No. 5 Penn State men’s hockey (17-6-0 overall, 7-6-0 Big Ten) lost 3-2 to No. 17 Michigan State (13-11-1 overall, 7-7-1 Big Ten) in overtime Friday night in East Lansing, Michigan.

The game was uneventful until Penn State scored first toward the end of the second period. The Nittany Lions scored again in the third period on a two-man advantage, only to allow the Spartans to tie the game within a five-minute stretch. The game went to overtime, and Michigan State ultimately pulled off the 3-2 comeback win.

How It Happened

Guy Gadowsky spiced things up in his top line for game one in East Lansing. Danny Dzhaniyev, Ture Linden, and Ashton Calder were Penn State’s top forwards. Christian Berger and Paul DeNaples started on defense, while standout goaltender Liam Souliere got the nod in net.

Both teams started with some back-and-forth play, though, neither team could generate much in the way of chances.

Penn State had two power plays in the first 10 minutes of the game but didn’t score. Halfway through the first period at the 11:17 mark, Calder was booked for tripping. Michigan State didn’t score thanks in large part to Souliere’s play in net.

At the end of the period, Carter Schade was called for roughing to give the Spartans another power play. Michigan State began the power play at the beginning of the second period but didn’t score.

Michigan State took two penalties in the first few minutes of the second period, but Penn State didn’t score on the first one. Both goaltenders had been fantastic in net to this point, shutting down potential goal opportunities from the opposition.

Then, at 6:11 in the second period, Jarod Crespo scored his first career goal, which was on a power play, to make it 1-0 Penn State.

Neither team scored again in the second period. Still, the most dramatic portion of the game was yet to come.

Shortly after the start of the third period, Penn State had a five-on-three power play. The Nittany Lions took advantage, as Ture Linden scored to provide Penn State an insurance goal.

Then, things changed for the worse for the Nittany Lions. Michigan State took a power play and capitalized. The Spartans continued to pressure Penn State, and when the advantage ended, Erik Middendorf got the puck in the back of the net immediately to make it 2-1 at 8:38 in the third period.

Just a few minutes later at 13:11, Michigan State struck again. This time, it was Jagger Joshua to make it 2-2 with momentum completely on the Spartans’ side.

Neither team was able to score again in regulation, so the game went to overtime. At just 3:36 in the sequence, Cole Krygier scored the game-winner to complete the three-goal, 3-2 comeback for Michigan State.

Takeaways

• This type of a loss is tough. It was a very winnable game for Penn State, and it should’ve completed the victory. The Nittany Lions can’t afford to drop more points in a series like this.
• Both goaltenders were great for much of the contest. The game was scoreless through the first period and a half. Souliere made 31 saves, while Dylan St. Cyr made 42.
• Too many penalties were taken, and too many power plays weren’t taken advantage of for Penn State. When looking back on this game, missed opportunities and untimely mistakes are the reasons for the comeback Spartan victory.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions and the Spartans finish up the series at 7 p.m. tomorrow night in East Lansing.