No. 6 Penn State Men’s Hockey Falls To No. 2 Michigan In Shootout
No. 6 Penn State men’s hockey (18-8-1, 10-6-1 Big Ten) fell to No. 2 Michigan (20-5-1, 12-4-0 Big Ten) in a shootout in Ann Arbor.
The Nittany Lions got started quickly in Yost Ice Arena with a goal from Reese Laubach. The game was then back and forth for the entire matchup, resulting in overtime and later a shootout. Matt DiMarsico, Aiden Fink, and Gavin McKenna all attempted to get past Jack Ivankovic in the shootout but were stopped.
How It Happened
Just 59 seconds into the game, Laubach took the puck from JJ Wiebusch to fire it past Jack Ivankovic.
The Nittany Lions continued to dominate the first couple of minutes, prompting early fighting from Lev Katzin. No penalty was given for the scuffle.
Michigan could not keep the puck in the zone, continuing to lose it to Penn State. Luke Misa barely missed the net as it went off the pipe and around the boards.
Josh Fleming was tested by TJ Hughes early, but was ready for the puck. The Wolverines kept changing their lines while in the offensive zone, causing disconnection and making pucks easy to intercept.
Adam Valentini had a good look in front of the goal, with Fleming saving the puck after the attempted pass from Luca Fantilli.
There was a tilt in the ice eight minutes into the first period as the Wolverines started to control the ice despite the 1-0 Nittany Lion lead.
After capturing the puck in the Michigan zone, Garrett Schifsky tapped the puck on a rebound to get past Fleming to tie the game at 1-1.
A series of shots came from DiMarsico and Jackson Smith, all of which were tossed away by Ivankovic. The Nittany Lions were relentless toward the net as Smith shot from a sharp angle that went in. Penn State was back on top 2-1 with eight minutes to go in the first period.
Ben Schoen went to the penalty box after holding TJ Hughes. Just a minute in, Katzin committed a slashing penalty to start five-on-three play. Hughes was able to get past Fleming on the Wolverine power play to tie the game.
The Nittany Lions were not out of the woods due to the slashing penalty. Penn State was able to kill the second penalty, which led to another one. This time, Cole McKinney was called for interference on Fink.
McKenna took his second shot of the night on the power play that was deflected by Ivankovic. As Penn State went to change lines, Wiebusch ended up in the penalty box, then out again to review a play.
The review resulted in a five-minute major for butt-ending and a game misconduct for Wiebusch. He would not see the ice for the rest of the game. For the rest of the period, Penn State was able to hold Michigan off on the major.
The Wolverines had just over two minutes left on the major heading into the second frame. Michigan kept control of the puck for the remainder of the major with nothing to show for it.
Fleming swallowed the puck after Kason Muscutt repeatedly tried to shoot the puck in. The play resulted in a brawl between Muscutt and Dane Dowiak, which led to a roughing penalty for each player.
Hughes whiffed on a back-handed shot, resulting in yet another penalty, this time on Cade Christenson for hooking.
Schoen tried to take the lead on a short-handed opportunity when Ivankovic batted the puck away. The Nittany Lions were able to kill both penalties midway through the second period.
Nic Chin-Degraves slotted the puck past Ivankovic after miscommunication between the Wolverines to take the lead.
Michigan kept peppering the Penn State goaltender until Asher Barnett tied the game through the legs of Fleming. The game was now tied at 3-3.
In front of the Michigan net, Tyler Duke went to the penalty box after a cross-checking penalty. The Nittany Lions could not get anything going on the man advantage. They only generated two shots on the power play.
Mac Gadowsky attempted a one-timer that went wide with almost two minutes to go in the second period. Both teams continued to take shots at Fleming and Ivankovic that kept each goaltender on their heads.
The game was tied heading into the locker room for the second intermission.
The third period was neck and neck for the two teams. The Penn State net was knocked over on an attempt to equalize the game for Michigan.
Fantilli was called for cross-checking, while Laubach was called for embellishment to start four-on-four hockey. Both teams were unable to capitalize on the penalties.
Katzin was called for his second penalty of the night for hooking. Michigan had multiple shots on the power play, but Fleming padded each shot.
Fleming was able to deflect the initial shot from Malcolm Spence, but did not see Hughes’ rebound as it trickled into the back of the net to take the lead.
Hughes and Katzin were assessed for roughing after the whistle, which led to more four-on-four hockey. The penalty was dominated by the Wolverines with under five minutes to go in the game.
Nolan Collins’ one-timer was blocked by Ivankovic, which turned into a fight after Laubach shoved Ivankovic. DiMarsico and Joshua Eernisse was sent to the box for roughing after the play.
Penn State was desperate to find the equalizer but could not get anything rolling on the power play until Smith scored again. He took a shot from the middle of the ice that slipped by Ivankovic.
McKenna shot from in front of the net when Ivankovic kicked the puck away. The puck continued to go back and forth between the two teams until time ticked down for overtime.
Hughes almost scored on yet another rebound to start overtime, with Fleming there to dive to make the save. Smith then went for the hat-trick that Ivankovic was ready for.
Both teams were peppering each other’s goaltenders but could not end the game, sending it to a shoot-out.
DiMarsico, Fink, and McKenna could not get past Ivankovic to lose to the Wolverines in a shootout.
Takeaways
- Penn State needed an early start to continue to stay in the game with Michigan. Laubach’s goal got the Nittany Lions rolling and propelled the team offensively to hang with the Wolverines
- Emotions were high going into this game for multiple reasons, resulting in nine penalties for the Nittany Lions. Wiebusch being ejected didn’t help the team, especially given his history in Yost Ice Arena. While the team was able to kill off the major, they still struggled staying out of the sin bin for the night.
- Dane Dowiak exited the game early with an injury. Despite mising their captain, the Nittany Lions continued to hold their own against a powerhouse team.
What’s Next?
Penn State will finish the series against Michigan at 5:00 p.m. Saturday, February 14 in Ann Arbor.
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