No. 12 Penn State men’s hockey (20-12-5, 9-11-5 Big Ten) lost a 4-3 thriller against No. 9 Ohio State (24-12-2, 15-9-1 Big Ten) in overtime in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals in Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio, on Saturday night.

Ohio State grabbed an early lead, but Penn State scored two unanswered goals in the second period. The Buckeyes then grabbed another lead in the third period before the Nittany Lions tied the game a second time. Although both teams nearly scored as the clock wore down in the third period, overtime was required. After significant back-and-forth play, the Buckeyes ended it with slightly over five minutes left in overtime.

How It Happened

Ohio State took control of the puck and challenged Penn State early. The Buckeyes sent a barrage of shots toward Arsenii Sergeev, who held his own despite significant pressure.

At 10:37 into the first period, though, Gunnarwolfe Fontaine capitalized on a deflection and fired the puck past Sergeev and into the net to give Ohio State a 1-0 lead.

Penn State continued to struggle against Ohio State’s forecheck. Four minutes later, Aiden Fink was assessed a hooking minor for the game’s first penalty.

The Nittany Lions came out firing on all cylinders to begin the second period. At 2:08, Ben Schoen tied it 1-1 after he stuck the puck past Logan Terness in the crease.

Not even 10 minutes later, Penn State caught another break as James Hong was given a hooking penalty at 8:52. Penn State generated heavy traffic in front of Terness, and a wide-open JJ Wiebusch beat him on on the backside to take a 2-1 lead at 9:05 in the second period.

The Nittany Lions and Buckeyes continued to play back-and-forth hockey. Both teams traded shots and goals and high-danger scoring chances, but Sergeev and Terness continued to keep each other’s teams at bay.

Ohio State appeared to equalize halfway through the third period. However, the referee immediately waved it off due to a high stick. The Buckeyes challenged the call, and after a lengthy review, it was overturned and the game was tied 2-2 at 9:19.

The Buckeyes developed an odd-man rush. Patrick Guzzo received a pass in front of the net and scored to give Ohio State a 3-2 lead at 11:36 in the third period.

But then, things took yet another twist. At 14:05, Matt DiMarsico beat Terness, who left a majority of the net exposed, on the doorstep to tie it 3-3.

With under one minute left in regulation, Fink nearly beat Terness from the faceoff circle. On the other end, Sergeev barely kept the puck from crossing the line in the period’s final seconds.

Ohio State and Penn State battled evenly throughout the majority of overtime. Fontaine got a breakaway and scored with 5:29 left to win 4-3.

Takeaways

• Penn State started slow in the first period. It suffered against a tough Ohio State forecheck, which gave the home team a crucial 1-0 lead after the first 20 minutes.
• However, the Nittany Lions looked more like themselves throughout the next two periods. They kept it close and played their scrappy, offensive brand of hockey which pushed the game to overtime.
• Although the Nittany Lions ultimately lost, going to overtime on the road against a higher-ranked opponent shouldn’t hurt their NCAA Tournament chances. They virtually guaranteed themselves an at-large bid by toppling Michigan last week, and a valiant performance against Ohio State on the road is further reinforcement of how tough of an out Penn State has been.

What’s Next?

Penn State will discover its fate when the NCAA Tournament bracket is announced on Sunday, March 23.