Connor MacEachren was the hero for Penn State during its 3-2 overtime win versus No. 20 Arizona State Friday night.

Alex Limoges and Tim Doherty both had two points for the Nittany Lions. Oskar Autio won in net, making 32 saves on 34 shots. Evan Debrouwer had a great game in net for Arizona State, making 47 saves on 50 shots.

How It Happened

The early stages of the game started physically but lacked any sort of rhythm from both teams. Arizona State had the first high-quality scoring chance of the game, but Oskar Autio got just enough of the cross-crease feed to keep it out of the back of the net.

Penn State earned the first power play in the game with around 13 minutes left in the first period after Benji Eckerle was called for hooking. After a strong showing versus Michigan last week, the Penn State power play remained hot. A string of beautiful passes from the Nittany Lions saw Tim Doherty find Alex Limoges wide open back door for a tap in goal and a 1-0 lead.

Arizona State earned a power play shortly after the goal as Even Bell was called for interference with just over 10 minutes left in the period. The Penn State penalty killers did a good job of blocking some key passing lanes and shots to keep Arizona State empty on the man advantage. Directly after the kill, Doherty had a great chance for the Nittany Lions that rocketed off the crossbar and over the glass.

Arizona State was gifted another power play with seven minutes left in the period after true freshman Xander Lamppa was called for an ill-advised boarding penalty. The Penn State penalty kill was successful again because of some key saves from Autio and some more blocked shots from the Nittany Lion penalty killers. Arizona State ran with some post power play momentum but to no avail.

With little over a minute left in the period, Arizona State turned the puck over in its defensive zone after an ill-advised breakout passes into the slot. Penn State took advantage and poured the pressure on the Sun Devils. The Nittany Lions were rewarded after Doherty buried another beautiful passing play behind Debrouwer for the 2-0 lead.

The second period started with some end to end action, with both teams having good chances. The Nittany Lions’ forecheck was effective against the Sun Devils, causing a lot of bad turnovers from Arizona State. Both teams continued to be physical, laying some massive hits that saw tempers flare and some not so nice words being exchanged from the benches. In the first half of the period, both teams were looking to lay more hits than score goals.

Nothing of note came up in the period until there were just over six minutes left. Arizona State was able to get behind the Nittany Lion defensemen and Wille Knierim deked Autio to Neverland and roofed a beautiful goal to cut the Penn State lead to 2-1. It was Penn State’s first big defensive mistake of the game and the Sun Devils took advantage.

Kniermin would play another big role just over four minutes later, as he streaked in on Autio’s cage, forcing Autio to make a difficult save. The rebound was then tucked home by Jordan Sandhu, drawing Arizona State level at 2-2. The goal was then reviewed and it turned out that Arizona State was offsides before the goal, meaning the game would remain 2-1 in favor of the Nittany Lions.

Clayton Phillips was then called for what can only be described as a “boneheaded” interference call after the whistle, giving Arizona State a man advantage with 1:30 to go in the period. The first 75% of the power play to yield nothing for Arizona State, as Penn State escaped the second period up 2-1. The Nittany Lions still lead in shots 29-23.

Arizona State started the third period on the man advantage for 30 seconds, but couldn’t muster up anything, leaving it 0-of-3 on the power play. Three minutes into the period after some back and play, Sean Dhooghe came bearing down on net and sniped a shot off the underside of the crossbar. After review, it was determined that the puck crossed the line, knotting the game up at 2-2.

The game intensified and two minutes later, Bell found his seat in the sin bin again after a controversial boarding call. Arizona State had the momentum heading in the power play, but came up empty handed again, leaving the Sun Devils at 0-of-4 on the man advantage in the game. Right after the power play expired, Penn State was given a man advantage of their own after Eckerle was called for slashing.

That power play then became a five-on-three after Limoges was crosschecked by Jacob Wilson. Chaos ensued during the double man advantage as temper continued to reach a boiling point. Some brilliant saves from Debrouwer helped Arizona State kill both penalties with eight minutes left in the game.

The final stages of the game were electric. Penn State had a flurry of chances with about five minutes to go, holding the puck in Arizona State’s end for over a minute, but they couldn’t capitalize. Debrouwer stonewalled the Nittany Lions on multiple occasions, including an open back on timer with four minutes left in the game. No pucks hit the puck for the rest of regulation, meaning free hockey in Happy Valley with the score still knotted up 2-2.

Three-on-three overtime action was eventful, as both teams had some high-quality scoring chances. The best chance came on a breakaway for Arizona State, but Autio came up with the huge save to keep the game tied. The game-winning goal did come with 1:03 left in the period. Arizona State went for a bad change and left three Nittany Lions against one Sun Devil defender. Connor MacEachern was the hero, snipping a shot past Debrouwer for the 3-2 victory.

Takeaways

• Guy Gadowsky decided to change up the second line for the Nittany Lions and it worked. Tim Doherty, Alex Limoges, and Xander Lamppa were the best line all game for the Nittany Lions. The chemistry, especially between Limoges and Doherty, is growing by the game and this was their coming out party. Lamppa was the quieter of the three, but complemented the line nicely, notable with his defensive work rate. Gadowsky may have found a new line that can change the Nittany Lions dynamically on offense and defense.
• One noticeable trend early in the game was the Penn State forecheck. The Nittany Lions did a great job of intercepting breakout passes and clogging the neutral zone, forcing Arizona State to turn over the puck a lot. This lead to a plethora of chances for Penn State, including the second goal of the game. The Sun Devils did a better job copping as the game went on, but the forecheck plagued Arizona State all game.
• Once Pennsylvania’s coronavirus lockdown is over, someone needs to buy Oskar Autio a drink (if he’s of age, of course). Autio has solidified himself as Penn State’s number one shot-stopper. He made some saves he had no business making, bailing out the Nittany Lions’ defense multiple times. He also has a lot of composure in between the pipes, something that will only get better as he gets more playing time. It’ll be interesting to see if Autio gets his fourth straight start Sunday.

What’s Next

Penn State will have a day off before it faces off against Arizona State again on Sunday. Puck drop from Pegula Ice Arena is slated for 2 p.m. It will be Penn State’s last game of phase one of its regular-season schedule.