No. 17 Penn State hockey was searching for a response to last night’s loss to UConn, but the Nittany Lions were stymied 6-3 by Sacred Heart on Saturday night to drop to 0-2 on the season.
First Period
It was a sluggish start for Penn State in Ryder Fetterolf’s first career start, and the freshman goalie had to make a few big saves early to keep the game scoreless. Sacred Heart appeared to take an early lead when Michael Rubin slipped home a puck past Fetterolf, but the goal was called back for offside.
The goal
getting called back seemed to give the team a spark, as Penn State rolled up the next four shots on goal, but Sacred Heart continued to have the better of the play for most of the rest of the period. The Nittany Lions killed a penalty and survived a chaotic scramble in front of Fetterolf with just under five minutes left in the period. The Pioneers outshot Penn State 13-5 in the first period, but the game went to the intermission scoreless.
Second Period
Sacred Heart continued to pressure Penn State heavily and controlled all three zones on the ice. The shot disparity continued to widen in favor of the Pioneers. Landen Gunderson eventually cracked Ryder Fetterolf with 7:33 left in the period to give Sacred Heart a 1-0 lead. Taos Jordan extended the lead to 2-0 for the Pioneers after a bad turnover by Penn State near the net.
With under two minutes left in the period, the puck took a strange bounce off an official and landed on a Sacred Heart stick. Emmanuel Vermette took advantage of the break by potting his first goal of the year to put Penn State in a 3-0 hole heading into the second intermission.
Third Period
Desperately needing to make something happen on offense, Penn State’s attack finally broke through when Kale Dach batted home a rebound out of midair when Justin Poirier’s shot was stopped:
Just 21 seconds later, Justin Larose pulled off the “Michigan” lacrosse-style wraparound goal to cut the Sacred Heart lead to 3-2:
Penn State tied the game at 3 moments later when Dane Dowiak picked up the loose change at the goal line when Mac Gadowsky’s point shot was blocked in front:
After all the work to tie the game, Sacred Heart took the lead back midway through the period when Landen Gunderson converted on an odd-man rush for his second goal of the night. Penn State pressed for the tying goal, but Jake Bongo and Aiden VanRooyan iced the game with empty netters to send Penn State home 0-2 with a 6-3 loss.
Scoring Summary
Second Period
- SHU: Landen Gunderson (1)- Taos Jordan (1), Gavin Bryant (2)- 5v5- 12:27
- SHU: Taos Jordan (1)- Unassisted- 5v5- 16:34
- SHU: Emmanuel Vermette (1)- Nick Bernardo (1), Chase Ramsay (1)- 5v5- 18:18
Third Period
- PSU: Kale Dach (2)- Justin Poirier (2), Justin Larose (1)- 5v5- 3:17
- PSU: Justin Larose (1)- Kale Dach (1), Justin Poirier (3)- 5v5- 3:38
- PSU: Dane Dowiak (1)- Mac Gadowsky (1), Jackson Smith (1)- 5v5- 4:44
- SHU: Landen Gunderson (2)- Ethan Semeniuk (1)- 5v5- 9:17
- SHU: Jake Bongo (1)- Gavin Bryant (3)- EN- 17:56
- SHU: Aidan VanRooyan (1)- Unassisted- EN- 19:55
Shots By Period
- PSU: 5-8-13-26
- SHU: 13-16-12-41
Random Observations
- Ryder Fetterolf- Fetterolf acquitted himself very well in his first college start. He had very little help from the defense in front of him, a recurring theme for Penn State goaltenders.
- Defense- The defense is still a problem for Penn State. They struggle in defensive zone coverage and commit far too many turnovers. This team is going nowhere fast if they cannot find a way to tighten up defensively.
- Blitz- The three-goal flurry in the third period was refreshing to see. After being shut down for most of the night, Penn State smelled blood in the water and got back in the game.
- Offensive Struggles- 26 shots on goal is not going to get it done against AHA competition. They look like a team breaking in 12 new players, but they need to figure out offense quickly.
What’s Next
Penn State returns home to Pegula Ice Arena to take on Quinnipiac in the home opener. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm.
