No. 5 Penn State completed the sweep of Stonehill with a 4-2 win on Saturday night. Shea Van Olm scored his first goal of the season to give the Nittany Lions an insurance tally in the third period. Penn State will head to Columbus to start conference play next week with a 7-1 record and a five-game winning streak.
First Period
Penn State opened the game with two power play chances. They could not score on the man advantage, but the Nittany Lions produced several high-quality scoring chances. Midway through the period,
Stonehill started to find its groove, including one shot that hit the post.
The teams traded failed power play chances later in the first period, and Penn State struggled to generate offense at 5-on-5. Stonehill created a couple of good chances in the dying seconds of the period, but Kevin Reidler held strong to send the game to the intermission tied at 0.
Second Period
Gavin McKenna had a glorious chance on a breakaway early in the second, but his shot went wide. Reese Laubach took a tripping penalty shortly after, and the Nittany Lions went back to the penalty kill. Penn State killed it successfully and even had a good chance shorthanded.
Jarod Crespo scored his first goal of the season on a ripper from the point six minutes into the frame to give Penn State a 1-0 lead:
Penn State got another power play chance midway through the period. Gavin McKenna and Charlie Cerrato passed the puck back and forth, and McKenna eventually fired home a shot that found a gap past Connor Androlewicz:
Stonehill laid a couple of big hits on Nolan Collins and Dane Dowiak, and their physicality on the forecheck yielded a turnover by Mac Gadowsky. The Skyhawks immediately took advantage and cut the deficit to 2-1 when a rebound bounced right to Zach Aben, who put the puck past Kevin Reidler.
JJ Wiebusch potted his ninth goal of the season when a rebound from Matt DiMarsico’s shot floated into the crease, and the Nittany Lions’ top line did it once again. Stonehill challenged for offside, but the goal stood:
Shea Van Olm took a bad penalty near the end of the period, and this time the Skyhawks cashed in. Pat Murphy tapped home the puck after a chaotic scramble in front of the net with Kevin Reidler out of position to cut Penn State’s lead to 3-2.
Third Period
One of my concerns entering the weekend was a lack of scoring from the bottom six. Shea Van Olm took a boarding penalty early in the third period, and the Nittany Lions killed off the ensuing power play. Van Olm quickly avenged his mistake when Nolan Collins’ shot on an odd-man rush was stopped, and Van Olm was there to put home the rebound and finally score his first goal of the season:
Stonehill did get a couple of good looks to close the gap in the back half of the third period, but Kevin Reidler made some big saves to preserve the two-goal advantage. Penn State cruised to a 4-2 win, its fifth straight win on home ice.
Scoring Summary
Second Period
- PSU: Jarod Crespo (1)- Jackson Smith (5), Luke Misa (1)- 5v5- 6:23
- PSU: Gavin McKenna (3)- Charlie Cerrato (12), Jackson Smith (6)- PP- 10:01
- SC: Zach Aben (1)- Justin Mexico (3)- 5v5- 12:15
- PSU: JJ Wiebusch (9)- Matt DiMarsico (6), Charlie Cerrato (13)- 5v5- 17:20
- SC: Pat Murphy (2)- Joel Lehtinen (2), Justin Mexico (4)- PP- 18:31
Third Period
- PSU: Shea Van Olm (1)- Nolan Collins (2), Gavin McKenna (7)- 5v5- 9:18
Shots By Period
- SC: 8-12-8-28
- PSU: 8-14-10-32
Takeaways
- TCOB- A loss in either of these two games would have been a bad stain on Penn State’s NCAA Tournament resume. Credit to the team for taking Stonehill’s best shot and taking care of business both times.
- Goaltending- Both goaltenders had a strong weekend, allowing just four goals on 60 shots in this series. Penn State will need Reidler and Fleming to be at their best with conference play right around the corner.
- Offensive Defensemen- The defensemen have started to look more productive on offense, most notably a goal by Jarod Crespo in the second period. Jackson Smith and Mac Gadowsky will need to continue their progression in the offense in Big Ten play.
What’s Next
The Nittany Lions will travel to Columbus for the Big Ten openers against Ohio State next Thursday and Friday. Thursday’s game will begin at 6:30pm and will be broadcast on Big Ten Network.
