Penn State splits with Michigan, earning first B1G win
Thanks to a hat trick from freshman Aiden Fink, the No. 18-ranked Penn State men’s hockey program defeated the No. 12-ranked Michigan Wolverines, 5-3, on Saturday night. The win earned the split in the series, and the Nittany Lions’ first Big Ten win of the season.
The Nittany Lions now have a record of 6-4-3, and 1-2-3 in Big Ten play in the season.
Fink shines
It was only a matter of before star freshman Fink had his breakout game. And, it came Saturday night at a much-needed time. The freshman had a four-point game, including three goals and an assist, leading Penn State to a big win over a Michigan team that has given the Nittany Lions a tough time in the past.
Fink has now scored in three straight games and has five goals in that span. Fink’s success had much to do with the level of play that the “Kid Line” is playing at right now, with Matt DiMarsico earning an assist on all three of Fink’s goals, and Reese Laubach earning one.
The “Kid Line” was responsible for three of the Nittany Lion scores, with Fink adding one more on the power-play. The talented freshman trio combined for 10 of Penn State’s 15 points Saturday night.
200 for Gadowsky
Saturday night’s win secured win number 200 for Gadowsky during his tenure at Penn State.
Gadowsky had been searching for number 200 since October 26th when he reached 199 after a win over Alaska-Anchorage and gets it on the road against Michigan.
Penalty kill
After Friday night’s contest showing how important keeping that No. 1-ranked Michigan power- play unit off the ice, the Nittany Lion penalty kill held their own Saturday night.
Penn State gave the Wolverines four chances with the man advantage in the game. But the Nittany Lion penalty kill team did not budge all night, not allowing the Wolverines to capitalize.
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Stepping up
With the Nittany Lions still riddled with injuries, and without their top scorer Danny Dzhaniyev in the series, players were going to need to step up if they were to find success in the game.
Fink made huge strides in the series, including his three-goal game Saturday, Laubach added a goal of his own, along with Tyler Paquette.
While the Nittany Lions are still not close to full health, the way that this team finds new production when players go down, they will be a team to keep an eye on as they get closer to full health.
What’s next for Penn State
The Nittany Lions will be at Pegula Ice Arena on November 24th at 7:00 p.m., as they take on Lindenwood in the opener of a non-conference series.
