Penn State got a chance to make up some ground in the Big Ten standings with a pair of games against Minnesota at Pegula Ice Arena, starting with a Friday night matchup.
With new head football coach Matt Campbell and various other staffers in attendance, the Nittany Lions took care of business, defeating the Golden Gophers 3-0.
With the win, Penn State advanced to 13-6 on the year and 5-4 in Big Ten action, breaking a tie with Minnesota which dropped to 4-5 in conference play and 8-11-1 overall.
How it happened
Just over five minutes into the contest, defenseman Luke Misa was first to light the lamp with a tip-in off a slapshot from Carter Schade, who earned an assist along with Casey Aman.
“I think all the lines on our team had a ton of chances,” Misa said. “I think if we continue to play like that, I feel like we’re going to put up a lot more goals, and you know it’s just bound to come.”
Trailing early, the Golden Gophers had a golden opportunity to tie the game, with left wing LJ Mooney flying in on a breakaway but getting stuffed on a backhand attempt in front of the net.
After generating more sustained pressure, the Nittany Lions doubled their lead off the stick of defenseman Cade Christenson, assisted by Misa and Mac Gadowsky.
Penn State thought it had its third goal of the game after Misa went five-hole and hit the inside of the pole, but despite an accidental goal horn the puck never crossed the line.
Instead, the Nittany Lions took their 2-0 lead into the first intermission, holding a 19-9 shot advantage. Charlie Cerrato left the game during the opening frame and didn’t return, but head coach Guy Gadowsky had no update after the game
Scoring opportunities were scarcer in the second period, as Penn State seemingly took its foot off the gas and managed just 10 shots to Minnesota’s eight. However, the 10th found the back of the net off the stick of Matt DiMarsico to extend the lead right before the second intermission.
Entering the final frame with a 3-0 lead, goaltender Josh Fleming stood strong in the crease, turning away good looks from Minnesota.
It took until late in the third period before the first penalty was called, when JJ Wiebusch got tagged with a 10-minute misconduct call. While it didn’t put Penn State a man down, it did give the Golden Gophers some sustained momentum in the attack zone.
“The way the game went, it just seemed both teams were playing fairly disciplined … it wasn’t something we set out to do, we just reacted to it,” Gadowsky said.
The sin bin soon got its first visitor when winger Lev Katzin was called for hooking, giving Minnesota more chances to cut into the deficit. Disciplined defensive play kept the Golden Gophers off the board as the clock ticked down and the Nittany Lions returned to even strength.
Penn State went to a power play of its own for the final minute of the game, closing out the contest with Fleming’s second shutout of the year.
“I thought it was an excellent team defensive game,” Gadowsky said. “Obviously, great shutout by Fleming, but that was a really good team defensive game, but we played very consistently and were able to generate opportunities without giving up a whole lot. I thought it was an excellent game for us against the Minnesota Gophers, an excellent team.”
Team leaders
Goals: Luke Misa, Matt DiMarsico, Cade Christenson, 1
Assists: Six players, 1
Saves: Josh Fleming, 27/27
Up next: The series concludes Saturday with a rematch at Pegula Ice Arena, slated for a 6 p.m. puck drop.
