Penn State men’s hockey (8-10-1, 1-9-1 Big Ten) lost 6-4 to No. 1 Michigan State (18-2-1, 9-1-1 Big Ten) on Friday night in Pegula Ice Arena.

The Nittany Lions continued to fight throughout the entire game but could not escape Isaac Howard and the rest of the Spartans.

How It Happened

Penn State struggled to keep the puck out of the hands of Michigan State early in the first period. A chance for the Nittany Lions came when a turnover trickled the puck into the offensive zone, but the puck was dumped into the neutral zone by the Spartans.

An icing call in the Penn State end brought the Nittany Lions back for an offensive faceoff. After being set up, Casey Aman quickly passed the puck to Aiden Fink, who wrapped the puck around to strike first.

Michigan State continued to struggle to get out of its own end midway through the first period. A foot race led Howard to flick the puck toward Arsenii Sergeev, giving him his first test of the night.

Despite creating multiple turnovers in the first period, the Spartans could not hold onto the puck, handing it right back to the Nittany Lions. Back in the offensive zone, Carson Dyck passed the puck back for Dylan Lugris, who buried it past Luca Di Pasquo to make the score 2-0.

Michigan State cut the deficit in half when Howard took the rebound from Daniel Russel and put it past Sergeev. The ice started to tilt toward the Spartans after the first goal by Howard.

Keaton Peters went into the box for hooking with a little over a minute left in the first period. Penn State struggled to clear the puck during the penalty but Sergeev stood on his head to keep his team in the lead.

Penn State killed the power play after Aman dumped the puck deep to start the second period. Michigan State dominated the shots on goal despite trailing Penn State. The Spartans had 22 shots compared to eight for the Nittany Lions.

After an offensive zone faceoff, Fink could not hang onto the puck while skating toward the net. Michigan State was assessed a hooking penalty, which gave the Nittany Lions their first chance on the power play. Penn State could not generate any offense during the man advantage.

Michigan State kept inching toward a game-tying goal, but the Penn State defense and goaltending continued to dominate. Right off the draw, Howard received the puck in front of the net, putting it past Sergeev for his second goal of the night.

Charlie Cerrato fanned on his shot after skating down the ice into the Spartan zone. Fink attempted to capitalize on the rebound but was stopped by Di Pasquo.

A hooking penalty was called on Ben Schoen to put Michigan State back on the power play for the second time in the contest. Sergeev blocked every shot that came his way during the power play while the Penn State special teams battled to clear the puck.

Moments after Schoen’s penalty was killed, Michigan State was called for a roughing penalty. However, after much discussion, referees determined that Schoen would be called for a five-minute major for head contact. For two minutes, it would be four-on-four hockey due to the original call.

With 20 seconds left in the four-on-four, Cerrato went coast-to-coast and fired the puck into the back of the net to take the lead. Penn State now had the challenge of killing a three-minute penalty.

Michigan State kept the puck in the Penn State zone and crept past Sergeev to tie the game. The major was then killed to return to five-on-five hockey.

The final two minutes of the second period remained quiet for both teams.

The Spartans kept the puck in the Penn State zone but pressure was applied by the Nittany Lions. Sergeev bailed out the Nittany Lion defense by continuing to put his stick out to deflect shots.

It was all Michigan State for the first half of the final frame while exhausting the Penn State defense. Howard skated in front of the net to dish the puck past Sergeev to take the lead for the Spartans. This was his third goal of the night.

The Nittany Lions had the puck in the offensive zone for the first time in the third period but could not capitalize on the opportunity. Michigan State had all of the momentum midway through the final frame.

Penn State had another chance on the power play after a tripping penalty was called on Michigan State. The Nittany Lions could not find their groove on the advantage.

A pair of roughing minors were called on Cerrato and Maxim Štrbák with less than seven minutes left in the game. Karsen Dorwart got the rebound on the four-on-four to extend the lead for the Spartans.

Head coach Guy Gadowsky pulled Sergeev out of the net with four minutes left. Fink thought he had found the back of the net, but Di Pasquo snuck his glove onto the puck to deny a goal.

Dane Dowiak took the puck from Cerrato and Danny Dzhaniyev to tap it in to inch closer to tying the Spartans.

A crucial hooking penalty was called on Nicholas Degraves which led to another goal by Howard to put the game away.

Takeaways

• Sergeev stood on his head for the majority of the game. He kept Penn State in the game while facing 44 shots from the No. 1 team in the country.
• The Penn State offense kept up and answered most goals throughout the game. The team kept up with one of the best offenses in the country, even striking first in the game.
• Despite starting strong during the first two periods, the Penn State offense could not generate any activity in the third period. The team came up short once again in Big Ten play.
• Penalties proved to be costly throughout the entire game. A late hooking penalty on Degraves resulted in the Spartans putting the game away.

What’s Next?

Penn State completes the series at 6 p.m. Saturday night at Pegula Ice Arena. The game will be broadcast on BTN+.