Penn State men’s hockey (12-12-3, 4-10-3 Big Ten) fell 3-0 to No. 8 Minnesota (17-7-5, 10-5-4 Big Ten) at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday night.

Rhett Pitlick’s goals gave the Golden Gophers an early 2-0 lead to begin the first period. They scored again to begin the third period, but Penn State’s power play woes were a key factor in its inability to climb back into the game.

How It Happened

It didn’t take long for Minnesota to score. Rhett Pitlick buried a pass from Oliver Moore in front of Liam Souliere to give the Golden Gophers a 1-0 lead just 43 seconds into the game.

Four minutes later, Pitlick scored again. He beat Souliere to a rebound and grabbed a 2-0 lead at 3:49 in the first period.

Penn State continued to be outplayed by Minnesota’s talented squad. The Golden Gophers consistently controlled the puck and ended the period with an advantage in shots on goal, which is unusual for the Nittany Lions.

Carson Dyck and Bryce Brodzinski were assessed matching roughing minors to open the second period. With 13 seconds left in the penalties, Matt DiMarsico headed to the sin bin for cross-checking to give Minnesota the game’s first power play. Despite several dangerous chances, the score remained 2-0.

Then, Christian Berger was given a tripping minor. The Gophers once again got nothing done on the power play. Liam Souliere settled into his own after a rough start to the game by making save after save.

The penalty box’s door continued revolving, though. Aaron Huglen and Carl Fish were given penalties for tripping and contact to the head, respectively. Despite a 5-on-3 advantage, Penn State squandered the opportunity to cut the deficit in half.

A few minutes later, the Nittany Lions had another power play when Jaxon Nelson was assessed a cross-checking minor. Once again, the power play was unsuccessful to end the second period.

Connor Kurth scored on a rebound to give Minnesota a 3-0 lead at 1:16 in the third period. It was a commanding lead but not one that Penn State didn’t previously have several opportunities to chip away at.

Dane Dowiak took a tripping penalty shortly after. However, the Gophers didn’t score despite peppering Souliere with shots.

Then, Dyck and Charlie Strobel were given matching minors for roughing after the whistle. The clock ticked away and nothing eventful happened. Guy Gadowsky opted not to pull Souliere in the final minute, and the final horn sounded to cap off Penn State’s loss.

Takeaways

• Penn State was dominated, and it started with Minnesota’s two goals to open the first period. It wasn’t a surprise against a top-10 team, but it still felt lousy considering every game remaining is crucial if the Nittany Lions are to make the NCAA Tournament again.
• A big part of Penn State’s failure to get back in the game was its lack of success on the power play. It went 0-for-3 on the advantage, including a 5-on-3 chance. That’ll kill momentum right away.
• To their credit, the Golden Gophers were lights-out. Justen Close, who was recently named the Big Ten’s first star of the week, was outstanding with 36 saves. He was especially good on the penalty kills, when the Nittany Lions were in the zone practically the entire 5-on-3 advantage, for instance.

What’s Next

Penn State and Minnesota finish the series at 4 p.m. tomorrow. The game will be televised on Big Ten Network.