MINNEAPOLIS – For a program that has long taken pride in its ability to get pucks on net, the Nittany Lions may have known that Friday night wasn’t to be as Penn State managed just one shot on goal in the second period en route to an eventual 5-1 loss in the opening game of a best-of-three series against Minnesota in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.
Penn State would go behind around the midway point of the first period as Sam Rinzel scored unassisted 12:39 into the game to give the Gophers the 1-0 lead. Heading into the best-of-three series Penn State had picked up just one victory over Minnesota all year long in four meetings, getting shutout by the Gophers in the previous two meetings 3-0, 3-0 on the road just a few weeks earlier. The lone victory a 6-3 decision over the Gophers at Pegula Ice Arena in early December.
So as Jacques Bouquot tied the game, scoring just over three minutes later it proved to be something of an improvement for the Nittany Lions as they looked to finally break through against a Minnesota team that entered Friday’s contest just one of three teams in the conference to hit the 20-win mark during the regular season. As the horn sound to close out the opening 20 minutes of play the teams were deadlocked at 1-1 on the scoreboard and with nine shoots on goal a piece.
However the second period proved to be a different story as Penn State struggled to find any offense and the Gophers did not much better as the teams combined for 10 total shots on goal, nine of those coming from the host team. Longtime Gopher, Jimmy Snuggerud made it 2-1 Minnesota with just over five minutes to go in a defense-heavy frame that would set the course for a pivotal third period.
The Gophers didn’t wait for Penn State to respond in the opening minutes of the third period, scoring just over two minutes into the frame to make it a 3-1 margin. A second goal with 9:17 remaining made it 4-1 even as Penn State did better in the opening 10 minutes of the third period firing over 10 shots on goal, but the Nittany Lions were unable to capitalize on a few marquee opportunities. Liam Souliere would make a few nice saves for Penn State along the way but did not provide any game-changing work between the pipes as Minnesota peppered him over the course of the evening. An empty-net goal by Rhett Pitlick – his second of the game after scoring Minnesota’s fourth of the night – would make it a decidedly lopsided 5-1 final.
The two teams will return to action Saturday afternoon for a 4:30 eastern puck drop. A Minnesota win would send the Gophers to the second round of the Big Ten Tournament and would subsequently end the Nittany Lions’ season.
