Penn State hockey suffers stunning defeat, splits weekend series

Penn State hockey returned to Pegula Ice Area this week with a bitter taste in its mouth. Last weekend, the Nittany Lions, the Nittany Lions suffered one of the biggest upsets of the college hockey season to date, losing to the American International Yellow Jackets on Saturday night. With the struggling Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves crossing the country to Happy Valley, it seemed like the perfect get-right spot for Penn State. But that’s not what happened, as the Nittany Lions (5-2) suffered another shocking defeat Friday night to split the series.

Penn State hockey takes game one

First Period

The first major lineup change of the season was made for this game, although it was undetermined whether it was due to the short week or the performance in the last game of the AIC series. Sophomore goaltender Noah Grannon got the start over senior Liam Souliere. This was Grannon’s first start of the year, and his first since February 3, 2023, when he led the Nittany Lions to a road upset over Ohio State. 

The Nittany Lions were hungry, and it showed. Just over a minute in, Penn State was awarded a power play and was able to take advantage. Freshman forward Matt DiMarsico fired a shot that was redirected by senior forward Christian Sarlo into the goal to give the Nittany Lions a lead just about 90 seconds into the game. 

The rest of the period was largely uneventful, but Penn State hockey did what it should to a team whose talent level is far below the Nittany Lions. They peppered the Seawolves, but couldn’t find a second goal. Alaska-Anchorage goaltender Jared Whale played a great first period, making 18 saves on 19 Penn State shots. The Nittany Lions held the Seawolves to just six shots, a dominant period for the home team. 

Second Period

We’ve seen the Nittany Lions have a lot of success in the last minute of periods early in this season. Tonight, they flipped the script. Just over a minute into the second period, a puck squirted free from the corner right to junior forward Danny Dzhaniyev, who was waiting in front of the net. He flipped the puck right past an unsuspecting goaltender to double the Nittany Lion lead. 

The Seawolves wouldn’t go away quietly, however. About halfway through the period, their talented top line combined for a score. Ben Almqvist scored a goal that was assisted by Maximillion Helgeson to cut the deficit to one. 

Intent on not letting Alaska-Anchorage find the equalizer, Penn State hockey controlled most of the puck possession in the latter half of the period. The shots counter for the period ended at 18-13 for the period in favor of the Nittany Lions, and it felt like they should be headed into the locker room up by more than a single goal. 

Third Period

The story of the third period would be a simple one: Alaska-Anchorage goaltender Jared Whale. In the preview this week, it was highlighted he was off to a great start this season. He nearly stole this game for the Seawolves. Penn State hockey spent most of the third period on the attack looking to extend the lead. The Nittany Lions threw 17 shots on net in the frame, all stopped by Whale. 

There were many chances that looked as if the Nittany Lions had an open net to shoot at, but somehow Whale got a glove, pad, or blocker on it to deny the Lions from scoring. There were multiple saves that left fans, coaches, and players scratching their heads. 

The plus side of the consistent offensive pressure, even though it resulted in no goals, was the fact it didn’t give the Seawolves much of a chance to find the equalizer. Penn State hockey would hang on for a 2-1 win, but the lead could have been a lot bigger. Jared Whale made 52 saves on 54 shots, an all-time goaltending performance. He was awarded the first star of the game, even though his Seawolves lost, something you’ll almost never see. 

The Nittany Lions goaltending performance, while overshadowed, was great in its own right. Coming off the worst goaltending performance of the season, Grannon was able to right the ship. He made 25 saves on 26 shots and got the win for the Nittany Lions.

Nittany Lions fall in another shocking upset

First Period

It was quite the dichotomy from Thursday night’s third period to the start of Friday’s game. Alaska-Anchorage made a goaltender switch, going with backup Greg Orosz. It took just one shot on net tonight for the Lions to break through when Vermont transfer Jacques Bouquot forced a turnover that led to a partial breakaway and a goal. 

But the Seawolves responded quickly. Their talented top line struck again, this time Maxmillion Helgeson assisted by Ben Almquist. The back-and-forth affair continued at a high pace. In a goal eerily similar to his one on Thursday, Danny Dzhanyiev was waiting in the right spot for a loose puck that he fired home. 

Penn State hockey has made a bit of a habit of falling behind in these non-conference games. It would do that again. Penn State would allow three unanswered goals to the Seawolves. All of them came off failed zone clears.

This has been a concerning trend early in the season, and the Seawolves made the Nittany Lions pay tonight. Alaska-Anchorage finished the period with four goals on 11 shots, a dismal showing for goaltender Liam Souliere, even if his defense didn’t give him much help. Pegula fell silent with the home team stunningly down two after the first. 

Second Period

Whatever coach Guy Gadowsky said in the first intermission worked. Just over a minute into the period, senior defenseman Simon Mack was able to come up with a goal. Penn State hockey took a penalty shortly thereafter, which looked like it would stifle any momentum. Instead, freshman Reese Laubach skated the puck out of the zone, caught the Seawolves in a bad change, and sniped home the puck to tie the game.

Penn State would be able to tilt the ice a bit, as we have seen it do a few times this season. But the Nittany Lions weren’t able to find the tiebreaker. Instead, near the end of the period it was Alaska-Anchorage finding the go-ahead goal. After all the work to claw back even, Penn State found itself down at the break. 

Third Period

If the second period was a perfect start for Penn State, the third was the opposite. The Nittany Lions conceded a quick goal and found themselves down two yet again. They would have a power play opportunity shortly thereafter but would be unable to convert.

Penn State would be given one last gasp to get the two goals it needed. With just under four minutes left in the period, Alaska-Anchorage committed a penalty that was reviewed and deemed to be worthy of a five-minute major. The Nittany Lions would spend the rest of regulation a man up, regardless of how many times they scored. Penn State would even pull Souliere in favor of an extra attacker. 

Even with all that, it would take the Nittany Lions nearly four full minutes to find a single goal. With 12 seconds left, junior forward Dylan Lugris scored a power-play goal. It was too little too late, however, and Penn State hockey fell 6-5. Liam Souliere turned in a third straight shaky performance in the net, allowing six goals on 24 shots.

Are the Nittany Lions’ postseason hopes already dashed?

It seems a little early to be talking about a postseason tournament that starts in five months, but Penn State hockey has already severely damaged its postseason hopes. Each year, Penn State schedules a very soft non-conference schedule. It is a double-edged sword. While you can stack the wins, the losses really hurt. It is not unreasonable to surmise that the two losses the Nittany Lions already have would be enough to keep them out of the NCAA Tournament given the quality of the opponent they lost to. 

It also calls into question how Penn State will be able to perform against much stiffer competition in the Big Ten. If Penn State doesn’t answer questions quickly, particularly on the defensive side of the puck, it could be a really long winter in Hockey Valley.

Here come the Irish

The Nittany Lions homestand will continue, meeting a conference opponent for the first time this season. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish come to town for a two-game series on Saturday and Sunday. The game on Saturday will be at 7:30 p.m., and the game on Sunday will be at 4:30 p.m. and broadcast nationally on the Big Ten Network.

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