Penn State men’s hockey (14-12-1, 5-11-1 Big Ten) overcame No. 12 Ohio State (18-7-2, 10-5-2-1 Big Ten) Friday night with a 3-2 shootout win to open up a two-game series.

Ben Schoen scored the game-tying goal and shootout winner to propel the Nittany Lions to a much-needed win — their third straight.

How It Happened

Head coach Guy Gadowsky went with sophomore backup goalie Liam Souliere in the net, while Ohio State opted for Jakub Dobes between the pipes.

The Nittany Lions got off to a strong start in the opening three minutes of the first period with several good scoring chances, but they were ultimately stopped by Dobes.

Not even five full minutes into the period, however, freshman Danny Dzhaniyev was able to beat Dobes and give Penn State the lead, while freshmen Ryan Kirwan and Ben Schoen picked up assists with 15:09 left to play.

THE BATTLE. THE FEED. THE FINISH. pic.twitter.com/F1UWUpndI0

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) January 29, 2022

Despite another great scoring opportunity, Penn State couldn’t hold the lead for very long. The Buckeyes tied the game at 8:05 in the period when freshman Cam Thiesing scored unassisted.

After some back-and-forth play, Penn State went on the power play with 3:11 left to play in the first after Ohio State senior Ryan O’Connell got called for boarding on Ryan Kirwan. The Nittany Lions were unable to capitalize, however, as Ohio State was consistently able to clear the defensive zone.

The first period ended with both teams tied 1-1 with Penn State leading Ohio State in shots 11-9.

The second period saw both teams get more physical while battling for the puck, with lots of hits against the boards on both sides. One particularly hard hit saw junior Connor McMenamin leave the ice in discomfort, though he eventually returned to play.

With 11:57 left in the second, Ohio State received a two-minute minor for hooking, but despite some good chances, the Nittany Lions were unable to capitalize on the power play.

The Buckeyes took the lead at 15:48 in the second when sophomore Joe Dunlap scored with assists from senior Jake Wise and Ryan O’Connell. Ohio State immediately went to the power play after the goal when Simon Mack got called for interference. Luckily, Penn State killed the penalty.

With 11 seconds left in the second period, Penn State sophomore Tyler Paquette received a two-minute minor for hooking, which sent Ohio State right back to the power play before the period ended. After two, Penn State outshot Ohio State 28-23 but trailed 2-1.

The third period opened with 1:50 of power play time for Ohio State, but things stayed scoreless by the time the penalty expired.

The third period was quiet for a while until Ben Schoen tied the game for Penn State with 14:08 left to play. Schoen’s goal was assisted by Danny Dzhaniyev and sophomore Jimmy Dowd Jr.

Equalizer pic.twitter.com/Vcl5X6P0Hl

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) January 29, 2022

The third period remained chippy. One thing the rest of the period didn’t see, however, was more scoring. Regulation ended with the teams tied 2-2 and Penn State outshooting Ohio State 45-28.

Overtime was more of the same in both physicality and lack of scoring. Despite some good scoring chances for both sides, the game remained tied after a five-minute overtime period, sending this baby into a shootout.

Penn State opted to start with junior Kevin Wall, but he was unable to bury the puck. Ryan Kirwan went second for the Nittany Lions, but he was also unable to beat Dobes.

The shootout gained intensity when Eric Cooley scored on Souliere to put Ohio State ahead by one. Junior Connor MacEachern was up to the task, however, and kept Penn State in the game, sending the shootout to another round. Ohio State sophomore Travis Treloar was up next, but Souliere denied the shot. Finally, Ben Schoen buried it for Penn State and won the game 3-2 in the shootout.

BINGO#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/Q8WdD7EJSt

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) January 29, 2022

Takeaways

• Despite finding plenty of great scoring chances, the Nittany Lions had some trouble burying the puck tonight. This will need to be an area of focus as they take on the Buckeyes again tomorrow, whether Ohio changes their goalie for the second night or not.
• Penn State had a lot of trouble with turnovers tonight, both in the neutral zone and its offensive zone. Many times, the Nittany Lions struggled to hold possession of the puck for more than a few seconds before turning it over to Ohio State. They’ll need to clean up this area of their play or they will continue to struggle with scoring.
• Play throughout the game was physical and gritty. Hard hits against the boards and aggressive takeaways were a big part of the Buckeyes’ game tonight. The Nittany Lions should expect more of the same tomorrow as Ohio State battles to take home a win in the series.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will close out their home series with Ohio State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, January 29. The game will be available to watch on BTN+.