No. 2 Michigan 5, No. 5 Penn State 4 (SO): Can’t Finish

SB Nation

Down to nine healthy forwards midway through the game, No. 5 Penn State clawed its way to overtime with No. 2 Michigan. Despite a myriad of chances in overtime, Jack Ivankovic slammed the door shut in overtime and

held Penn State scoreless in the shootout. Michigan took the extra point in Game 1 of the series.

First Period

Penn State wasted no time applying pressure early in the game, and the top line cashed in quickly. Matt DiMarsico forced a turnover in the neutral zone and fed the puck to JJ Wiebusch as he gained the zone. Wiebusch found a wide open Reese Laubach, who scored his seventh goal of the season to give the Nittany Lions an early 1-0 lead:

Penn State created some more quality chances in transition before Michigan settled in. Garrett Schifsky knocked home a rebound in the low slot with Josh Fleming out of position to tie the game at 1 midway through the period.

Shortly after the Michigan goal, the top line sustained offensive zone pressure. Nic Chin-DeGraves won a key puck battle along the half-boards, and Jackson Smith received a pass near the point with plenty of room to skate. Smith fired a wrist shot from a tough angle, and the puck found the back of the net to put Penn State back on top:

Ben Schoen took a hooking penalty near the front of the net to hand the dangerous Michigan power play its first opportunity of the night. Lev Katzin joined him in the box shortly after, and suddenly the Lions faced a 5-on-3 for just over a minute. TJ Hughes scored almost immediately on a great feed from Michael Hage to tie the game at 2.

With Penn State on a power play, JJ Wiebusch got a game misconduct for spearing a player with his stick. Michigan could not get one past Fleming in the closing moments of the first period but took two minutes of carryover power play time to the second period.

Second Period

The penalty kill finished the job but quickly found themselves shorthanded again four minutes into the second. Dane Dowiak also left with an injury, leaving the Lions with nine healthy forwards and down one of their best penalty killers.

A miscommunication on a Michigan breakout led to a turnover for the third line in the offensive zone. Shea Van Olm found an open Nic Chin-DeGraves, who immediately fired home a wrister from the faceoff circle for a 3-2 Penn State lead:

Josh Fleming made an enormous save moments later, but he eventually let a tough one slip by him when Asher Barnett fired a shot from the point that got through the five hole and tied the game at 3.

Tyler Duke took a cross-checking penalty to give Penn State a power play. The top unit got a couple of good chances but could not finish. At the second intermission, the game remained tied at 3.

Third Period

Shea Van Olm took a hooking penalty seven minutes into the third, but Penn State’s penalty kill held the line despite being hemmed in the zone and unable to clear for most of the PK.

TJ Hughes batted home a rebound to give Michigan the lead for the first time in the game. A bad pass by Lev Katzin led to an odd-man rush the other way, and Hughes made Penn State pay.

With Penn State on the power play with under four minutes left, Jackson Smith scored his second of the night on a perfect shot from the high slot with traffic in front to tie the game at 4:

Michigan had some zone time in the dying seconds of regulation but could not set up a scoring chance. The game went to overtime tied at 4.

Overtime

Josh Fleming made a few big saves, but Penn State largely controlled overtime. Gavin McKenna alone had four high-danger chances but could not finish.

Scoring Summary

First Period

PSU: Reese Laubach (7)- JJ Wiebusch (16), Matt DiMarsico (18)- 5v5- 0:58
MICH: Garrett Schifsky (10)- Drew Schock (8), Michael Hage (26)- 5v5- 9:18
PSU: Jackson Smith (9)- Unassisted- 5v5- 11:35
MICH: TJ Hughes (14)- Michael Hage (27), Jayden Perron (17)- PP- 14:25

Second Period

PSU: Nic Chin-DeGraves (3)- Shea Van Olm (2)- 5v5- 8:20
MICH: Asher Barnett (4)- Michael Hage (28)- 5v5- 11:17

Third Period

MICH: TJ Hughes (15)- Malcolm Spence (7)- 5v5- 10:21
PSU: Jackson Smith (10)- Reese Laubach (12), Gavin McKenna (22)- PP- 16:46

Shots By Period

PSU: 10-10-10-8-38
MICH: 11-11-13-2-37

Takeaways

Penalties- It’s a broken record at this point, but the penalties are out of control. You cannot win against good teams playing shorthanded for five minutes every period.
Good Effort- With Dowiak and Wiebusch out for most of the game and just nine healthy forwards left, it was a solid effort for Penn State against a far more talented Michigan team.
Overtime Frustration- Penn State had 8 shots on goal in the five-minute 3-on-3 overtime period, most of them dangerous. It’s a game of inches, and Jack Ivankovic had Penn State’s number in OT.
Jackson Smith- Smith’s development has been instrumental for this team. He has turned the corner into becoming the offensive threat he was predicted to be at the beginning of the season.

Standings & Such

Penn State remains in third place in the Big Ten standings. The Nittany Lions have a three-point lead on Wisconsin with two games in hand, but the regular season title is just about out of reach.

At the time of posting, Penn State remains No. 5 in the NPI. An overtime road loss against the No. 2 team in the country is unlikely to move Penn State down any further than No. 5.