Penn State secures important split at Michigan, shifts focus to Wisconsin

The words “successful weekend” and “Ann Arbor, Michigan” have seldom, if ever, gone together for Penn State hockey. But last week, they did. Given the NCAA Tournament picture, a sweep at the hands of the Wolverines would have been the final nail in the coffin of the Nittany Lions’ postseason hopes. Taking the broom in six of its ten trips to Yost Ice Arena before last weekend, Penn State found enough in the tank to buck that trend.

Nittany Lions roar back for a win at Yost

Yet again, things didn’t start great for Penn State on Friday night. Slow starts have become a theme for this team throughout the season. While it has resulted in dramatic comebacks, the weakness has cost the Nittany Lions games.

Just five minutes into the first period, Michigan broke the ice and took a 1-0 lead. The Wolverines would tack on another one late in the period to make it 2-0.

Michigan continued to dominate the period until a turnover sprung forwards Danny Dzhaniyev and Aiden Fink on a two-on-one rush. Dzhaniyev passed to Fink, who one-timed it to the net for a crucial goal against the run of play to get Penn State hockey within one at the first intermission. 

That goal shifted momentum away from the Wolverines, and the Nittany Lions were able to capitalize. An early powerplay for Michigan turned into a disaster for the home team, as forward Tyler Paquette sniped a wrister into the corner for a shorthanded goal. 

Penn State’s special teams was not done yet. Midway through the frame, Fink tacked on another powerplay goal to give Penn State its first lead at 3-2. 

The Nittany Lions finished a dominant period with a goal in the dying seconds as forward Reese Laubach sent home a feed from Dzhaniyev on an odd-man rush. And just like that, Penn State had a multi-goal lead headed into the third period. 

However, the game was not going to be easy to close it out. Michigan started to tilt the ice. About halfway through the period, the Wolverines scored to get back within one and shift momentum firmly back to their corner. It wouldn’t be long – just four minutes – before the game was tied after a Michigan powerplay goal.

At that point, it seemed Penn State would be lucky to end regulation tied. But it was special teams that again had something to say about that. Late in the third, forward JJ Wiebusch tucked home a puck after a beautiful dangle in close. The powerplay goal gave Penn State hockey enough for its fifth all-time victory at Yost Ice Arena.

Penn State falters with series sweep up for grabs

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2024.

Saturday’s game would be much different. Penn State actually started the night much better, controlling play for much of the first part of the opening period. However, the Wolverines still found a goal against the run of play to take a 1-0 lead. That would be the score heading into the first intermission.

Penn State wasted no time to start the second period. Less than a minute in, former Michigan commit Charlie Cerrato slipped the puck through the five-hole to knot up the game. 

Michigan added a powerplay goal about five minutes into the period to retake the lead. But just 17 seconds later, Cerrato answered again with another five-hole goal to tie the game 2-2. Michigan would take a 3-2 lead about midway through the period.

Ultimately, the third period would go sideways quickly for the Nittany Lions. The Wolverines scored three goals in just over two minutes to put the game to bed. 

Aiden Fink would add a shorthanded goal to his already impressive tally, now his 19th of the year. But it wouldn’t be enough in a 7-3 loss.

Despite Saturday’s outcome, the Nittany Lions had an impressive weekend in Ann Arbor. Penn State hockey saw its PairWise ranking jump from 24 to 20, bringing it much closer to the NCAA Tournament bubble.

Another massive road test in store for Penn State hockey

Another massive road series looms this weekend against Wisconsin. Another split – or better – and the bubble talk will continue to intensify.

When Penn State hosted Wisconsin in November, it proved to be a turning point for both teams’ seasons—just opposite directions. The Badgers were 2-8-0, while Penn State, ranked No. 18 at the time, was 4-3-0. The Badgers swept the Nittany Lions in two close games, one in overtime, to flip the series.

Since November, Wisconsin is 9-6-3 and is now in the tournament picture. That series represented the first of a nine-game winless streak to open Big Ten play for the Nittany Lions.

The Badgers currently sit at No. 17 in the PairWise, three spots ahead of the Nittany Lions. They are also only 10 points ahead of Penn State in fourth place in the conference, the last spot that gets to host a series at home for the first round of the Big Ten Tournament.

A Penn State sweep would boost the team’s PairWise to somewhere in the neighborhood of No. 15, inside the tournament cutline, and only four points behind in the race for the final home ice spot in the Big Ten Tournament. Even a split would move this surging Nittany Lions squad up in the PairWise.

A lot is on the line in Madison this week, marking one of the most important regular season series for Penn State hockey in quite some time. Even the 2022-23 tournament team had its bid all but locked up in the first half and didn’t see these high-pressure series near the end of the year. You’d have to go back to the 2018-19 season to find a situation when Penn State essentially played playoff hockey in the regular season.

History will tell you that Guy Gadowsky’s squads tend to play their best with their backs against the wall. The Nittany Lions will need it with just four weeks left in the season. 

Friday’s game will be at 8:00 p.m., and Saturday’s contest is at 7:00 p.m.

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