No. 18 Penn State men’s hockey (4-2, 0-1 Big Ten) fell 3-1 to No. 4 Minnesota (6-1, 1-0 Big Ten) on Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Penn State jumped out to a 1-0 lead and killed five power plays in the first two periods. However, two Jimmy Snuggerud goals and an empty-netter sealed Penn State’s fate in its Big Ten opener.

How It Happened

Penn State won the opening faceoff. Minnesota got a breakaway, but Arsenii Sergeev cleared the puck before the Golden Gophers were able to shoot.

Nick Fascia was assessed a high-sticking penalty, which gave Minnesota the game’s first power play not even halfway through the first period. However, the Nittany Lions’ strong penalty kill silenced the Gophers.

Four minutes later, Johnny Whipple went to the sin bin for an elbowing minor. Penn State gave Nathan Airey and Minnesota a challenge but to no avail.

For the third time in the period, there was a penalty. This time, Reese Laubach was booked for tripping. As he left the box, he picked up the puck, sped down the ice, and shot it past Airey to give Penn State a 1-0 lead at 19:22 into the opening period.

Minnesota hardly took any time to answer. Snuggerud sent a shot soaring past Sergeev to tie it 1-1 just 1:36 into the second period.

Penn State’s troubles continued, as Matt DiMarsico was given a five-minute major for hitting from behind. With 14 seconds left, Cade Christenson took an interference call. The Nittany Lions kept Minnesota at bay by clearing the puck multiple times and several saves by Sergeev cleared both, which continued Penn State’s immaculate play on the penalty kill so far.

With 6:14 left in the second period, Penn State took another penalty. This time it was for too many men on the ice, which Dylan Lugris served. Despite several dangerous Minnesota attempts, Penn State killed the penalty for the fifth time.

Jimmy Dowd took a penalty for hooking. This time, Minnesota capitalized on Snuggerud’s tip in front of Sergeev for his second goal of the night to give the Gophers a 2-1 lead at 18:22 in the second period.

Luke Mittelstadt headed to the box for hooking, which gave Penn State a pivotal power play opportunity five minutes into the third period. The Gophers had no problems clearing, and the Nittany Lions only had one shot during the one-man advantage.

Minnesota continued to take shot after shot. With under two minutes left, Sergeev went to the bench for an extra skater. Jimmy Clark got the empty-netter to make it 3-1 Gophers.

Takeaways

• Penalties were a dagger for Penn State. Although the Nittany Lions didn’t concede on five of them, that’s 10 minutes without being at full strength and, therefore, fewer opportunities to score. If you play with fire long enough you’ll get burned, which is what happened when Snuggerud finally capitalized in the second period.
• Sergeev kept Penn State in this game when it shouldn’t have been. He made 31 saves and came up big during penalty kills or when Minnesota otherwise had dangerous chances. His presence has so far been invaluable as a result.
• Snuggerud scored two goals, and he’s simply a great talent. It’s hard to contain him at all, let alone when you’re constantly on the penalty kill.

What’s Next

The Nittany Lions and Golden Gophers finish the series at 8 p.m. tomorrow at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The game will be televised on Big Ten Plus.