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Penn State Men’s Hockey Falls 7-3 To No. 13 Michigan

Penn State men’s hockey (12-11-3, 3-10-3 Big Ten) fell 7-3 in a blowout loss against No. 13 Michigan (15-11-2, 9-8-1 Big Ten) on Saturday evening in Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Michigan led 3-2 entering the third period. It was a close matchup until the Nittany Lions conceded three goals in 2:23 halfway through the period, which blew the game open. Penn State grabbed another shortly after, but it was too little too late. The loss is Penn State’s second in regulation of the New Year and a series split against Michigan.

How It Happened

Michigan dumped the puck into the offensive zone. Arsenii Sergeev stretched across the crease to halt the attack, but T.J. Hughes fired the puck above him to give the Wolverines a 1-0 lead at 7:43 in the first period.

Four minutes later, Evan Werner was assessed a minor for unsportsmanlike conduct. Penn State controlled the puck throughout most of the power play, but couldn’t beat Cameron Korpi.

The Nittany Lions had another pivotal scoring chance at 16:49, as Kienan Draper went to the sin bin for direct contact to the head. Penn State not only didn’t control the puck but almost allowed Hughes to score a short-handed goal on a breakaway.

Not even one minute into the second period, Charlie Cerrato received a pass from Matt DiMarsico across the middle and fired it into the goal to tie it 1-1.

Penn State got another power play two minutes later, as William Whitelaw was called for slashing. Penn State didn’t capitalize.

Then, Nick Fascia was called for holding. Six seconds into Michigan’s power play, Ethan Edwards scored to give the Wolverines a 2-1 lead at 5:14 in the second period.

But as soon as “Mr. Brightside” stopped playing and the Michigan faithful quieted down, Cerrato scored again to tie it 2-2 at 5:32 in the period.

Josh Eernisse took a kneeing penalty. Penn State took three shots on goal, and none of them got past Korpi. The Wolverines nabbed another kill.

From there, they dominated the rest of the period. The Wolverines sent a barrage of shots toward Sergeev, who was nearly flawless. However, Michael Hage snuck one past him at 9:53 in the second period to give Michigan a 3-2 lead.

Penn State had difficulties clearing the puck. Michigan continued to impose its will in the offensive zone, but Sergeev and the defense held strong and kept the Wolverines at bay for the remainder of the period.

Whitelaw capitalized on a turnover. He sped down the ice and shot the puck into the net to give Michigan a 4-2 lead at 7:58 in the third period.

However, Michigan wasn’t done yet. At 8:49, Garrett Schifsky scored to make it 5-2. Not even two minutes later, Werner made it 6-2.

JJ Wiebusch was given a penalty for tripping. But then, Aiden Fink scored a short-handed goal on a breakaway to make it 6-3 at 11:29.

With 3:40 left in regulation, Michigan made it 7-3 on an empty-netter.

Takeaways

  • Penn State had symptoms of a meltdown in the second period. Michigan grabbed a 3-2 lead, then continued to control the puck. The meltdown was full-blown in the third period when Michigan scored three goals in 2:23 to blow the game open. It was a rare stretch of bad play for the Nittany Lions as of late, which is something they’ll have a good chance to learn from next week.
  • Sergeev kept Penn State in the game for a long time. He had 30 saves at the halfway point of the third period, but his three goals allowed in the middle frame of the sequence is unusual for him.
  • Given how Penn State has played recently, there’s every indication it can bounce back. Wisconsin will be a tough opponent next week, but improved confidence and playing “complete games,” are reasons for optimism despite a tough loss.

What’s Next

Penn State faces Wisconsin at 8 p.m. EST on Friday, February 7, in the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.

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About the Author

Nolan Wick

Nolan is a senior journalism major from Silver Spring, Maryland. He's an avid D.C sports and Liverpool fan who loves going to games in his free time. Nolan mainly writes about Penn State football, men's hockey, and baseball. You can follow him on Twitter @nolan_wick or email him at [email protected].

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