Penn State needed a win in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament to extinguish any doubt about the team making the NCAA Tournament. They delivered with a dominant 6-2 win over Minnesota on Wednesday night. The Nittany Lions never had a power play chance in the game but controlled the game strongly at even strength to pull away from the Gophers in the second period. Penn State advances to the Big Ten semifinals on Saturday for the second straight season.
First Period
Penn State heavily tilted the ice in their
favor early. Jackson Smith’s early backhand shot hit the crossbar. The top line stacked a couple of strong shifts early, and the forecheck created the first goal of the game. Matt DiMarsico forced a turnover near the wall and forced the puck ahead to JJ Wiebusch. The sophomore found Charlie Cerrato 1-on-1 in the high slot, and Cerrato ripped home his seventh goal of the season to give Penn State the 1-0 lead:
After a long season of frustration without a goal, Mac Gadowsky finally scored his first of the season. Gavin McKenna patiently waited for his teammates to gain the zone and fed a perfect pass to Gadowsky for the one-timer:
Minnesota drew the game’s first power play but did very little with it. Penn State nearly made it 3-0 in the dying seconds, but Aiden Fink was stopped at the doorstep by Luca Di Pasquo’s pad. The Nittany Lions led 2-0 after the first period.
Second Period
Penn State flipped the script from their terrible second period last Saturday against Wisconsin in the first 10 minutes of the second. The Nittany Lions’ depth made a huge push offensively early in the frame and helped the attack stack several strong shifts together. Mac Gadowsky and Lev Katzin had a pair of glorious chances that got stopped by Di Pasquo. Shortly after, a key faceoff win allowed the Lions to set up offensively. Matt DiMarsico dangled through the defense and scored a beautiful goal for his 100th career point:
Reese Laubach poured it on for Penn State when he deposited a rebound from a shot by Jarod Crespo that bounced to him at the left faceoff circle:
Desperate to create anything offensively, Minnesota’s forecheck frustrated Penn State’s breakout a little bit, and a turnover by Jackson Smith landed on Javon Moore’s stick. Moore fired home a weak shot past a surprised Josh Fleming, and the Gophers got on the board. Penn State led 4-1 after the second period.
Third Period
Minnesota made a strong push to close the gap early in the third period, but Penn State did a good job keeping the Gophers to the outside for most of their pressure. Josh Fleming made a couple of big saves to keep it 4-1 until the offense found its stride again.
Aiden Fink and Reese Laubach combined for a great chance in the slot that bounced wide off Laubach’s stick, but Gavin McKenna corralled the rebound at the boards and made a perfect cross-ice pass. Fink sniped it glove side high to extend the lead to 5-1:
Jacob Rombach scored on a wrist shot from the point that beat Fleming cleanly to cut Penn State’s lead to 5-2 with just under five minutes left. Cade Christenson salted away the game with a shorthanded empty net goal to seal a relatively easy 6-2 win for Penn State.
Scoring Summary
First Period
- PSU: Charlie Cerrato (7)- JJ Wiebusch (19), Matt DiMarsico (24)- 5v5- 3:10
- PSU: Mac Gadowsky (1)- Gavin McKenna (35), Aiden Fink (27)- 5v5- 13:18
Second Period
- PSU: Matt DiMarsico (18)- Jarod Crespo (11), Jackson Smith (15)- 5v5- 7:56
- PSU: Reese Laubach (12)- Jarod Crespo (12), Gavin McKenna (36)- 5v5- 9:40
- MINN: Javon Moore (8)- Unassisted- 5v5- 16:34
Third Period
- PSU: Aiden Fink (10)- Gavin McKenna (36), Reese Laubach (16)- 5v5- 7:56
- MINN: Jacob Rombach (1)- Beckett Hendrickson (13), Erik Pahlsson (9)- 5v5- 15:06
- PSU: Cade Christenson (5)- Nic Chin-DeGraves (6), Lev Katzin (3)- EN- 18:20
Shots By Period
- MINN: 6-10-13-29
- PSU: 11-19-10-40
Takeaways
- Charlie Cerrato- Last Saturday’s game notwithstanding, there is a massive difference in the lineup when Cerrato is healthy. Reese Laubach is a more natural fit on the second line, and the lineup has mostly returned to normal.
- Leave No Doubt- Penn State has secured a spot in the NCAA Tournament. When the dust settles, the Lions will likely be a 3 seed, but they are in and that is all that matters right now. Penn State moved up to No. 10 in the NPI following tonight’s win.
- Even Strength- On a night where the refs did not call a single penalty on Minnesota, Penn State controlled the game at 5-on-5 with their depth, skill, and speed.
- Changes- I was not a fan of the Big Ten moving the first round to single elimination games on a Wednesday night because college hockey’s atmosphere is at its best on the weekends. On the flip side, a three-weekend span for a tournament of just seven teams is way too long.
What’s Next
Penn State will face Michigan in the Big Ten semifinals on Saturday night. The game time is TBA, but it will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
