No. 16 Penn State men’s hockey (8-0-0 overall, 2-0-0 Big Ten) defeated Wisconsin (2-5-0 overall, 0-3-0 Big Ten) 4-0 in Madison to complete another series sweep.

Penn State went up 1-0 early in the first period, but it didn’t score again until the third period. Ultimately, the Nittany Lions won, as a strong defensive performance held the Badgers scoreless.

How It Happened

Head coach Guy Gadowsky opted to start Jarod Crespo on the top defensive pairing after he tallied his first career point in last night’s 2-1 win. Meanwhile, Liam Souliere started in goal again.

It wasn’t long until Penn State broke the ice. After having a shot deflected by Jared Moe, Connor McMenamin picked up the rebound, skated around the net, and went top shelf to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead at just 2:59 in the first period.

McMenamin’s goal was his fifth point of the season, as well as his first of the series.

Despite giving up the early goal, Wisconsin made life difficult for Souliere, who made ten saves in the first seven minutes of regulation.

Wisconsin was given a chance to capitalize on its many chances thus far, as Alex Servagno was assessed a tripping penalty. However, it went nowhere.

Then, at 9:52 in the game, it was Penn State’s turn to go on the power play. Charlie Stramel was booked for interference, but the Nittany Lions didn’t capitalize.

Neither team could generate anything significant the rest of the period, which ended with Penn State leading 1-0.

Penn State had a whirlwind second period. The Nittany Lions tested Moe and nearly scored twice on the Badger goaltender.

First, Ashton Calder nearly scored against Moe after powering toward the net, but the puck did not cross the line.

Then, Tyler Paquette’s shot was initially ruled a goal. After further review, the officials ruled the puck deflected, bounced out, and did not cross the goal line. Penn State remained up 1-0, though.

Penn State had two more power play chances in the second period but didn’t capitalize on either one. The score remained 1-0 at the break.

The Nittany Lions fired on all cylinders during the third period. At just 56 seconds into the period, Ashton Calder scored a power-play goal. Calder was assisted by McMenamin and Ben Schoen.

After some back-and-forth play and a killed penalty, Penn State got the insurance goal. At 9:38 in the period, Xander Lamppa put the Nittany Lions up 3-0 after a rebound in front of the net. Wisconsin’s challenge for goaltender interference was unsuccessful.

Wisconsin couldn’t generate anything moving forward, and the Badgers pulled Moe with four minutes remaining in the game.

Connor MacEachern scored an empty-netter at 18:19 in the period, giving Penn State a 4-0 lead. The Nittany Lions ultimately continued their undefeated run and shut out the Badgers 4-0.

Takeaways

• What a night for Connor McMenamin. The Collegeville, Pennsylvania native had one goal, two assists, and three points in tonight’s victory, as he was a crucial part to the win.
• Liam Souliere was outstanding this series. Souliere made 63 total saves, with over 30 in each game. The Badgers scored just one goal across two games.
• Penn State put any worries against Wisconsin to rest. The Badgers swept then-No. 2 Minnesota-Duluth prior to the series, but the Nittany Lions shut down a Wisconsin team that had a lot of momentum.
• Penn State’s 8-0 start is officially the best start to a season in program history. Guy Gadowsky’s crew is absolutely red hot.

What’s Next

Penn State will host Michigan for a two-game series on Friday, November 4, and Saturday, November 5. Friday’s game is scheduled to start at 8 p.m., while Saturday’s start time is still to be determined.