No. 20 Penn State men’s hockey (10-8-3, 2-6-3 Big Ten) fell to No. 8 Michigan State (14-4-3, 10-1-2 Big Ten) 5-0 on Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena.

The Nittany Lions were dominated in a chippy affair as the Spartans outplayed and out-skated them all night. Michigan State took a commanding 4-0 lead in the second period, but the tone had already been set. Penn State whiffed on several chances, and with Trey Augustine’s impressive night, Michigan State won 5-0.

How It Happened

Things got chippy early, as a skirmish following a whistle behind Augustine ensued not even a minute into the game. Red Savage was given a minor penalty for high-sticking right after, giving the Nittany Lions a pivotal opportunity early in the game. They forced a turnover and generated some traffic in front of Augustine, but a physical Spartans special teams unit got the kill.

Then, Michigan State scored on a shot from the blue line that deflected off Tanner Kelly and zipped into the net to make it 1-0 at 4:49 in the first period. Penn State unsuccessfully challenged for a hit to Dane Dowiak’s head after the play, resulting in a lost timeout.

The Nittany Lions were bailed out by Liam Souliere, who barely made a save with the tip of his stick and then deflected the puck with his chest. An offsides call against the Spartans shortly after would likely have been another close call.

Michigan State took a second penalty, as David Gucciardi was handed a minor for indirect contact to the head. Despite having a one-man advantage, Penn State couldn’t keep up with Michigan State’s fast-paced team. Reed Lebster grabbed a short-handed goal, going top-shelf on Souliere to make it 2-0 at 10:11 in the opening period.

Penn State had a rare serious chance with four minutes remaining in the period, as Augustine barely denied Christian Sarlo, who was on the edge of the crease and couldn’t bury a pass from Xander Lamppa.

Then, Carter Schade took a cross-checking minor with under two minutes to go in the first period. The Spartans didn’t score, as the period ended with 18 seconds left in the advantage.

Although they didn’t score on the power play, the Spartans continued to outplay the Nittany Lions. Not even five minutes into the second period, Gavin O’Connell scored at 3:51 to take a commanding 3-0 lead.

It only got more difficult for the Nittany Lions, as Reese Laubach was assessed a high-sticking minor. Michigan State had control of the puck for the majority of the sequence, taking several shots. Some sailed wide, while a few were blocked by Souliere. The Nittany Lions cleared the puck once, which gave the defense a crucial breather to be able to successfully kill the penalty.

Then, the Spartans struck yet again. Joey Larson sniped it from point blank, and the puck went off the pipe and into the goal to give Michigan State a 4-0 lead at 13:48 in the second period. Penn State was simply being outplayed by a better, faster team on its own ice. What was once a loud and energetic crowd at Pegula Ice Arena at the beginning of the game became a shell of itself as the Spartans continued to pile on.

Tanner Palocsik took a tripping penalty with three minutes left in the period, handing Michigan State its third power play of the evening. But in contrast with how the rest of the game had gone thus far, the Nittany Lions’ penalty kill consisted of impressive defense, with skaters flying toward the puck and clearing it on numerous occasions to keep the Spartans without a goal on the power play.

Matt DiMarsico hit Patrick Geary into the boards to begin the third period, and he was handed a boarding minor. Once again, though, the Spartans generated next to nothing on the power play.

Artyom Levshunov pulled Jacques Bouquot down by the sleeve of his jersey, outraging the crowd inside Pegula. He was immediately booked for holding, and Penn State got a power play. It was nothing doing for Penn State, though, as Michigan State’s special teams cleared the puck time and time again.

After some back-and-forth play, Michigan State got another penalty as O’Connell was given a hooking minor with five minutes left in regulation. It then became four-on-four hockey for 15 seconds, as Lamppa took a slashing minor. The Spartans soon went on the power play, and this time, they weren’t denied. Larson scored with 2:37 left in the game to take a 5-0 lead as the fans streamed toward the exits. That ultimately ended up being the final score, as Michigan State won game one convincingly.

Takeaways

• Penn State lost to a better team. The Nittany Lions always appeared to be a step behind the Spartans, as they played with more speed and aggression. Augustine, who recently started for team USA at the World Juniors in Sweden, was especially dominant with 31 saves, as he too was a key component of Michigan State’s win.
• Tonight’s game was incredibly physical. Multiple players, especially on Penn State, went down and were slow to get up with injuries. Additionally, it got chippy seemingly after every whistle was blown before the score got out of hand.
• Penn State went 0-for-4 on power plays. Its .219 power play rate is ranked No. 19 in the country, which makes tonight’s feat even more disappointing.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions and Spartans finish the series at 4:30 p.m. Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.