Penn State fought hard in Friday night’s game against Michigan, but the No. 2 Wolverines skated away with a 6-3 win in the first game of the series.
First Period
Michigan blitzed Penn State early in the first period with three straight goals. Jack Nesbitt deflected home a shot from the point just under two minutes in to give Michigan the early lead. Two minutes later, Drew Schock was left wide open in front of the net to tap home a rebound past Josh Fleming.
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A Penn State penalty set up Michigan’s power play for a golden opportunity. Malcolm Spence was set up nicely in the bumper position to rip home the puck off crisp passing from Michael Hage and Jayden Perron. The Wolverines led 3-0 and had a struggling Nittany Lions team on the ropes less than 10 minutes into the game.
Penn State settled down and found an answer on its first power play chance. Justin Poirier corralled the puck at the far wall and found a seam in Michigan’s defense. He had enough room to fire a shot from the right faceoff circle and beat Jack Ivankovic to put the Lions on the board:
Michigan led 3-1 after the first period.
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Second Period
Shea Busch brought Penn State within one early in the second period with a wrist shot that found space on Ivankovic’s short side:
Michigan leaned on its territorial advantage through the middle of the second period, and Aidan Park deflected a point shot by Drew Schock past a bewildered Josh Fleming to extend the lead to 4-2.
Penn State was being outshot 21-10 midway through the second, but the Nittany Lions finally sustained offensive zone time and created several quality chances around the net. Offensive pressure was good, but Jack Ivankovic kept Penn State from cutting into the lead. Michigan had a power play late in the period when Lev Katzin was called for tripping. The penalty kill held strong and killed it off, and the Wolverines took a 4-2 lead into the third period.
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Third Period
Early in the third period, Reese Laubach timed a perfect zone entry and took a pass from Lev Katzin right in stride. Laubach beat Ivankovic glove side high to pull Penn State within 1:
Justin Larose appeared to tie the game at 4 with 13 minutes left, but the goal was called back for offside.
Justin Poirier hit the post with under three minutes left in regulation. Michigan iced the game shortly afterward when Landon DuPont’s shot was blocked off a Penn State skater right to an open Nick Moldenhauer in front of the net. Moldenhauer’s goal iced the game, and Ben Robertson added an empty-netter in the final minute to seal a 6-3 win.
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Scoring Summary
|
1 |
2 |
3 |
Final |
|
|
Penn State |
1 |
1 |
1 |
|
|
Michigan |
3 |
1 |
2 |
First Period
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MICH: Jack Nesbitt (3)- Ben Robertson (4), Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen (4)- 5v5- 1:42
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MICH: Drew Schock (4)- Landon DuPont (9), Malcolm Spence (5)- 5v5- 3:29
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MICH: Malcolm Spence (7)- Michael Hage (17), Jayden Perron (10)- PP- 6:06
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PSU: Justin Poirier (6)- Justin Larose (6), Lev Katzin (5)- PP- 8:33
Second Period
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PSU: Shea Busch (3)- Kale Dach (5), Andrew Kuzma (2)- 5v5- 1:33
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MICH: Aidan Park (1)- Drew Schock (9), Cam Reid (4)- 5v5- 10:01
Third Period
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PSU: Reese Laubach (1)- Lev Katzin (6), Nolan Collins (3)- 5v5- 3:47
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MICH: Nick Moldenhauer (2)- Landon DuPont (10), Malcolm Spence (6)- 5v5- 18:01
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MICH: Ben Robertson (1)- Michael Hage (18), Cole McKinney (4)- EN- 19:21
Shots By Period
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PSU: 7-13-11-31
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MICH: 16-10-9-35
Random Observations
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A Good Effort- The odds were not in Penn State’s favor, and it certainly looked like it was going to be humiliating after the three quick Michigan goals. This was probably the best effort Penn State has iced this season considering the opponent and venue.
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Justin Poirier- Penn State has found its next great winger in Justin Poirier, who scored his sixth goal of the season in the first period. He hit the post late in the third period, inches away from tying the game.
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Another Loss- Penn State falls to 2-8-1 on the season. This is the second four-game losing streak already, and we still have 25 games to go. The effort was good, but it doesn’t make the record any prettier. If the team gets better between now and March, that will feel like a win given how things look today.
What’s Next
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm on Big Ten Plus.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
