Penn State Men’s Hockey Comeback Falls Short In 6-3 Loss To No. 2 Michigan
Penn State men’s hockey (2-8-1, 0-4-1 Big Ten) lost to No. 2 Michigan (9-1-0, 2-1-0 Big Ten) 6-3 on Friday Night at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
After falling behind 3-0 in the opening minutes, the Nittany Lions clawed back into the game. Nearly tying it after Justin Larose appeared to score in the third, but the goal was called back for offside, sealing Penn State’s fate.
How It Happened
After losing the opening faceoff, the Nittany Lions maintained offensive zone time in the early seconds, with Ethan Weber firing the game’s first shot that Jack Ivankovic saved.
Shortly after, the Wolverines took possession, and Jack Nesbitt beat Josh Fleming on Michigan’s first shot of the game to make it 1-0.
Michigan kept up the pressure, letting off a flurry of shots before Drew Schock redirected a puck past Fleming to double the Wolverines’ lead.
Just after the second goal, Jackson Smith was sent to the box for holding, giving Michigan the game’s first power play. Good passing by the Wolverines’ power-play unit paved the way for Malcolm Spence to net another Michigan goal, making it 3-0 just over six minutes into the contest.
The Nittany Lion got a power-play chance of their own a couple of minutes later. Justin Poirier made the most of the opportunity, sniping one past Ivankovic to get Penn State on the board.
Both goalies bounced back in the second half of the opening period, with no further goals being given up, and it remained 3-1 going into the first intermission.
In the second, it was Penn State coming out of the blocks fast as Shea Busch cut Michigan’s lead in half with a rocket after receiving a pass from Kale Dach.
Fleming kept the momentum going for Penn State, robbing Michael Hage on a breakaway to keep it at 3-2.
Just over five minutes into the middle frame, Nesbitt was called for diving, giving the Nittany Lions another power play.
The Wolverine penalty kill stifled Penn State, not allowing a shot on the man-advantage, and it returned to even strength.
Following the kill, Aiden Park extended Michigan’s lead to 4-2 with a deflection goal.
Both teams traded possession with not much offensive action until Lev Katzin was rung up for slashing with just under three minutes left in the second. Penn State didn’t concede a shot on the kill, and Katzin returned to play.
With 18 seconds remaining in the second period, Cole McKinney committed interference to send the Nittany Lions on a power play that bled into the third.
Michigan got the kill to begin the final period, but Reese Laubach scored just seconds after the penalty expired to make it 4-3.
Offsetting penalties from Weber and Nesbitt sent the game to four-on-four play, where Ivankovic made two saves before it returned to five-on-five.
Justin Larose appeared to tie the game just over seven minutes into the third, but it was called back for offsides after video review.
Just over halfway through the period, Katzin was sent to the box again, this time for diving. A save by Fleming on Adam Valentini in front of the net highlighted the kill for Penn State.
Late in the game, Poirier rang a shot off the iron to keep the Nittany Lions down one. Nick Moldenhauer had more luck on the other end, icing the game with another goal on Fleming.
Ben Robertson tacked on another goal for Michigan on an empty net to make it a 6-3 final.
Takeaways
- This is a game Josh Fleming will want to forget; he gave up three goals on the Wolverines first six shots, putting the Nittany Lions in a hole they couldn’t escape from.
- Malcolm Spence played a great game for the Wolverines; he had a goal and two assists as the game’s leading scorer.
- Penn State’s comeback effort was valiant, with the Nittany Lions outshooting the Wolverines 24-19 in the final two periods.
- Justin Poirier continues to excel on the power play; he now has three goals on the man-advantage and 14 total points this season.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions aim to avoid being swept when they conclude their series with Michigan on Saturday, November 14. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game will be streamed on Big Ten Plus.
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