No. 10 Penn State men’s hockey (20-14-1, 10-13-1 Big Ten) failed to overcome a disastrous second period in a 5-1 loss to No. 9 Ohio State (19-12-3) to open the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

Stephen Halliday registered four points to go along with a remarkable performance by Jakub Dobes as Ohio State cruised to a dominant win over Penn State in game one.

How It Happened

To nobody’s surprise, head coach Guy Gadowsky elected to go with Liam Souliere in net, while Ohio State went with usual starter Jakub Dobes.

Both teams got good looks early on, but it was Ohio State that struck first at the 4:31 mark of the first period when Davis Burnside fired a one-timer past Souliere to break the ice.

Penn State got an opportunity to tie the game thanks to a tripping penalty committed by Dominic Vidoli, but Ohio State killed the penalty to preserve its 1-0 lead.

A very quick first period came to an end with Ohio State leading Penn State 1-0. Penn State put a lot of pressure on Dobes in the final minute of the period, but it wasn’t enough to get on the scoreboard. The teams combined for just one power play and one goal in an uneventful first period in game one of the quarterfinal round.

Ohio State got its first power play just 25 seconds into the second period when Connor McMenamin was whistled for roughing. The Nittany Lions killed the penalty with ease.

A pair of coincidental roughing penalties proved to be costly for Penn State, as the Buckeyes scored two goals just 44 seconds apart to give them a 3-0 lead in the early moments of the second period. Tyler Duke and Cam Thiesing scored the goals for Ohio State.

Penn State was given an opportunity to stop the skid when Stephen Halliday was called for cross-checking at the 11:27 mark of the second period. A hooking penalty on Ture Linden ended the power play early, though. As a result, Ohio State got 1:43 of power play time, and Cole McWard took advantage of it, beating Souliere to extend the Buckeyes’ lead to four.

Kevin Wall had a chance to get Penn State on the board with a breakaway attempt late in the second period, but Dobes made the save to keep his shutout bid alive.

Ohio State got another power play at the 16:24 mark of the second period when Chase McLane was called for tripping, but Penn State killed the penalty to keep Ohio State’s lead at four.

A late penalty kill wasn’t enough to save Penn State from a disastrous second period. The Buckeyes scored three in the middle frame to take a commanding 4-0 lead entering the final period of regulation.

A cross-checking penalty by Burnside gave Penn State its fourth man advantage of the game, and this time, Penn State found the back of the net to end the shutout bid. Linden deflected the puck past Dobes to cut Ohio State’s lead to 4-1.

It didn’t take long for Ohio State to get its four-goal lead back, as Halliday beat Souliere for his fourth point of the game.

Neither team scored again, and the disastrous night for Penn State finally came to an end. Ohio State dominated all game to earn a big 5-1 win in game one of the quarterfinal round.

Takeaways

• Jakub Dobes was lights out for Ohio State on Friday Night. The Montreal Canadiens draft pick stopped all but one shot to earn the win in game one. Penn State goaltender Liam Souliere was less than lights out, as he surrendered five goals on 39 shots in what was a struggle for the Nittany Lion goalkeeper.
• Special teams played a key role in the outcome of this game, as Ohio State scored two goals in a 44-second span in the second period during a period of 4-on-4 hockey. The Buckeyes also added a power-play goal late in the second period to extend their lead to four. Penn State scored on one of its four power play opportunities.
• The second period was when this game was decided, and unfortunately for Penn State, it didn’t go in its favor. Ohio State dominated the second period in all facets. It outscored the Nittany Lions 3-0 in the second while outshooting them by seven.

What’s Next?

Penn State will return to the ice at 5 p.m. on Saturday, March 4, against the same Ohio State team in game two of the Big Ten quarterfinal round. The Nittany Lions need a win to keep their conference title hopes alive.