The Nittany Lions first road trip of the season didn’t go as planned on Friday night as Penn State fell 5-2 to Air Force.
Forward Eric Scheid and defenseman Luke Juha both scored on Friday but it wasn’t enough to overcome penalties and a quick start by Air Force.
Air Force jumped out to an early 2-0 lead within the first six minutes of the game before Scheid halved the deficit midway through the frame.
Freshman goaltender Eamon McAdam made 27 saves in his collegiate debut, while Jason Torf made 26 saves. Air Force out shot the Nittany Lions by a 32-28 margin and went 1-for-5 on the power play, while Penn State finished 1-for-3 with the man advantage.
With 11:04 remaining in the frame, the Nittany Lions closed the gap to 2-1. Mark Yanis’ blue-line blast eventually foun the back of the net as Scheid found the loose puck and backhanded it past an outstretched Torf
In the second period, Air Force reclaimed its two-goal lead with 7:08 left in the stanza.
The Falcons extended their lead to 4-1 with 3:34 left in the period. McAdam denied Holm’s wrister with a left-pad save, but Gunner netted the rebound.
With 3:38 left in the game, Juha netted his first goal of the season to bring Penn State to within three.
The two teams will face off again Saturday night (Oct. 19) at 9:05 p.m. ET.
