Penn State men’s hockey (6-7, 0-6 Big Ten) defeated Colgate (7-7-2, 4-1-1 ECAC) 7-1 on Wednesday at Pegula Ice Arena, completing the series sweep.

The Nittany Lions had a five-goal first period and never looked back. Today’s game marks the most goals they’ve scored in a game this season.

How It Happened

Penn State wasted no time getting on the board. 39 seconds into the game, Matt DiMarsico scored from the faceoff circle to give the Nittany Lions a 1-0 lead.

Not even two minutes later, the Nittany Lions grabbed an insurance goal. Casey Aman scored off assists from Danny Dzhaniyev and Carter Schade to take a 2-0 lead at 1:53.

Colgate took a boarding minor, and Penn State took shot after shot on Nick Haas. Right after the power play expired, Brett Chorske cut the Raiders’ deficit in half to make it 2-1 at 4:54.

However, the Nittany Lions kept their feet on the gas pedal by controlling the puck in the offensive zone. They waited patiently for their next shot, which paid off as Dylan Lugris scored to regain a comfortable 3-1 lead at 9:17 in the first period.

Jack Brandt was given a game misconduct for head contact, which gave Penn State a five-minute major power play.

Dane Dowiak capitalized on the advantage with assists from Reese Laubach and Aiden Fink to take a 4-1 lead at 9:17 in the period. Then, Dzhaniyev scored at 11:46 to give Penn State a commanding 5-1 lead, which ended up being the final goal of the first period.

After some back-and-forth play in the first half of the second period, JJ Wiebusch scored to make it 6-1 at 10:08. Then, Charlie Cerrato made it 7-1 at 11:53. Despite this, Colgate kept Haas in the net.

Neither team scored in the third period, although Cerrato took a tripping minor as the clock ran down. The Nittany Lions completed their third sweep of the season in convincing fashion.

Takeaways

• There couldn’t have been a better time for Penn State to get a sweep. The Nittany Lions looked lost in their last series against Michigan, but getting it done convincingly both nights against Colgate is a reason to be optimistic they’ll turn it around.
• John Seifarth was once again outstanding. The former club hockey goaltender had 22 saves and was named the third star of the game. He’s now two-for-two in starts.
• How about that offense? Seven goals is the most Penn State has scored in a game this season. Again, it is a good sign from a team that has recently struggled.

What’s Next

Penn State faces Ohio State at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 5, in Columbus, Ohio.