No. 4 Penn State Men’s Hockey Stunned By Clarkson 6-4
No. 4 Penn State men’s hockey (2-1-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) had their home opener spoiled by Clarkson (1-1-0, 0-0-0 ECAC), blowing a two-goal lead and losing 6-4.
The Nittany Lions got a sensational four-goal performance from JJ Wiebusch and once held a 4-2 lead in the second period with a power play, but surrendered a shorthanded goal that completely flipped the momentum and resulted in a big upset that handed Penn State their first loss of the season.
How It Happened
The excitement was palpable inside Pegula Ice Arena. After the banner raising, the sheer volume of the crowd for the introductions of Gavin McKenna and company in the starting lineup was remarkable.
The buzz in the air seemed to motivate the visiting Golden Knights, as Clarkson blocked two big chances in the opening minute before turning the other way and immediately putting one past Kevin Reidler, as Talon Sigurdson notched his first goal of the year at 1:07, assisted by Luka Sukovic and Tristan Sarsland.
Despite some sloppy passing, Penn State was getting the majority of chances early, although none were in deep. The persistent pressure turned into a 3-on-1, and while Clarkson broke up the chance, the ensuing scramble resulted in a tripping call on Erik Bargholtz to put the Nittany Lions on the power play at 4:09.
It took all of 16 seconds for the loaded top power play unit to find the back of the net, as Wiebusch potted his second goal of the year on a sweet feed by McKenna from the point, with Aiden Fink getting a secondary assist, at 4:25 to tie the game at one.
The fast-paced affair saw a ton of physicality from the teams early on the boards, so much so that Guy Gadowsky challenged for head contact on a big hit at the blue line at the first media timeout, but no major penalty was called. Less than a minute later, Dane Dowiak went off for hooking at 7:46 to put Clarkson on the power play.
The power play lasted just 29 seconds, as an offensive zone hooking call on Rémi Gélinas sent the teams to 4-on-4 hockey. Neither team threatened much in those 90 seconds, and the Golden Knights killed off the brief 30 seconds of Penn State power play time by breaking up a potential point-blank chance by Mac Gadowsky.
In the opening series, Penn State’s Achilles’ heel was the penalty box, and they weren’t staying out of it early, as Fink went off for tripping at 12:46. Their aptitude for killing penalties, however, remained on display with a very strong kill. The best chance in the power play? A shorthanded shot on net by Ben Schoen.
After the kill, Penn State got back in the offensive zone and drew a third Clarkson penalty, a cross-check by Jack Sparkes at 15:33, to get another power play. Despite spending considerable time in the O-zone, the only chance came on a shot by Gadowsky at the point.
The conga line to the penalty box continued at 18:25, when Matt DiMarsico went off for interference in the open ice for the sixth combined penalty of the opening period. Another strong performance by the penalty kill held Clarkson to just one shot in the first 95 seconds, as the first period ended, tied at one.
The Nittany Lions killed off the last 25 seconds, but surrendered a partial breakaway to Sarsland as it expired, needing a brilliant blocker save by Reidler to keep the game tied.
On the other end, Charlie Cerrato carried in deep and delivered a sensational backpass onto the stick of Wiebusch, who went top shelf over the right shoulder of Clarkson goaltender Shane Soderwall for the go-ahead goal at 2:05. Jackson Smith got the secondary assist, his first point as a Nittany Lion.
At the next stoppage, a tussle in front of the net led to Clarkson’s Ty Brassington heading to the penalty box for roughing at 2:24. The ensuing power play looked to be coming up empty, but a Cerrato pass sprung McKenna open in front of the net. Unselfishly, McKenna dished off to Wiebusch, who snapped a filthy one-timer to complete a natural hat trick and make it 3-1 Nittany Lions at 3:40.
The two-goal lead wouldn’t last long, as sloppy play with the puck led to an open chance in front, where Clarkson’s Adrian Misaljievic put one past Reidler at 4:30 to make it 3-2. Another unsuccessful challenge by Gadowsky led to a delay of game penalty, served by Wiebusch. There were also dueling unsportsmanlike conduct penalties on Lev Katzin and Juste Côté. However, Penn State’s fourth successful penalty kill averted immediate disaster.
The unstoppable force known as JJ Wiebusch struck again shortly after. DiMarsico sprung Cerrato on a breakaway that was stuffed by Soderwall, but the sophomore from Verona, Wisconsin, followed up the shot with a shot that trickled through the five-hole for his fourth goal of the game at 7:23. A Texas hat trick? You betcha, 4-2 Nittany Lions.
It's just roller hockey for the beauty at this point!!
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 9, 2025#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/6gLLartaco
Reidler started to make some great saves on the other end, as Clarkson pushed hard following Wiebusch’s fourth. Penn State’s top line, left out from most of the action, started peppering the net before drawing another penalty at 11:23 on Sukovic for boarding.
With a chance to give themselves some breathing room, a critical giveaway at the blue line led to a clean breakaway by Bargholtz, who potted an unassisted shorthanded goal at 12:53. Penn State got another big chance late in the power play on a Wiebusch deflection, but it went wide of the net. Wiebusch again bid for a fifth goal, but was shut down on a high danger chance shortly after.
A scuffle following a spectacular save by Soderwall led to another penalty for Katzin, going off for slashing at 16:44. Another strong performance by the penalty kill sprung Reese Laubach shorthanded, who drew a holding penalty on Jared Mangum at 18:06 and led to another 4-on-4.
Penn State got a power play for the last 80 seconds of the second period and got multiple golden opportunities to extend their lead, including a one-timer by McKenna that was eerily similar to his game-winning goal in Tempe, but Soderwall kept all of them out of the net to keep the Nittany Lions’ lead at one after two periods.
Leaky defense once again haunted the Nittany Lions to start the third period, as Owen Van Steensel received a feed from behind the net in close to score a game-tying goal at 1:27 for Clarkson.
Suddenly needing to flip the momentum after Clarkson tied the score, Penn State pressed hard for the go-ahead goal, including another high-danger chance for Wiebusch at 4:30. Despite the pressure, the next penalty would come on the Nittany Lions, as Dowiak went off for holding at 7:01.
Needing another big kill, Penn State once again kept Clarkson to the perimeter, with the best chance coming in the dying seconds before a nice pad save by Reidler. After the kill, the Nittany Lions once again put a barrage of shots on net towards Soderwall, but the Clarkson goalie kept them all out. The sustained pressure led to an odd-man rush the other way, where Misaljievic slipped behind the defense for his second goal of the game, giving the Golden Knights a 5-4 lead at 10:10.
Repeatedly in the final ten minutes, Penn State threatened to tie the score, but Soderwall held strong. A wraparound try by Fink at 15:20 nearly squeaked through, but the referee blew the play dead.
Guy Gadowsky elected to pull the goaltender with two minutes to play, and the Nittany Lions were able to hold the zone, but shots weren’t getting through the Clarkson defenders. The Golden Knights took their timeout at 18:43 and potted a game-sealing empty netter at 18:59, courtesy of Bargholtz.
Takeaways
- JJ Wiebusch was spectacular. Not only did he have four goals, but he threatened to add more all throughout the game. He is the first player to score four goals in a game for the Nittany Lions since they became a varsity program.
- The stats look ugly for Kevin Reidler tonight, but his defense did him no favors. While the Nittany Lions outshot their opponents, 40-26, they routinely turned the puck over in the open ice and allowed odd-man rushes far too often.
- Shane Soderwall was impressive for Clarkson, shutting down high-danger chance after high-danger chance following Wiebusch’s fourth goal.
Up Next
The men’s hockey team wraps up the series against Clarkson at 7 p.m. Friday, October 10, at Pegula Ice Arena. The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus.
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