Some of the nation’s top hockey talent clashed when No. 5 Penn State hosted No. 2 Michigan State in Pegula Ice Arena on Friday night, setting the stage for the long-awaited Beaver Stadium game Saturday afternoon.
Riding a seven-game winning streak, the Nittany Lions fell into an early deficit and couldn’t climb their way out, dropping to 18-7 and 10-5 in Big Ten play with a 6-3 loss ahead of Saturday’s clash.
“There’s a lot of things I’m very happy with, obviously the fight to come back, we had a lot of chances,” head coach Guy Gadowsky said after the game. “Didn’t solve them till late. Hit a few posts, but I love how we came back.”
How it happened
Minutes into the game, Penn State’s Aiden Fink was tripped up in the attacking zone and lost the puck, leading to a Michigan State odd-man rush in the other direction.
As the Nittany Lion faithful chastised the refs for the no-call, Spartan Anthony Romani raced down the ice and swung the puck around the outstretched pads of goaltender Josh Fleming for the first score of the game.
The visitors had an opportunity to extend the lead when Jackson Smith was presented a two-minute minor for interference, but Penn State completed the kill with a couple key clearances.
With under seven minutes to play, Nittany Lion JJ Wiebusch and Spartan Shane Vansaghi were called for matching minors. During the stoppage, Nic Chin-DeGraves yelled at refs and opponents, including pointing at a pair of Spartans, which earned him two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Chin-DeGraves continued to berate the nearest official while sitting in the sin bin, while Wiebusch and Vansaghi chirped at each other across boxes.
“Hockey is a tough, fast, emotional game, and those emotions are always going to play part of it,” Gadowsky said.
Near the end of the penalty, Michigan State’s Owen West wristed a shot from the Big Ten logo near the blue line, which Fleming never saw and couldn’t stop.
Trailing 2-0, the Nittany Lions went on their first power play via a hooking call, but it was short-lived as Smith was called for interference for the second time, leading to 4-on-4 play.
“Tonight it bit us, penalties bit us,” Laubach said. “We gotta find a way to stay out of the box, stay out of the stupid ones.”
Shortly after Reese Laubach took a violent open-ice hit, the Spartans scored to make it a 3-0 game, prompting Gadowsky to challenge for a major penalty. After review, the no-call was upheld, causing an uproar. Chants rained down on the crew, and they were met with a loud chorus of boos while departing the ice for the first intermission.
The animosity only increased into the second period, when Michigan State’s Cayden Lindstrom skated up behind Fink and elbowed him in the back of the head, leading to a major scrum along the boards.
“When your MVP gets popped right in the head, I don’t mind the response at all,” Gadowsky said. “It’s hard to see that happen to your teammate.”
When the scuffle subsided, Lindstrom and Colin Ralph, as well as Penn State’s Gavin McKenna were all handed five-minute majors, sending the Nittany Lions to an extended 5-on-4 advantage. The Nittany Lions peppered the net, taking a 22-16 shots advantage in the game, but couldn’t cash in.
“They don’t have a lot of vulnerabilities,” Gadowsky said. “They have excellent, excellent, excellent goaltending.”
The Spartans’ elite penalty kill unit got another chance to showcase their skills after Matt Lahey was booked for cross-checking, but this time Smith made them pay with a deep slap shot to cut the deficit to 3-1.
Alex Servagno went down with an apparent injury and attempted to continue defending before Penn State gained possession, when he began crawling to the bench. Smith came by and gave him a push from behind, sliding him toward the gate for a line change.
“I think it’s two good teams that both pride themselves on grit,” Gadowsky said. “We believe in our grit and our toughness and so do they.”
The Spartans regained a three-score lead when Porter Martone snuck the puck between the legs of Fleming after he thought it was secure, making it a 4-1 game through 40 minutes.
The third period opened with 5-on-4 play after Fink was penalized for throwing his stick near the end of the last period, which came and went with one shot on goal.
After returning to even strength, Smith nearly netted his second of the night, but the puck clanged off the iron and out. Laubach did get on the board though, making it a 4-2 game after tapping in a long pass from Carter Schade.
A cross-check call on Shea Van Olm created a Spartan man advantage, which was exemplified by a hooking call on Schade to make it 5-on-3 for 53 seconds.
Fleming held strong as Van Olm returned to the ice, before Michigan State’s Charlie Stramel was called for cross-checking for a hit to the back of the head. In the final seconds of the power play, Matt DiMarsico halved the deficit after swatting in a loose puck in front of the net, causing the crowd to erupt.
“We stuck to our game, and eventually it started working for us,” Jaron Crespo said.
The Nittany Lions went to the power play after Eric Nilson was called for tripping — there was no debating that one, as his stick became lodged in the skate and came out of his hands, leaving the evidence behind — but Penn State failed to generate much offense.
With time dwindling, Lev Katzin appeared to sustain an arm injury, which sent him hobbling to the bench, never to return.
Under three minutes, Penn State pulled Fleming for an extra skater, but Romani capped off a hat trick with an empty netter. The Spartans tacked on one more goal to make it 6-3 in the final seconds.
Team leaders
Goals: Matt DiMarsico, Jackson Smith, Reese Laubach, 1
Assists: Matt DiMarsico, 2
Saves: Josh Fleming, 30/34
Up next: Penn State will head across the street for its first ever game in Beaver Stadium, closing out the series against the Spartans at 1 p.m. Saturday
