When head coach Guy Gadowsky oversaw Penn State’s move from a club team to a Division I program, he hoped to eventually see the team take the ice at Beaver Stadium. That came to fruition Saturday afternoon, when the Nittany Lions welcomed No. 2 Michigan State in front of a program-record 74,575 fans — the second-largest crowd in college hockey history — for the backend of a two-game series.
After losing the previous game 6-3, Penn State battled in a matchup that featured 1-1, 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4 ties, but the Spartans left on top 5-4 after an overtime goal from Spartan forward Charlie Stramel.
How it happened
After missing the last six games, Casey Aman returned to the lineup as a right winger, while Alex Servagno, who left Friday’s game with an apparent lower-body injury, was unavailable.
Similar to the night before, Michigan State quickly jumped in front with a backdoor goal from Daniel Russell, keeping the fans quiet. The Spartans sustained pressure throughout the opening minutes, mourning a 7-2 shot advantage six minutes in.
The first penalty of the game was assessed to Lev Katzin for holding, which Penn State successfully killed, but Michigan State extended its shot advantage to 13-5.
With under five minutes in the opening frame, a small scuffle broke out behind the Spartans’ net after goaltender Trey Augustine made a save. While no penalties were dished out, Michigan State’s Anthony Dormani was whistled for hooking, sending the Nittany Lions to their first power play and producing their best scoring chances of the period. The man advantage came and went, and the opening frame came to a close, starting an extended, 18-minute intermission.
Just 13 seconds into the second period, Aiden Fink notched the equalizer with a far-side, top-shelf snipe, but the momentum was short-lived. Stramel returned the lead to the Spartans after slapping in a rebound on an odd-man rush, making it a 2-1 game.
“He’s playing great,” Gadowsky said. “And there’s a lot of things that he does other than score. And that’s what I really like about our team is we don’t really just have a single goal scorer. We have guys that do a lot more than just score goals.”
Nearing the midpoint of the game Gavin McKenna — who was ejected from the previous game — wristed a mid-range shot to tie up the game. The Nittany Lions parlayed the score into some offensive momentum, closing the shot disparity to 23-21. McKenna picked the pocket of Matt Basgall for a breakaway, looking for a second goal, but he was stonewalled by Augustine.
Penn State remained on the prowl, and minutes later, Fink slotted the puck over Augustine’s shoulder for his second of the day, giving the Nittany Lions their first lead at 3-2 with an assist from McKenna.
“(McKenna is) a big-moment player,” Gadowsky said. “He’s an incredible talent, but I tell you what, his desire to help the team is what I love most about him.”
Michigan State’s Patrick Geary was called for tripping, but shortly after returning to full strength, Shea Van Olm was also whistled for tripping. With just two seconds remaining in the second period, Stramel secured his second goal, balancing the scoreboard headed into intermission.
“I hope that’s a big learning moment for us,” Gadowsky said. “It was probably, systematically speaking, our biggest miss that we’ve had in a while. It’s a big goal to give up at a very big time, and I hope it has an equally big learning effect.”
Minutes into the third period, Van Olm made up for the goal allowed during his trip to the penalty box, scoring on a breakaway to make it 4-3 in favor of the home squad.
“(Van Olm has) been asked to play different roles here and he’s handled it extremely well,” Gadowsky said. “He’s a goal-scorer who’s accepted playing different roles for this team, and because he’s done that very well, everybody was extremely happy.”
The lead didn’t last, as Matt Basgall went five-hole to tie the game 4-4, which prompted a failed challenge from Gadowsky for offsides. The Spartans controlled the puck for the remainder of the period but couldn’t break through, sending the matchup to a 3-on-3 overtime period.
Minutes into the frame, Stramel completed the hat trick with a game-winner from the doorstep of goaltender Kevin Reidler.
Team leaders
Goals: Aiden Fink, 2
Assists: Dane Dowiak, 3
Saves: Kevin Reidler, 35/40
Up next: Penn State gets a bye week before traveling to face the only team in the country ranked higher than Michigan State — No. 1 Michigan. The games are scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 13, and 5 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 14.
