Penn State falls in overtime, 3-2, at Michigan State
The No. 5-ranked Penn State men’s hockey program lost a tough overtime battle against the No. 17-ranked Michigan State Spartans, 3-2 in Friday night’s contest. The Nittany Lions fell to 17-6 on the season and 7-6 in Big Ten play with the loss.
How it happened
The first period of Big Ten play in the second half of the season started with both teams knocking off some rust.
Period one was a sloppy one, with no scoring. Penn State had two early powerplay opportunities but failed to score on either.
Michigan State had a powerplay opportunity, but the Nittany Lions killed that penalty. The Nittany Lions were called for a penalty as time expired in the first, so the Spartans started the second period with a man advantage.
Penn State killed the penalty to start the period, and then gained a five-on-three advantage with 14:28 to play in the period. Less than a minute later, Jarod Crespo found the back of the net to make it a 1-0 game. It was his first goal as a Nittany Lion, assisted by Xander Lampa and Carter Schade.
There was not much action in the period other than the goal, partially due to an incredible performance from Spartan goalie Dylan St. Cyr.
Spartan Defenseman Cole Krygier received a ten-minute misconduct after he hit a puck toward an official, then argued a penalty call to that same official.
The third period was the most exciting period of the game. Unfortunately for the Nittany Lions, it was all due to the resurgence of the Spartans.
Though the Nittany Lions looked like the best team on the ice for most of the period, the Spartans turned the tables quickly. A goal from Erik Middendorf with 11:22 to play, and another goal from Joshua Jagger with 7:49 remaining, tied it.
This game fell out of Penn State’s grasp when Cole Krygier scored the game-winner with 1:24 remaining on the clock in overtime.
Takeaways
- It was a knock-off-the-rust game, but the Nittany Lions need to get their even-strength scoring. The two Penn State goals came on five-on-three advantages. To win their next game, they need to get their full-strength lines clicking
- St. Cyr turned in a performance for the ages. He tallied 44 saves, including multiple highlight reel saves, which saved this game for the Spartans.
- Since it was an OT loss, Penn State takes a loss in the record but split the points with the Spartans.
What’s next for Penn State
The Nittany Lions will take on the Spartans at Munn Ice Arena in East Lansing, Mich., on Saturday at 7:00 p.m.
