Penn State Men’s Hockey Bests Colgate 3-2
Penn State men’s hockey (5-7-0, 0-6-0 Big Ten) defeated Colgate (7-6-2, 4-1-1 ECAC) 3-2 in game one of its midweek series at Pegula Ice Arena.
The Nittany Lions played their most complete game of the season to snap a six-game losing streak in the win against a stout Colgate team. After it jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, Penn State didn’t look back and continued to apply pressure on the Raiders.
John Seifarth made his first Division I start and did not disappoint, as he made 25 saves in the win. Charlie Cerrato recorded one goal and one assist, while Aiden Fink added another goal to add to his team-leading point total of 19.
How It Happened
It was a fast start for the Nittany Lions as they opened the scoring with just under five minutes elapsed in the first period. Dane Dowiak scooped up the loose puck and delivered a nifty behind-the-back pass to Fink, who was all alone in the slot and ripped a shot past Andrew Takacs. Cade Christenson recorded the secondary assist on the goal.
Penn State continued to dominate play as the period progressed and was rewarded a power play after Danny Dzhaniyev forced a turnover in the neutral zone. As Dzhaniyev cut towards the net, the Colgate defender held Dzhaniyev to slow him down and was called for the penalty at 8:01.
On the ensuing power play, Penn State doubled its lead. Jimmy Dowd Jr. kept the puck in at the blue line after Colgate attempted to clear, and Down fired a wrist shot toward the net that Matt DiMarsico deflected from the left faceoff circle and past Takacs. Cerrato recorded the other assist on the Nittany Lions’ power-play tally.
Needing a goal to get back into the game, Colgate was awarded a power play as Penn State was given a bench minor for too many men on the ice at 12:21, with DiMarsico serving the penalty. The Nittany Lions delivered a strong penalty kill that was capped off by a Seifarth sliding save on Michael Neumeier’s one-timer from the right circle.
Fink and Simon Mack nearly combined for Penn State’s third goal of the period, but Takacs made a strong save on Mack to keep Colgate within striking distance as the period neared its conclusion.
With under two minutes remaining in the period, Colgate got on the board courtesy of Alec DiPaolo. Brett Chorske fired a shot from just above the left faceoff circle that deflected off the stick of Jason Gallucci and onto the stick of DiPaolo, where the forward fired the puck into an open net to make it a 2-1 game.
After the goal, Colgate continued to apply pressure on the Nittany Lions, but Penn State’s defense held strong and headed the locker room with a one-goal lead.
DiMarscio nearly opened the scoring in the second period after a takeaway at center ice and an ensuing breakaway, but his backhanded shot attempt was kicked away by Takacs, and play continued with Penn State leading by one.
Penn State continued to accumulate scoring chances as the first half of the middle period approached, with perhaps the best one coming off the stick of Tyler Paquette. The forward drove towards the net and fired a backhand shot at Takacs, who reached out with his right toe to keep the puck out of the net and his team’s deficit at one.
The Raiders were awarded a power play at 7:59 after Dowd was sent to the box for hooking, and it was another successful kill for Penn State that again featured a stunning Seifarth save. Simon Labelle deked past a pair of Penn State defenders to get in alone on Seifarth, and the goalie robbed Labelle with his blocker.
Following its penalty kill, Penn State finally got its third goal. Cade Christenson dished a long outlet pass and sprung Cerrato on a breakaway, who ripped a wrist shot past the blocker of Takacs to put the Nittany Lions ahead 3-1 at 14:02 of the second period.
Colgate hemmed Penn State in its defensive zone for much of the final two minutes of the period, but the Raiders were called for too many men on the ice bench minor with 20 seconds remaining, which sent the Nittany Lions to the power play. Colgate killed the opening 20 seconds of Penn State’s power play, and the Nittany Lions will begin the final period of play with 1:40 remaining on the man advantage.
The puck dropped to begin the third period, and Colgate delivered a strong effort to kill the remainder of Penn State’s power play.
Penn State and Colgate traded time in each other’s offensive zone and scoring chances as the period neared its halfway point. Strong saves by Seifarth and Takacs kept the score the same as it was when the period began.
Needing two goals to tie, Colgate got one back. Daniel Panetta fired a harmless shot from the point initially saved by the blocker of Seifarth, but the puck deflected behind the goaltender and bounced over the line to make it a 3-2 game at 11:37. Reid Irwin had the lone assist on the goal.
Penn State was sent on its heels after the Colgate goal, with the Raiders maintaining possession in Penn State’s zone. After finally exiting their defensive zone, Penn State was awarded a power play at 16:09 as Irwin was sent to the box for a minor head contact penalty. Head coach Guy Gadowsky challenged the call, arguing the hit was worthy of a major, but an official review upheld the minor penalty.
The Raiders nearly scored short-handed, as Jake Schneider got behind the Penn State skaters and fired a wrist shot that was saved by Seifarth. Colgate killed the penalty and pulled Takacs just 20 seconds after the penalty expired.
Up by one goal and facing a six-on-five, Seifarth and Penn State held on to secure the victory and snap its six-game losing streak thanks to some strong defensive play in the final minutes. Having secured his first Division I win, Seifarth was swarmed by his teammates after the final horn.
Takeaways
- The Nittany Lions jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first period and, at one point in the period, outshot Colgate 13-2. The Raiders got one goal back before the period ended, but Penn State thoroughly dominated play for much of the opening period. Correcting slow starts had been a point of emphasis for Gadowsky and his coaching staff, and it appears his players got the message.
- At this time last year, Seifarth was playing goalie for Penn State’s club hockey team. One year later, the junior made his first Division I start against the first-place team in the ECAC. Seifarth made a handful of impressive saves and looked poised and composed en route to making 25 saves on 27 shots.
- Cerrato continued to build on an excellent start to his freshman season tonight, as the forward recorded an assist and a breakaway goal in the win. Now, with 11 points in just 12 games played, Cerrato ranks third on the team in points.
What’s Next?
Penn State men’s hockey will return to home ice for game two of its series against Colgate. Puck drop is set for 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, November 27, and the game will be streamed on BTN+.
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