Penn State hockey (4-5, 2-5 Big Ten) started phase II of the season with a 1-0 victory over Michigan State (3-4-2, 2-4-1 Big Ten) in East Lansing Sunday night.

Sam Sternschien had the lone goal of the game late in the first period. Oskar Autio earned his first shutout of the season and made 23 saves. Drew DeRidder also had a good game for the Spartans making 28 saves.

How It Happened

The start of the game was sloppy for both teams coming out of the winter break. Neither could set the tempo of the game, both of which struggled to establish possession in the offensive zone.

Michigan State had the best early chances in the game, but Autio was equal to them. Nittany Lion defenseman Alex Stevens had the first big play of the game with just under 10 minutes left in the period, snuffing out a Michigan State two-on-one attempt to keep the score at 0-0.

Penn State’s first and best high-quality chance of the period came with five minutes left, when Aarne Talvitie went for a wrap around attempt that was well saved by DeRidder. It was the start of a momentum swing for the Nittany Lions to end the first period.

Two minutes later, Penn State would use that momentum and take the lead through Sternschien. Sternschien intercepted a lazy pass from Powell Connor and easily buried the open chance past DeRidder for the 1-0 lead with 2:56 left in the period. Autio made another key save with one minute left, robbing Charlie Combs on a great cross crease save.

That would be the last notable action of the period, with Penn State heading into the locker room up 1-0. Michigan State was leading in shots 13-10.

Michigan State started the second period the better team, controlling the puck and getting some good scoring chances. Sternschien almost buried his second goal of the game on a breakaway about six minutes into the period, but he put it just wide of the post. Similar to the first period, the first half of the second period was uneventful.

Michigan State got the first power play of the game with 7:49 left in the period after Mason Snell was called for cross checking. The Nittany Lions penalty kill was up to the task, killing off the Spartan’s power play with relative ease. Combs had another quality chance after the power play, but couldn’t put it on goal past Autio. Penn State locked down defensively and the game remained 1-0 entering the second intermission. Michigan State still had the slight advantage in shots 20-19.

The defensive showdown continued in the third period. The Nittany Lions did a great job clogging up passing and shooting lanes, leaving the Spartans with little options and not a lot of quality scoring chances. DeRidder continued his great game in net for the Spartans, stonewalling Tim Doherty with his right pad with 13 minutes left in the game.

The Nittany Lions ended the game on the back foot. Penn State had only two shots in the third period with about five minutes left in the game. DeRidder was pulled from the net with 1:20 left in the game, giving the Spartans the extra attacker. Penn State did not fold and the Nittany Lions held on for a gritty 1-0 victory.

Key Takeaways

• Both teams still looked a little tired from New Year’s Eve to start the game. The first period was sloppy on both ends of the ice, especially for Penn State. Guy Gadowsky discussed the challenges of getting back into the groove of things after the break and it showed. Sternschin’s goal was an absolute gift and what Penn State needed to kind of wake itself up. Expect the early games in phase two of the schedule to be sloppy similar to the first games of the season.
• Penn State was defensively dominate. The Nittany Lions have been bad in the goals against department all season, but they did a good job on the back end limiting high-quality scoring chances. That is also because of the play of Autio, who is statistically one of the worst goalies in the country right now, but he didn’t play like it. The defense took a step forward in this game.
• The offense was a different story. Penn State’s big gun were quiet for the Nittany Lions. Stenschien’s goal was lucky and there were only about five or six other high quality scoring chances throughout the game. It also didn’t produce a high shot total like it usually does. It’s something that it can get away with against a team like Michigan State, but not against the other better teams in the conference.
• Four straight wins after losing the first five games of the season is pretty neat. Penn State hockey is looking like the football team right about now.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions hit the ice for game two against Sparty on Monday afternoon. That game is scheduled to start at 3 p.m and be broadcasted on BTN+.