No. 3 Penn State men’s hockey (9-3-0, 2-2-0 Big Ten) lost to No. 1 Michigan State (7-1-0, 2-0-0 Big Ten) 3-0 on Saturday night in East Lansing. The Spartans secured the sweep over the Nittany Lions.

Josh Fleming got the start in the net. Penn State recorded 36 shots on the night, while Michigan State recorded 49.

How It Happened

Michigan State started the game with the same intensity it had last night, winning the faceoff and instantly skating toward Fleming. The Spartans recorded a shot on the goal early.

Braedon Ford took the puck from the Spartans, but the play was waved off as offside. The Spartans stole the puck back and tallied two shots on goal two minutes into the period.

Ben Schoen had a good chance at the net against Trey Augustine, but the goaltender was prepared.

Right away, Michigan State got on the board after Charlie Stramel found the right spot to send the puck past Fleming at 2:32.

Porter Martone was called for interference, which sent the Nittany Lions on the power play for the first time in the game. Reese Laubach tried to put the puck past Augustine, but could not find the back of the net. The Spartans ended up killing the power play.

Laubach was then called for tripping only seconds after the Nittany Lions’ power play was killed. Fleming had a tremendous save after Martone and the Spartans peppered him. Penn State was able to kill the power play.

The referees reviewed a hit for a potential major for contact on Matt DiMarsico, but it was only assessed as a two-minute minor. Penn State could not get anything going on the man advantage, which allowed Michigan State to take control.

With less than ten minutes left in the first period, the Spartans remained in control of the puck. Penn State finally got the puck in the Michigan State zone, but none of the shots were productive. Shea Von Olm took a shot from the right wing but could not get past Augustine.

Martone extended the Spartans’ lead with less than two minutes left in the first after his shot breezed past Fleming. The Nittany Lions were in the middle of a line change, and Martone capitalized on the chance.

The second period started the same as the first, with the Spartans dominating the ice. Five minutes into the second period, Michigan State is up 21-13 on shots on net.

Penn State had a chance against Augustine, but could not hang onto the puck to produce a shot on the net. Luke Misa’s pass to Lev Katzin got broken up, but it was the Nittany Lions’ best chance of the period.

4-on-4 hockey was played after Jarod Crespo was called for embellishment and Shane Vansaghi was called for cross-checking. 4-on-4 hockey was uneventful for both teams.

Colin Ralph got his puck through traffic in the front of the net to extend the lead to 3-0.

Travis Shoudy was sent to the sin bin for tripping after the goal to send the Nittany Lions on the power play. Thirty seconds into the advantage, Mac Gadowsky was called for interference, bringing on 4-on-4 hockey. Neither team could capitalize on the opportunity.

After extracurriculars near Fleming, Katzin went to the penalty box for roughing. One minute into the Spartan power play, Martone was called for hooking. The teams skated around each other and could not find the net. The Spartans were able to kill the Martone penalty.

Lev Katzin was assessed for a 10-minute game misconduct at the end of the second period, but there was no power play.

The third period was played desperately by the Nittany Lions, as they still had not scored. The offense could not get anything going, and Michigan State was dominating the puck.

Five minutes into the final frame, Penn State could not find the rhythm when it really needed it. Charlie Cerrato and DiMarsico bounced the puck between each other but did not get a shot toward the net. Gavin McKenna fed Gadowsky the puck, but it went wide.

Penn State started to come back in the shots with ten minutes left in the third, trailing Michigan State 33-37.

Tensions between the two teams boiled over with Jackson Smith and Jarod Crespo in the middle of the scuffle with under seven minutes to play in the game. Crespo was sent to the locker room, while Smith held down the sin bin. After assessing the damage, Penn State was gifted a power play.

The Spartans’ special teams held their own against the Nittany Lions. Fleming was pulled out of the net with under five minutes to go, and Stramel skated the puck into the net himself, putting the dagger in.

Laubach was sent to the penalty box for slashing, and on the power play, Anthony Ramoni flicked the puck past Fleming effortlessly.

The Spartans finished the game easily to secure the sweep.

Takeaways

• Penalties still proved to be costly for the Nittany Lions, with 12 assessed on the night.
• The team is clearly missing Aiden Fink. Without his style of play, the offense does not look as alive.
• Josh Fleming did not receive much help from the defense, but he could not block the shots that were coming his way.

What’s Next?

Penn State will continue Big Ten play against No. 2 Michigan at Pegula Ice Arena at 7 p.m. Friday, November 14.