Penn State men’s hockey (16-11-3, 7-10-3 Big Ten) defeated Notre Dame (9-20-1, 3-16-1 Big Ten) 3-2 to secure the series sweep on Saturday night in Pegula Ice Arena.

Penn State scored first to open the game before Notre Dame tied it. Then, Penn State scored two unanswered goals before Notre Dame grabbed one more to keep the game within reach. The Nittany Lions held the Fighting Irish off defensively for the rest of the affair.

How It Happened

Notre Dame won the faceoff to start the first period and maintained the puck early in the offensive zone. Five minutes later, neither team could hold onto the puck and recorded no shots.

Tyler Paquette was sent to the penalty box for kneeing, putting the Irish on the power play early on in the game. The Nittany Lions killed the penalty and got a couple of their own shots toward the net.

Midway through the first period, the score remained 0-0, with neither team able to generate any offense. Penn State got a chance after a faceoff in the offensive zone but could not hang onto the puck. Miscommunication in front of the net prevented Charlie Cerrato from passing the puck to Danny Dzhaniyev.

Aiden Fink fed Dzhaniyev a pass late in the first period and fired it past Owen Say, making the score 1-0 at 17:37.

Then, Casey Aman was called for interference with seven seconds remaining in the first frame. Despite a quiet period from both teams, the Nittany Lions started to find their rhythm offensively while dominating defensively.

Notre Dame started the second period on the power play but could not capitalize on the opportunity. After the power play, the Nittany Lions resumed their offensive campaign, peppering Say.

Reese Laubach was called for high sticking, which referees determined to be a five-minute major, upon which he was sent to the locker room for the remainder of the game.

Two minutes into the major, Blake Biondi tapped the puck in on the rebound to tie the game at 4:33.

On a shot from Ryan Helliwell, Arsenii Sergeev dove to stop the puck from trickling in. Penn State survived the remainder of the major to return to full strength.

Since the major penalty, the game was dominated by Notre Dame, who led in shots 21-12 halfway through the second period.

Nicholas Degraves tapped Dzhaniyev’s shot into the net to take the lead at 15:05.

Henry Nelson was sent to the box for holding, putting Penn State on the man advantage. Moments into the power play, Carter Slaggert joined Nelson after being called for cross-checking. Nelson’s penalty expired after little offense from the Nittany Lions. The penalty was killed by the Irish as time expired in the second period.

The final frame started with an almost goal from JJ Wiebusch as the puck traced the crease. After review, the referees determined there was no goal.

The Penn State defense stayed on top of the Irish forwards, preventing them from skating toward the net. Notre Dame received a major penalty and a game misconduct for head contact, sending Penn State on a five-minute power play.

On the major, Fink’s shot breezed past Say to take a 3-1 at 6:36. He was assisted by Simon Mack.

After, Justin Janicke shot past Sergeev on a short-handed goal to bring the Irish back into the game.

Dane Dowiak was assessed for high-sticking, halting momentum for the Nittany Lions on the major. Penn State killed the penalty but the ice was still tilted toward the Irish. Six remained in the third period, with Notre Dame creeping at the door.

Notre Dame pulled Say with two minutes remaining in the third period. After multiple attempts, Penn State was unsuccessful in finding the empty net but secured the win.

Takeaways

• The majority of the game was a defensive battle for the Nittany Lions, who stood strong throughout the game. However, the defense struggled to take advantage of turnovers.
• Sergeev proved to be an anchor in the series. With a save percentage of .946%, he stood on his head.
• Penn State took five penalties throughout the game, including a five-minute major. While special teams held up, the team needs to stay out of the sin bin in the future.

What’s Next?

No. 18 Penn State faces No. 1 Michigan State at 6 p.m. on Friday, February 21, in Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Michigan.