring chances without difficulty.

The Badgers scored again in the middle of the third, with Linus Weissbach widening the gap and giving Wisconsin a four-goal lead. 

Alex Stevens was sent to the penalty box at 11:45 for high-sticking, giving Wisconsin their third power play of the game. Penn State was able to kill the power play, and the score remained 6-2.

In the final minute of the period, Connor McMenamin scored on a pass from Wall, lowering the high deficit from four to three. The game ended 6-3, and the Nittany Lions remain unable to win a game yet this season.

Takeaways

• Kevin Wall is solidifying his role as an irreplaceable asset on the team. He now has four points (three goals, one assist) in three games and is a solid driver of play. He’s stepping up and filling the gaps left by the Nittany Lions previous class.
• Freshman Jared Westcott and graduate student Tim Doherty are additional players on the team who stood out during this game. They fit in really well with existing members and helped drive play and create scoring chances, especially during the first period. Doherty also wasn’t afraid to get his hands dirty when Dhooghe trucked into Autio, and Westcott’s energy is just fun to watch.
• Defense needs work. Overall, they’re having trouble limiting quality scoring chances in the defensive zone and all partnerships are struggling. While only three games have been played thus far, it’s clear defense will continue to need time to bounce back, DeNaples and Phillips included.

What’s Next?

Penn State faces Wisconsin again in its last road game of Phase 1 on Tuesday night at 6 p.m. on the Big Ten Network. The remaining two series in December against Michigan (2 and 3)  and Arizona State (11 and 13) will be played at Pegula Ice Arena.