Penn State men’s hockey (14-11-3, 5-10-3 Big Ten) resoundingly defeated No. 19 Wisconsin (11-16-3, 6-13-1 Big Ten) 6-2 on Saturday night in the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. The win secured the Nittany Lions’ second conference series sweep and their sixth two-game sweep this season.

Wisconsin opened the scoring in the first period, but Penn State responded quickly. The Nittany Lions didn’t trail the rest of the game, and they blew the game open in the third period’s final minutes.

How It Happened

Much of the first period unfolded similarly to Friday night’s defensive matchup. Neither team generated many offensive chances throughout the first half of the period.

After some back-and-forth hockey, Keaton Peters was assessed a minor penalty for head contact, which stood after further review.

Although Penn State’s penalty kill had been solid throughout the season, the same couldn’t be said this time. Kyle Kukkonen broke the ice 11:57 into the period, as he beat Arsenii Sergeev directly in front of the crease to take a 1-0 lead.

Then, at 14:58, Cade Christenson tied it 1-1 with a shot from the faceoff circle.

With 1:11 left in the period, Gavin Morrissey was sent to the sin bin for interference. Anthony Kehrer joined him shortly after for hitting from behind, which gave Penn State 1:33 of 5-on-3 play. Penn State controlled the puck in the period’s waning seconds but didn’t score.

Owen Lindmark’s breakaway was barely halted by Sergeev to begin the second period. The Nittany Lions couldn’t establish consistent puck control, and the Badgers killed both penalties.

Casey Aman and Christian Fitzgerald were given matching roughing minors. They expired without incident, with both teams trading possession.

Then, at 6:36 in the period, Reese Laubach scored to take a 2-1 lead. Danny Dzhaniyev and Nick Fascia had the assists.

Sergeev continued to thrive in the net. He stopped shot after shot, including several close calls from Wisconsin.

The Badgers continued controlling the puck and challenging the Russian netminder. This included two end-around attempts which sailed wide.

Tyler Paquette was called for cross-checking with 1:07 left until the intermission. Sergeev denied a shot in front of the net at the horn.

Penn State killed the penalty to open the third period. Then, Simon Tassy was assessed a boarding minor. Once again, the Nittany Lions came away with nothing from the advantage.

Then, at 4:49, Laubach finessed his way through two Badgers en route to the net and fired the puck into the goal to take a 3-1 lead.

However, Fascia was called for roughing 20 seconds later. It came back to bite Penn State a second time, as Ryland Mosley received a short pass from Morrissey and fired it past Sergeev from the faceoff circle to make it 3-2 Penn State at 6:26 in the third period.

Tyson Dyck appeared to be called for a high-sticking. However, after review, the call was reversed.

Out of nowhere, Matt DiMarsico shot a puck past the Wisconsin defense and into the net. It gave the Nittany Lions a crucial 4-2 lead at 12:44 in the third period.

Penn State got a 5-on-3 power play, as Jack Phelan and Joe Palodichuk were each given penalties. This time, Charlie Cerrato capitalized to give the Nittany Lions a commanding 5-2 lead with 4:52 left in regulation.

An empty-netter made it 6-2, the game’s final score.

Takeaways

• Escaping Madison with six points was always the objective, even if it seemed unrealistic given the challenges playing on the road in the Big Ten can present. After last night’s win and a resounding victory tonight, it becomes clearer after each series that Penn State is a force to be reckoned with. We’ll see what the PairWise rankings look like come the beginning of the week, but the sweep is a very positive step in the direction of making the NCAA Tournament.
• Sergeev deserves to be the MVP of the entire series. The Yaroslavl, Russia, native had 39 saves tonight and 25 saves last night. He frequently stopped shots from in front of the net, and he was on his best game nonstop.
• Laubach’s two goals helped blow the game open. He continues to be one of Penn State’s better players this season, as his 13 goals are second on the team.

What’s Next

Penn State hosts Notre Dame at 7 p.m. on Friday, February 14, in Pegula Ice Arena.