Penn State returned to action in Pegula Ice Arena Saturday night for the second of a two-game series against Minnesota and last of four total meetings on the year, looking to follow up on a 3-0 victory Friday.
Penn State was down Casey Aman, Shane Van Olm and Charlie Cerrato — who left Friday’s contest in the first period and didn’t return — giving Alex Servagno, Braedon Ford and Nick Fascia the nod.
It didn’t stop the Nittany Lions from rolling to a 5-2 win, including goals from five different players and a program record for Aiden Fink as the faster player in team history to reach 100 points.
“Any time you sweep in the Big Ten, you’ve got to be thrilled,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said after the game. “Great weekend.”
How it happened
Both teams came out flying, though their skates moved faster than their sticks and some sloppy mistakes kept them from generating shots on net.
Minnesota jumped out to an early 1-0 lead less than four minutes into the contest courtesy of right winger Brodie Ziemer’s 13th goal of the season.
It didn’t take long for Penn State to balance the scoreboard after Ford capitalized on a breakaway opportunity to sneak the puck past goaltender Nathan Airey, set up by a backward, between-the-legs, no-look pass from Gavin McKenna, giving both teams a goal within their first three shots of the game.
“Ford has been working so hard and playing so, so hard for the team. It’s just wonderful to see him get the goal number one,” Gadowsky said. “But, yeah, it was a pretty heads up play by Gav.”
The previous game saw no penalties until midway through the third period, but Saturday was a different story with Golden Gopher Teddy Townsend getting whistled for a tripping minor, followed by a high-sticking call on Fascia.
After both squads were successful on the penalty kill, Matt DiMarsico found the back of the net to give the Nittany Lions their first lead of the night, assisted by Fink and Nolan Collins.
Lev Katzin piled on before the first intermission with the first goal of his career from point blank to make it a 3-1 game heading through one.
“Just a great play from my linemates, gave me an empty net, and I was lucky to have the puck land in my stick this time,” Katzin said. “It’s nice when you have teammates that are there for you.”
Minnesota got one back early in the second period when Javon Moore beat goaltender Kevin Reidler glove-side to halve the deficit and keep things interesting.
Things devolved into chaos in the second, when Minnesota’s John Mittelstadt was handed a five-minute major for boarding and Reese Laubach was reprimanded with two minutes for roughing after an altercation.
Four-on-four action yielded no scoring, but Penn State applied pressure on the man-advantage, peppering the net. DiMarsico thought he broke through with his second of the night, but it was called off for goaltender interference after review.
Ford went down after taking an elbow to the face on a big hit along the boards and was helped to the locker room, but after review, no foul was called — other than a hooking call against Ford himself. Gadowsky didn’t have an update on his status.
“We’re pretty sure it was a late hit to the head,” Gadowsky said. “I don’t know what to tell you.”
Reidler stood tall against a barrage of shots, maintaining the lead into the second intermission. The Golden Gophers turned to goaltender Luca Di Pasquo to open the third period, which flew by with minimal action until Penn State went to a power play after a slashing call. It didn’t generate a goal but sparked some sustained momentum.
Shortly after a defensive stand, defenseman Jackson Smith showcased some stick-handling in front of the net before burying the puck to extend the lead to 4-2 with under three to play. Fink’s assist on the goal made him the fastest player in program history to reach 100 career points.
“It talks a lot about the offensive success he’s had. He’s a skilled guy, but he works really hard. Really, really hard,” Gadowsky said. “He gives a lot of himself, and that’s not just the eye test, that’s through sports science, all the measuring they do with their bodies, he gives a lot of himself every game. He’s a very skilled guy, and when you work as hard as he does, good things happen.”
The Golden Gophers immediately went to an empty net, and a cross-checking minor on JJ Wiebusch gave them a 6-on-4 edge. Even shorthanded, Dane Dowiak scored an empty-netter to close it out, also giving Fink another assist.
Team leaders:
Goals: Braedan Ford, Jackson Smith, Matt DiMarsico, Dane Dowiak, Lev Katzin, 1
Assists: Aiden Fink, 3
Saves: Kevin Reidler, 32/34
Up next: Big Ten play continues when Penn State welcomes Notre Dame for a pair of games at 7 p.m. on Friday and 8 p.m. Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena.
