No. 17 Penn State men’s hockey (5-2-1) t to Notre Dame (4-3-1) on Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena to open Big Ten conference play. The final score ended in a draw, though the Fighting Irish walked away with an extra point in conference standings after winning the shootout 1-0.

It was a power play run game, and both teams capitalized off of the advantage. The Fighting Irish came back to tie the game in the third, and though Penn State had threatening counterattacks, they couldn’t find their breakthrough, and the game moved into sudden death overtime. Neither team found a goal in sudden death and had to move onto a shootout, with Cole Knuble being the only scorer to push Notre Dame to victory.

How It Happened

Notre Dame came out first, firing off four shots in the opening 90 seconds. Brennan Ali’s shot got past Noah Grannan in net, and the Irish took the lead 1:34 into the game.

Dane Dowiak was threatening in front of goal for the Nittany Lions early on, but his shots were deflected by Notre Dame goalie Ryan Bischel.

With 11:26 left in the first period, Paul Fischer received a penalty for cross-checking, and the Nittany Lions went on a two-minute power play. Christian Berger recorded a hard shot, but it was grabbed by Bischel and nothing came from the advantage.

The Irish went on the attack and Grannan stepped up with a big save. A Notre Dame player went down on the ice in the scuffle and following review, Xander Lamppa received two minutes for interference and Penn State went down a man. The Nittany Lions stepped up for a penalty kill with five minutes left in the first.

Penn State found its breakthrough and Danny Dzhaniyev received the puck right in front of the goal and batted it right under the goalie’s glove at 17:50 to end the first period tied 1-1.

Smooth operator pic.twitter.com/NoYMuAryjX

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 5, 2023

The Nittany Lions set the intensity at the start of the second period, holding nothing back. They went on a powerplay in the fourth minute before giving up a penalty of their own 20 seconds in to even the men again. Penn State received another penalty to go two down for one minute.

Notre Dame capitalized on the momentum swing, and Trevor Janicke tapped in a rebound at 6:38 in the second period to make it 2-1.

Frustration and penalties continued to climb at Pegula with seven penalties by halfway through the second period, and Penn State winning its third power play of the game. Dylan Lugris used the power play to find an equalizer and hit the back of the net with 6:59 left in the second period.

Dylan Lugris knots it up pic.twitter.com/lK71KPku6o

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 5, 2023

The momentum carried the Nittany Lions as they wore down the Irish defense and found their third goal of the game to take the lead. Lamppa scored his first goal of the season, finding the puck through a scramble and burying it with a backhand with 3:10 to go.

That’s a good way to take the lead pic.twitter.com/zRLXhJ0Zp1

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 5, 2023

Penn State returned for the third period seeking to secure a win over Notre Dame. Notre Dame’s attack caught Penn State during a line change, looking close to a goal but foiled by Grannan.

The Nittany Lions struggled defensively in the first 10 minutes of the third period, saved only through huge saves from Grannon as they couldn’t successfully clear the puck.

Penn State had a huge chance halfway through, throwing on a flurry of shots and crowding the net but penalties had them fall two men down again, giving Notre Dame its fifth power play of the game. The Irish didn’t waste time with their advantage and Maddox Fleming scored to tie the game 3-3 at 9:03 left.

Both teams traded possession in a frantic final five minutes. Penn State had threatening counterattacks, but Bischel was a force in the net for the Irish and nothing came to fruition. The third period ended tied 3-3, and the game moved into overtime.

Notre Dame had the first real chance in overtime, but the puck was stalled right at the goal post, sending Penn State on the counterattack. It lost possession and fought to get it back, but ultimately fought too hard and Lamppa got sent to the penalty box, giving Notre Dame the advantage for the rest of the overtime period.

The Nittany Lions were relentless, playing along with the roar of the crowd and managing to defy Notre Dame’s attempts, making diving saves and incredible hits one after another.

The game moved on to a shootout after the scoreless five-minute overtime period.

After two rounds, it was still scoreless.

Patrick Moynihan stepped up first for the Irish, but Grannan saved the shot. Dzhaniyev followed for Penn State but just missed. Fleming’s shot went wide past the net for Notre Dame.

Knuble was the deciding factor, slipping one past Grannan for the Irish. Lugris attempted to tie it up again for Penn State, but couldn’t break past and Penn State fell 4-3 in overtime.

Takeaways

• Noah Grannan stepped up big in the net tonight, posting 26 saves. He was the reason this game was forced into a shootout and kept Notre Dame from gaining momentum all game.
• Power plays were an issue again tonight. Penn State had four, converting only one and giving up nine to Notre Dame. The penalties and power plays messed with momentum and caused Penn State to fall just short in the end.

What’s Next?

Penn State and Notre Dame will face each other again on Sunday, November 5, at Pegula. The game will begin at 4:30 p.m. and will be streamed on the Big Ten Network.