Penn State coach Guy Gadowksy called it the most complete game Penn State had played all year, captain Brandon Biro echoed the same and the No. 12 Nittany Lions skated off the ice Thursday night with a 6-1 victory over No. 7 ranked Wisconsin.
It started quick, with Sam Sternschein scoring 47 seconds into regulation to put Penn State ahead in front of a soggy crowd as the rain poured outside Pegula Ice Arena.
Evan Barratt added another, his first of the year, with just under five minutes to play in the first period before Cole Caufield cut the lead to just one goal with four seconds to go in the frame.
It didn’t take long for Penn State to respond as Alex Stevens ripped a shot of his own just 1:03 into the middle frame to make it 3-1. The Nittany ions never looked back as Denis Smirnov added another seven minutes later. Penn State led 4-1 after 40 minutes of play.
In goal it was Peyton Jones with a 38 save night, including several key stops in the first two periods to hold on the the Nittany Lions’ lead. Jones was strong all night but faced limited high quality chances as Penn State’s defense put bodies between shooters and the goal for most of the game. Jones’ counterpart Daniel Lebedeff made 38 saves as well, facing 44 shots.
Nate Sucese scored on the power play during a five minute major, Penn State making good on four advantages, and Aarne Talvitie added a final goal with just over a minute remaining in regulation.
The Nittany Lions played Thursday night’s game without the series of forward Liam Folkes and could play Friday night without Smirnov who sustained a big hit into the boards by Roman Ahcan in the game’s final minutes. Ahcan was assessed a game misconduct for the hit.
In total Penn State will be pleased with the result but ready for a turnaround meeting against the Badgers on Friday night. The Nittany Lions will look to close out the series with a sweep, and proof that an early season identity crisis was a bump in the road, not a trend.
‘It’s a relief to know we haven’t lost it,’ Gadowsky said after the game. ‘But that relief turns into curiosity real fast.’
Gadowsky will get an answer on Friday night.
Video by Brian McLaughlin/Centre County Report
