Penn State Men’s Hockey’s Comeback Bid Falls Short In 6-3 Loss To Wisconsin
Penn State Men’s Hockey (4-4, 0-3-1 Big Ten) fell to Wisconsin (3-8, 2-5-0 Big Ten) in a chippy 6-3 tilt this Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena.
Wisconsin leapt to an early lead with a pair of goals, prompting a goalie change from the Nittany Lions. The Badgers weren’t deterred by the switchup and added another two to the goal column before the end of the first period.
Penn State would right the ship with a stellar second period that drew the Nittany Lions back within two of the Badgers and the third period almost tipped the scales with a Fink snipe to pull within one, but a costly major penalty gave Wisconsin the break it needed to get out of reach.
How It Happened
Penn State got off to a rough start in game two of the series. Goalie Arsenii Sergeev left the cage to play the puck behind the cage on a routine dump and chase by the Badgers but was pressured quicker than he anticipated. He fired the puck down the right board but Kyle Kukkonen was in position to gather the biscuit and beat Sergeev back to the cage with his shot, putting Wisconsin in front just 40 seconds into play.
The Badgers doubled down about three minutes later when Logan Hensler served the puck across the slot for Quinn Findlay to bat home and push Wisconsin’s lead to 2-0 with 16:58 left in the first period.
After a conversation at the Penn State bench about some confusion with Sergeev’s skates, Noah Grannan took over in goal for the Nittany Lions.
That didn’t stop the bleeding, though, as Wisconsin continued to dissect a sluggish Penn State defense. Christian Fitsgerald walked into the slot to put the Badger’s third goal in the net after a long possession with 12:22 left in the first period. Then, Tyson Dyck added to the tally at the end of a two-on-one rush that marked four goals in eight minutes for Wisconsin.
The Nittany Lions pushed hard to answer the Badgers’ barrage as the period wore on, prioritizing deflecting pucks in the deep slot, but Wisconsin net-minder Tommy Scarfone’s butterfly wouldn’t be beaten through nine shots. Penn State caught a break with five minutes left in the frame, though, when Owen Lindmark set up a power play opportunity after being called for a holding infraction.
Penn State’s power play seemed to be firing on all cylinders as Matt DiMarsico found open space in the middle of the zone to unload a missile of a wrist shot that beat Scarfone but hit the post. After a review, the no-goal was confirmed and the Badgers returned to full strength in the following play.
Wisconsin’s Anthony Kehrer caught a high sticking minor a minute later to give Penn State its second power play with just over two minutes left in the first period. The Nittany Lions worked the puck around the O-zone well, setting up DiMarsico for another two shots, but two saves from Scarfone and a clearance from the Badgers killed the penalty and the period.
Penn State jumped into attack mode as it left the locker room, playing hungry and pouncing on a turnover turned breakaway for Jarod Crespo. The D-man beat Scarfone blocker-low to put Penn State’s first goal on the board just 48 seconds into the frame.
The Nittany Lions backed up their offensive performance with a light’s out stint in the defensive half in which freshman Nick Fascia shut down star Badgers winger Ryland Mosley without a stick. Grannan made a ridiculous diving save to cap the sequence, where a post whistle shot attempt by Jack Horbach was met by a mean Simon Mack cross-check. Both players were sent to the penalty box for roughing.
The Badger earned a 4-on-3 advantage on a Carter Schade hooking penalty, though. Some hard-nosed blocks, big hits, and a few saves from Grannan killed the Badgers power play in short order.
The Nittany Lions worked the offensive end of the ice through the middle of the period, focusing on perimeter shots through heavy screens and deflections. Penn State’s heavy, net-front pressure paid off with 6:22 to play in the second period as the offense crashed the cage hard on the rush. Mack sent the puck towards the cage and after a tap from DiMarsico, Charlie Cerrato got the finishing blow in the chaos to bring the Nittany Lions back within two.
Before the period expired, Matt DiMarsico was called for interference, giving Wisconsin its third power play. Tyler Paquette almost netted a shorty with a nifty pick-pocket at the blue line, but his breakaway was turned aside. After two periods, the score stood 4-2 for Wisconsin but the Badgers went to the locker room reeling from a near perfect period from the Nittany Lions.
Penn State continued to control the puck in the third period, pairing dirty dekes with crushing hits to maintain possession. The arena grew louder as Pegula could feel the comeback brewing and eventually erupted with 11:34 to play in regulation as Aiden Fink slipped into the right circle alone and buried a snapshot to cut the Badger lead to one.
Penn States momentum was halted as the game turned chippy. In a big hit along his defensive circle, the referees called DiMarsico for boarding with 8:36 to play and confirmed a five-minute major after review. Wisconsin worked quickly on the power play and scored twenty seconds into its advantage on a Mosley wrist shot.
Still on the power play, Wisconsin put the game away with a net-front deflection from Cody Laskosky with just under five minutes to play. The score stayed set at 6-3 as the final buzzer sounded.
Takeaways:
- Another slow start from Penn State saw the Nittany Lions chasing another game. They play well from behind, really well, but after giving up four unanswered goals to start a game, there’s not a lot of paths to winning.
- Crespo sparked the second period comeback from the blue line with a mix of gritty blocks, bone crushing hits, and opportunistic break out play. His contributions at both ends of the ice gave Penn State the jolt it needed to battle back in this tilt.
- Grannan saw action for the first time this season, doing so against a white hot offense. His performance in net was game changing and he deserves the credit for stopping Wisconsin’s onslaught as the game wore on.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions will be back at Pegula Ice Arena next weekend for their home series against Michigan. Game one is slated for 7 p.m. on Friday, November 22.
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