JJ Wiebusch scored a program-record four goals against Clarkson, but his effort could not overcome a terrible night for Kevin Reidler and the defense as Clarkson upset No. 4 Penn State 6-4 at Pegula Ice Arena. The flaws the Nittany Lions showed last weekend- notably penalties, poor defensive zone coverage, and a lack of scoring from the bottom six- were on full display.
First Period
After some early pressure by Penn State, Talon Sigurdson opened the scoring for Clarkson just over a minute into the contest.
JJ Wiebusch
tied the game on a Penn State power play when his wrist shot from a tough angle just cleared underneath the crossbar:
Both teams took three penalties in the first period. The Nittany Lions wanted to clean up their undisciplined play from last weekend but were unable to in the first 20 minutes. Fortunately, the penalty kill continued to hold, and the game went to the intermission tied at 1.
Second Period
Charlie Cerrato made an incredible backhanded pass to JJ Wiebusch after deking his way through the Clarkson defense. Cerrato found Wiebusch for the one-timer, and the second line once again came up 7s:
Just over a minute later, Penn State was on the power play, and the Nittany Lions had Clarkson on its heels in the offensive zone. Great pressure led to a cross-ice pass from Gavin McKenna to a wide open JJ Wiebusch, who buried the puck to extend the lead to 3-1:
Adrian Misaljevic answered for Clarkson 50 seconds later to cut the lead to 3-2, and it was clear the Golden Knights were not going anywhere. Wiebusch scored his program-record fourth goal of the game when he capitalized on a rebound chance after Charlie Cerrato’s breakaway was stopped:
Penn State went on the man advantage just past the midway point of the period, but after Jackson Smith mishandled the puck, Erik Bargholtz broke away shorthanded and buried a shot past Kevin Reidler to cut Penn State’s lead to 4-3. The Nittany Lions held the one-goal advantage going into the intermission, but the tension in the building was palpable.
Third Period
Penn State outshot Clarkson 12-8 in the third period, but the Golden Knights took advantage of every mistake the Nittany Lions made. Poor defensive zone coverage allowed two Clarkson players in front of the net unimpeded, and Owen Van Steensel evened the score at 4 just 1:29 into the third. Midway through the period, an innocent-looking rush attempt by Clarkson turned dangerous when Nolan Collins lost coverage on Adrian Misaljevic, who scored his second goal of the night on the backhand to give the Golden Knights their first lead since the opening minutes.
Erik Bargholtz iced the game with an empty-net goal with a minute left in regulation as the Nittany Lions pushed for the tying goal.
Scoring Summary
First Period
- CU: Talon Sigurdson (1)– Luka Sukovic (1), Tristan Sarsland (2)- 5v5- 1:07
- PSU: JJ Wiebusch (1)- Gavin McKenna (3), Aiden Fink (4)- PP- 4:25
Second Period
- PSU: JJ Wiebusch (2)- Charlie Cerrato (5), Jackson Smith (1)- 5v5- 2:05
- PSU: JJ Wiebusch (3)- Gavin McKenna (4), Charlie Cerrato (6)- PP- 3:40
- CU: Adrian Misaljevic- Shawn O’Donnell (1)- 5v5- 4:30
- PSU: JJ Wiebusch (4)- Charlie Cerrato (7), Matt DiMarsico (2)- 5v5- 7:23
- CU: Erik Bargholtz- Unassisted- 12:35- SH
Third Period
- CU: Owen Van Steensel (1)- Luka Sukovic (2), Bryce Sookro (2)- 5v5- 1:29
- CU: Adrian Misaljevic (2)- Ryan Bottrill (2), Bryce Sookro (2)- 5v5- 10:10
- CU: Erik Bargholtz (2)- Mael St-Denis (1), Talon Sigurdson (1)- EN- 18:59
Shots By Period
- CU: 6-12-8-26
- PSU: 9-19-12-40
Takeaways
- Defense- The defense may have allowed only 26 shots, but they had some horrible breakdowns in the third period that ultimately cost the team the game. Lots of adjustments will be required for this team to reach its goals.
- Reidler Back to Earth- Kevin Reidler let in five goals on 25 shots faced. Hard to win any games when your goalie only saves 80% of his shots.
- Penalties- Penn State took seven penalties in this game. Fortunately, Clarkson did not score a single power play goal, making the penalty kill 18 for 19 on the season. However, this is going to burn the Nittany Lions in Big Ten play if the penalties do not get reined in.
- Second Line Needs Help– Charlie Cerrato is one of the most dominant centers in Penn State’s young history, and JJ Wiebusch set a program record with 4 goals in a single game. But this line cannot do everything. The first, third, and fourth lines will need to pick up the slack with the scoring.
- Hockey Is Weird- No. 2 Michigan State fell to New Hampshire at home tonight. At the time of writing, Ferris State is tied with No. 1 and defending national champion Western Michigan in the third period. In a 34-game season, you’re bound to have some clunkers. Learn from it and move on.
What’s Next
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night at Pegula Ice Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm on Big Ten Plus.
