Your No. 8 Penn State men’s hockey team played its 19th and 20th games of the regular season on Friday and Saturday, which resulted in 3-0 and 5-2 wins over Minnesota. The Golden Gophers were Penn State’s first repeat opponent on the Big Ten slate. Entering last weekend, I was curious to see what would be different for Penn State in this series versus the one the teams played in Minneapolis back in November.
In the first series, Penn State scored just four total goals and put up 29 shots in each game.
Minnesota did a great job of slowing the game down through the neutral zone and taking away Penn State’s preferred passing lanes through the middle of the ice. The Nittany Lions struggled to control the puck at both ends of the ice playing against a style of defense that is the antithesis of what Penn State wants to do on offense.
Last weekend, the offense got back to its bread and butter, exploding for 40+ shots in both games and scored eight total goals. Of course, playing at home with a healthy Aiden Fink and Cade Christenson is a factor. But I came away impressed with how Penn State adjusted to Minnesota’s trap to unlock the offense.
One of the best things you can do against a team that is hellbent on slowing you down through the neutral zone is to stay disciplined in the neutral zone yourself. A sequence right before Penn State’s second goal in Game 1 is shown here:
Minnesota is trying to break out, but the initial breakout pass is blocked by the forechecking pressure of Luke Misa and Ben Schoen. Penn State is now in perfect position to defend this breakout. As John Mittlestadt carries the puck through the neutral zone, he gets walled off by Misa and the puck goes flying all the way to Josh Fleming behind the net.
Penn State then begins its own breakout. Mac Gadowsky feeds the puck to Ben Schoen at the half-boards near the bench. Here is the exact moment Schoen is ready to make a decision with the puck, with Minnesota shown in its 1-2-2 formation:
Schoen’s outlet pass is the key to all of this. Instead of passing to Luke Misa or carrying the puck up the ice himself, Schoen makes a quick cross-ice pass to Reese Laubach. The pass forces Minnesota’s defense to stretch out, but Laubach has the speed and momentum to find a crease around Finn McLaughlin and get a clean zone entry.
This sequence started 30 seconds of sustained zone time for Penn State. Immediately after Minnesota cleared the zone and changed its tired skaters, Penn State raced back into the offensive zone, and Cade Christenson scored the goal to extend the lead to 2-0.
Penn State entered the third period with a 3-0 lead. Frequently in hockey, the team trailing in the third period is able to roll up a huge shots advantage because they are pressing for the tying goal. However, Penn State outshot Minnesota 11-10 in the third period by continuing to stay aggressive on the forecheck and controlling the neutral zone. I found four key sequences from the beginning of the third period that set the tone for the final 20 minutes of the game:
Here, Jarod Crespo makes a perfect stretch pass through Minnesota’s forecheck to an open Gavin McKenna, which leads to solid offensive zone time and a quality chance for Mac Gadowsky:
A couple minutes later, Matt DiMarsico is strong on the forecheck and forces a turnover with Aiden Fink in position in the neutral zone to scoop up the puck and move in for a scoring chance:
Next, Lev Katzin beats the 1-2-2 by dumping the puck into the offensive zone from the center line. As Luca Di Pasquo leaves his net to play the puck, he sends it around the boards, where Luke Misa moves in on the forecheck. Misa sends it back the other way around the boards to Ben Schoen to sustain more zone time:
Finally, Cade Christenson makes another quick outlet pass to Aiden Fink, who carries the puck easily through the neutral zone. At this point, Minnesota has loosened out of its defensive structure, which opens the neutral zone for Penn State to skate through and set up the offense:
Big Picture
Last weekend was the best Penn State has looked all season. The scoreboard would certainly reflect that statement, but I was more impressed with the adjustments Guy Gadowsky made to help Penn State control the neutral zone. The defensemen were also more confident in making decisions, where earlier in the season they seemed more tentative with the puck. Some turnover issues still linger, as we saw at times in Game 2, but I thought Penn State’s breakout was improved.
Penn State will be a very tough out in March if they keep playing like this. The talent is there, and it feels like things are starting to come together. A more structured game is exactly what the doctor ordered.
