No. 14 Penn State men’s hockey upset No. 11 Michigan with a 6-5 overtime victory in game one of the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal on Friday at Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor.
In a back-and-forth affair, freshman JJ Wiebusch’s power play goal on a backhand shot between the legs five minutes into the extra period gave the Nittany Lions the win and a 1-0 lead in the best-of-three series.
How It Happened
Penn State fiercely controlled the puck throughout the first several minutes of play. At 5:26 in the first period, a Nittany Lion attack culminated in Ben Schoen barely tapping the puck past the line to give Penn State a 1-0 lead.
But, 16 seconds after the goal, Mark Estapa charged down the ice and put Michigan’s first shot of the game past Arsenii Sergeev to tie it 1-1.
The Wolverines dominated puck control for the next minute. Their control didn’t last long, as Matt DiMarsico beat Logan Stein at the crease for the go-ahead goal at 8:04 in the period.
The first penalty came nearly three minutes later. Schoen was called for holding, which gave Michigan a two-minute advantage. Penn State blocked multiple shots via heavy traffic in front of the net, and a clearance with nine seconds left sealed the deal on a penalty kill.
Aiden Fink fired a shot that went off the post. But with 57.3 seconds left in the period, Danny Dzhaniyev sniped a shot from the faceoff circle into the goal to make it 3-1.
Garrett Schifsky was called for boarding not even a minute into the second period. However, Penn State couldn’t outdo Wolverine resistance in front of the net and didn’t score.
Both teams traded shots amid back-and-forth hockey throughout much of the period. Then, at 13:17 into the period, Jackson Hallum scored to make it 3-2.
56 seconds into the period, Schoen took another penalty for hooking. A shot deflected off Sergeev’s facemask, and Will Horcoff put it into the net to tie it 3-3 on the power play.
With 13:48 left in regulation, Josh Eernisse was called for interference. Jimmy Dowd Jr. passed the puck to Aiden Fink from the faceoff circle. Fink found JJ Wiebusch open and waiting across the goal, and he finished the one-timer to retake a 4-3 lead at 6:52 into the third period.
Then, not even two minutes later, Wiebusch scored again to make it 5-3. But right after Wiebusch scored, Nick Moldenhauer cut the lead in half at 9:04 in the third period.
Stein halted two Penn State chances. The first was a three-on-one and the other was an odd-man rush.
Michigan regained control of the puck and generated momentum. It paid off, as Hallum scored again to tie it 5-5 at 15:32 in the third period.
With 57.8 left in regulation, Ethan Edwards was sent to the sin bin for slashing. The penalty extended into the beginning of overtime, and Michigan got the kill.
However, Dakoda Rhéaume-Mullen was called for tripping at 4:26. The Nittany Lions then took advantage, as Wiebusch completed the hat-trick with a backhand shot between the legs to win it 6-5 in overtime.
Takeaways
- Wiebusch, the freshman from Verona, Wisconsin, completed his first career hat trick as a Nittany Lion. The final goal to win it in overtime was one of the better goals you’ll see this season.
- Mental toughness was a huge deal for Penn State. The Nittany Lions have historically had trouble in Ann Arbor, and staying mentally tough was a point of emphasis. So far in the series, it’s paid off.
- Sergeev, however, did not have a great night. Sergeev allowed five goals and made 21 saves, which isn’t good enough in a playoff series. He’ll have to be better Saturday and, if necessary, on Sunday.
What’s Next
Game two is at 7 p.m. Saturday in Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The game can be streamed on BTN+.
