It’s hard to say how Penn State’s season will end with three games to play.
The Nittany Lions sit five points out of first place in the Big Ten and a first round bye in the conference tournament.
But Penn State’s 6-4 win over No. 16 Michigan on Friday night means a lot more in the big picture than simply how this season finishes. Friday night’s game was the kind victory that programs are built on. The kind of event that is an important moment in the young history of so called “Hockey Valley.”
Winning against Michigan is nothing new. The Nittany Lions are 5-3-0 against the Wolverines with wins on the road, at home and in the Big Ten tournament to brag about. Make no mistake, the Wolverines may have the history, but this is a rivalry in the making.
In a game that a traditional college hockey power needed to win, Penn State outclassed Michigan. The Nittany Lions hit harder, blocked more shots, scored first and asked questions later. Eamon McAdam made 41 saves in goal for a stellar performance.
As so often happens at Pegula Ice Arena — where the Nittany Lions are now 12-2-3 on the year — Penn State scored first. A goal slotted home by Eric Scheid only 3:13 into the game gave the Nittany Lions an early 1-0 margin.
From there it was all Penn State and David Goodwin made it 2-0 just four minutes later when he, Casey Bailey and Tommy Olczyk connected for their first goal for the new look line. Olczyk has taken the place of injured assist leader Taylor Holstrom.
The new look first line didn’t miss a step without Holstrom. Bailey ripped home his 22nd of the season just three minutes after Goodwin’s score to make it 3-0 Penn State. Bailey’s power play tally marked the final goal of the period but the end of a scoring flurry in just 10:46 to put Penn State out in front big.
McAdam made 16 saves in the opening frame and was strong out of the gate as the Wolverines looked to make the most of the open ice, back and forth play.
It was the the little things though that made Penn State’s win impressive. Entering the second period, a 20 minute span that has haunted the Nittany Lions all season, Penn State struck first and set the tone. A Scott Conway goal on the power play just 3:48 into the frame made it 4-0. If there was going to be a Michigan comeback it wasn’t going to be easy.
Michigan did finally get on the board just five minutes later and added another with under four minutes to go in the period to make it a 4-2 Penn State lead. Suddenly the all important start to the second period felt much more noteworthy.
Earlier in the season that might have been a sign of pending troubles for Penn State, but the Nittany Lions stayed calm; and with 31 seconds remaining in the period made the most of an odd man rush. Dylan Richard flipped up a pass from Connor Varley to send Pegula Ice Arena into a frenzy. Up 5-2 after 40 minutes, Penn State was ready to finish what it started.
And the Nittany Lions did just that. Michigan scored 44 seconds into the final frame, but it was the only meaningful Wolverine score of the period. Just 4:44 later Nate Jensen all but finished off the visitors with a power play goal to give Penn State a three goal margin with 15 minutes to play in regulation.
Of all the goals and all the saves, big hits and near misses, perhaps the game was best summarized by a few late shifts. Penn State, up by three goals, was holding the puck in Michigan’s end of the ice and pushing harder and harder to keep it in the zone. This lasted nearly two minutes, and when the whistle finally blew the crowd roared its approval as the Nittany Lions skated towards the bench. They never scored on those shifts, but they won the game with that kind of effort all night long. The cheer was as much acknowledging the pending victory as it was the game-long effort.
Michigan scored a fourth goal in the final 15 seconds of play, but by all of the most important metrics, Penn State’s win was a resounding one.
Penn State will probably be left out of the NCAA tournament when it is all said and done, but games like the one on Friday night are the kind that fans will point to years down the road and say, “That was a moment that got us to this point. That was a game that sent this program in the right direction.”
It is entirely possible that Penn State never becomes a college hockey power.
But after Friday night’s performance that seems entirely unlikely.
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