No. 4 Penn State trailed 2-0 in the first five minutes of regulation before clamping down in the final 40 minutes of the game. The bottom six came up with two critical goals in the third period to lift the Nittany Lions to a 3-2 road win over No. 17 Ohio State.
First Period
Ohio State took a quick 2-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game, with goals scored by Broten Sabo and Riley Thompson. Gavin McKenna appeared to cut the deficit to 2-1 a few minutes later, but the goal was wiped out due to goaltender
interference. Penn State struggled to develop any kind of rhythm at either end of the ice. Ohio State outshot Penn State 15-7 in the first 20 minutes.
Second Period
The Buckeyes took three penalties in the second period. While Penn State could not convert on its first two power play chances in the frame and gave up several shorthanded chances, the third time was the charm. JJ Wiebusch scored his team-high 10th goal of the season when Gavin McKenna made a brilliant cross-ice pass to him in the low slot to cut Ohio State’s lead to 2-1:
Penn State slowly began to find its game throughout the second period, but Ohio State held its 2-1 advantage entering the third period.
Third Period
Dane Dowiak tied the game midway through the third period. Jarod Crespo’s shot was blocked in front, and Nic Chin-DeGraves kicked the puck across to Dowiak. The captain scored his third of the season to bring the Nittany Lions level:
Penn State’s forecheck continued to impose its will on Ohio State, and eventually the pressure yielded a goal to give the Nittany Lions the lead for the first time. Luke Misa took a shot that bounced to Ben Schoen behind the net. Schoen backhanded a pass into the slot that found Misa’s stick, and the freshman scored his first career goal to give Penn State a 3-2 lead:
Ohio State got a 4-on-3 power play that eventually became a brief 5-on-3 with five minutes left after Dane Dowiak and JJ Wiebusch took back-to-back penalties. The Buckeyes created a chaotic scramble in front of the net with Kevin Reidler down and without his stick, but the defense cleared the puck away and killed off both penalties.
The Buckeyes pulled Kristoffer Eberly with a minute left in regulation, but Broten Sabo tripped Reese Laubach at the point as he tried to hold the puck in the offensive zone. Penn State closed out regulation on the man advantage and took the Big Ten opener 3-2.
Scoring Summary
First Period
- OSU: Broten Sabo (1)- Bryce Ingles (1), Ryan Gordon (5)- 5v5- 1:19
- OSU: Riley Thompson (4)- Davis Burnside (3), Jake Karabela (4)- PP- 4:12
Second Period
- PSU: JJ Wiebusch (10)- Gavin McKenna (8), Mac Gadowsky (4)- PP- 14:13
Third Period
- PSU: Dane Dowiak (3)- Nic Chin-DeGraves (2), Jarod Crespo (3)- 5v5- 10:14
- PSU: Luke Misa (1)- Ben Schoen (1)- 5v5- 11:51
Shots By Period
- PSU: 7-16-14-37
- OSU: 15-6-9-30
Takeaways
- Comeback Kings- For the fourth time this season and the second time on the road, Penn State came back from a 2-0 deficit to win. This team will struggle at times, but they will never quit.
- Gavin McKenna- McKenna had a goal disallowed, but his pass on the Wiebusch goal was fantastic and his forechecking was outstanding in the third period. He appears to be growing into the game as he adjusts to playing against much older players.
- 1-0- Penn State was winless in its first nine conference games a year ago. It made for a fun story as the team climbed back in the second half of the season, but it is much better to start Big Ten play 1-0.
- Bottom Six- Dane Dowiak and Luke Misa scored the game-tying and game-winning goals tonight, a welcome sign for a bottom six that has struggled to find the score sheet this season.
What’s Next
The two teams will meet again tomorrow night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7pm on Big Ten Plus.
