Penn State Men’s Hockey Drops Embarrassing Loss to Robert Morris, Remains Winless

Penn State men’s hockey dropped to 0-4 on the year after a disappointing outing against Robert Morris on Tuesday night inside Pegula Ice Arena.

The Nittany Lions fell into an early 3-0 hole and weren’t able to battle back, falling 5-2 at the hands of the Colonials.

“I think there’s a feel that it’s just gonna come easy … I feel it’s arrogance,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said after the game. “We feel we’re above what we had to do in the past to get where we got. Obviously that’s on me, because that’s a preparation issue.”

How it happened

It took just 20 seconds for Robert Morris forward Patrick Johnson to find the back of the net, whistling the puck past goaltender Ryder Fetterolf on the opening shot of the game.

Penn State battled off three penalties before earning a power play of its own, allowing for the team’s first shot of the game more than 10 minutes into the contest. Before the conclusion of the man advantage, forward Shea Busch was called for high sticking, leading to 4-on-4 play for over a minute.

The Colonials regained momentum and took a 2-0 lead off the stick of Michael Felsing, who was set up by a pass from Brennan Faulkner in front of the crease. Then, with just 25 seconds before the first intermission, Robert Morris struck again after sustained pressure, with George Krotiris potting the team’s third goal.

“I mean, you gotta give them credit,” senior forward Dane Dowiak said. “They came out and punched us in the mouth, and we didn’t have a good start, and we weren’t ready.”

Penn State nearly got on the board in the second period on a breakaway by Luke Misa, but he was stuffed at the doorstep. Aided by several ensuing power plays, the Nittany Lions were able to flip momentum, even surpassing Robert Morris in total shots after trailing 15-6 at the end of the opening frame. Justin Poirier eventually broke through with his first goal as a Nittany Lion, making it a 3-1 game headed into the second break and keeping the contest within reach.

In the third, Poirier netted his second goal, bringing some life back into Pegula Ice Arena. He was assisted by Jackson Smith and Reese Laubach. With Robert Morris playing on its heels, Penn State began peppering the net with shots, searching for the equalizer.

With just over three minutes to play, the Colonials put a stop to the comeback with a goal from Krotiris, his second of the night. They tacked on an empty netter to make it 5-2.

“Up until their fourth goal, I thought we were going to win,” Gadowsky said.

Team leaders

Goals: Justin Poirier, 2

Assists: Reese Laubach, Jackson Smith, Caedan Herrington, Justin Larose, 1

Saves: Ryder Fetterolf, 27/31

Up next: Penn State welcomes Canisius for a weekend series with puck drops at 7 p.m. Friday and 5 p.m. Saturday