How It Happened:
Michigan scored in the opening minute of play but two goals in less than a minute by Penn State and a third tally late in the period gave the Nittany Lions a 3-1 lead heading into the first intermission.
From there it was all sophomore goaltender Eamon McAdam whose 38 saves, including a huge paddle stop in the first period, kept an aggressive Wolverine off the board in the second period.
Max Gardiner would register the first Nittany Lion tally on the power play with Eric Scheid adding a partial breakaway score only 32 seconds later.
Casey Bailey would toe drag home a snipe with 2:52 left in the period.
Michigan would cut the margin to one with 17 minutes remaining in regulation but could not come up with the tying goal. The win moves Penn State to 7-2-2 on the year and 4-2 all-time against Michigan.
Turning Point:
The Nittany Lions would go 4-0 on the penalty kill including one late in the third period that gave Michigan a chance to tie the game. Once that penalty was killed off it didn’t seem likely that the Wolverines would be able to find the equalizer with just over a minute in regulation.
“One area where the guys do deserve credit is late in the game,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said after the game. “Their habits in the defensive zone were excellent, but they have to be because we were playing there all the time. And to kill a penalty late I think showed a lot of their grit, but we can’t put ourselves in that position.”
Player of the Game:
McAdam picked up his second college victory in net on Friday night and his second in a row following up a solid performance in an upset of No. 4 UMass-Lowell. McAdam made big saves all night including one with his paddle that would have given Michigan a 2-0 lead in the first period. Even the goal he allowed was a save he partially made. A 38 save performance on the road is a solid performance on any night, let alone one like McAdam’s.
Stat of the Game:
0-4/1-2. Penn State killed off every penalty they had while converting on half of their own man advantages. In a game that was as close as Friday night’s special teams play can make all the difference and it did just that for the Nittany Lions.
What’s Next:
Both teams square off again on Saturday night at 7:30 as Penn State looks to go for a road sweep to open up the Big Ten season.
