Penn State Men’s Hockey Shuts Out Canisius 4-0 As Fink Nets Hat Trick

Penn State men’s hockey (9-10-2, 1-9-2 Big Ten) shut out Canisius (7-12-2, 7-5-2 AHA) 4-0 on Friday evening in Pegula Ice Arena.
After a scoreless first period, the Nittany Lions scored three goals in the second. Aiden Fink sealed a hat trick in the third period to propel them to their ninth win of the season.
How It Happened
Penn State won the opening faceoff, but Canisius promptly took possession and entered the offensive zone. The Golden Griffins didn’t maintain control for long, as the Nittany Lions entered their offensive zone and challenged Ethan Robertson for the first time.
The Nittany Lions continued to put pucks toward the net. Matt DiMarsico had a shot that Trey Funk blocked, while Aiden Fink and Cade Christenson fired two shots wide of the goal. Simon Mack took a shot that Robertson deflected, which ended a solid shift. Canisius sped down the ice and took two shots that did not go in.
Then, Dane Dowiak was given a holding minor for the game’s first penalty. Canisius briefly controlled the puck before Penn State cleared it, and the penalty expired.
With 3:31 left in the first period, Jackson Decker took a hooking penalty to give the Nittany Lions their first one-man advantage. Penn State controlled the puck but only registered one shot.
Fink got a breakaway with under a minute left. He sped down the ice and fired a shot at Robertson, who saved it to keep the game scoreless.
DiMarsico and Carter Patterson were assessed matching roughing penalties for an altercation after the horn.
At 4:37 in the second period, a wide-open Fink scored off a pass from Charlie Cerrato. Penn State took a 1-0 lead to revive Pegula Ice Arena’s crowd.
The Griffins developed a three-on-one. They rapidly moved down the ice, and Kyle Haskins shot the puck at Sergeev, who denied him.
Killian Kiecker-Olson was assessed a hooking minor. Penn State capitalized, with Fink again scoring to make it 2-0 from wide-open off a pass from Mack at 14:35 in the second period.
Penn State continued to dominate puck control. At 16:50, Danny Dzhaniyev scored off Carson Dyck’s pass from behind the net to make it 3-0.
Cody Schiavon was sent to the sin bin for a holding penalty. Canisius cleared the puck multiple times to halt sustained momentum, and the Griffins killed Penn State’s one-man advantage.
Canisius began the third period like it ended the second: with a penalty. This time, Cooper Haar was called for tripping. A strong defensive stand killed it.
The Griffins continued to play undisciplined hockey, as Decker took his second penalty of the night for cross-checking. But with 16 seconds left, Cerrato was called for high-sticking. Canisius took three unsuccessful shots, but Alec Cicero was given an interference penalty with just seconds remaining on his team’s power play.
Canisius reached full strength to end the five-minute run of power play hockey between both teams.
The run didn’t last long, as Patterson took his second penalty of the night for tripping at 13:02 in the third period. Despite Penn State’s dominance of possession, Canisius held the Nittany Lions scoreless.
Fink took a tripping penalty with four minutes left, and Robertson was pulled for the extra skater. He scored the empty-netter to seal the hat trick and a Penn State victory.
Takeaways
- Fink was outstanding with his first hat trick of the season. He continues to lead the Nittany Lions with 31 points and 14 goals.
- Canisius lost its discipline as the game went on. The Griffins took nine penalties, which is up from their 3.6 per game. This not only prevented them from staying on their game, but made it easier for Penn State. One of its goals was on the one-man advantage.
- Sergeev continued his solid play since returning from injury, as he made 18 saves and did not allow a goal. Players spoke earlier in the week about their high confidence level when he’s on the ice, and that was evident tonight.
What’s Next
The series wraps up at 5 p.m. Saturday in Pegula Ice Arena.
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