Penn State men’s hockey (6-9, 0-8 Big Ten) lost 4-2 to No. 17 Ohio State (11-4-1, 4-2-0 Big Ten) to complete the series sweep on Friday night at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio.

The Nittany Lions went down 2-0, but rallied to tie it in the third period. However, a Buckeye goal and an empty-netter secured a series sweep.

How It Happened

Jimmy Dowd Jr. was assessed a checking from behind minor at 5:18 into the game. Penn State had difficulties keeping Ohio State out of the offensive zone, but the Nittany Lions got the kill.

Almost four minutes later, Charlie Cerrato got a five-minute major and a game misconduct for hitting from behind. The Buckeyes capitalized, as Damien Carfagna scored at 8:29 in the first period to lead 1-0.

Penn State’s penalty woes continued. With 1:21 left in the major, JJ Wiebusch went to the sin bin for slashing.

Once again, Ohio State capitalized on the power play. With John Seifarth’s view obstructed, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine skated across the middle and fired a shot into the net to make it 2-0.

Despite a hot start, the Buckeyes also succumbed to the penalty bug. Like Cerrato, Ryan Gordon was tossed and Ohio State was given a five-minute major for hitting from behind.

Dylan Lugris danced around the crease, received the puck, and scored to make it 2-1 on the power play with 5:05 left in the first period.

The Nittany Lions continued to control the puck, with a barrage of shots sent toward Kristoffer Eberly in the power play’s final minutes. However, Eberly and the Buckeyes kept them at bay and got the kill.

Neither team could establish momentum in the early minutes of the second period. Both Seifarth and Eberly were tested on occasion, but their defenses cleared the zones.

After more back-and-forth hockey, Seifarth faced two breakaways. He sat still and seamlessly denied both opportunities.

Then, with five minutes to go, Aiden Hansen-Bukata took an interference call. Despite a barrage of shots and predominant puck control, Penn State did not score.

Tyler Paquette took a tripping penalty to end the second period. As soon as he was free, he broke loose and scored to tie it 2-2 at 1:44 into the third period.

Then, however, Ohio State got another power play. The Buckeyes controlled the puck and challenged Seifarth, but he kept them at bay once more.

Despite strong play from Seifarth, Penn State’s defense only kept Ohio State from another goal for so long. With 6:54 left in regulation, Jake Rozzi scored to take a 3-2 lead.

With slightly over two minutes left and a power play, Seifarth went to the bench to set up a six-on-four advantage for Penn State. Aiden Fink took a shot from point blank, which Eberly barely stopped. The power play expired, and Ohio State scored an empty netter to take a 4-2 lead with 1:20 left in regulation.

Takeaways

• Penn State fought hard, but it still came up short. Rallying to tie it in the third period showed resilience, which was admirable from a struggling team. The bounces simply didn’t continue its way.
• Seifarth once again had a great game. He made 29 saves and kept the Nittany Lions competitive throughout the game.
• Losing Cerrato early wasn’t great, and penalty discipline could use some work. If everyone had been available the whole game, the final score might’ve been different.

What’s Next?

Penn State faces Army in the Capital Hockey Classic at 8 p.m. on Thursday, December 12, at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.