Minneapolis, Minn. – No. 5 Penn State closed out its final game before the holiday break with a gritty 2-1 win over Minnesota on Saturday night at 3M Arena to earn a series split.
Behind a strong performance from sophomore goaltender Kevin Reidler, who turned aside 23 of 24 Golden Gopher shots, and a long-awaited revival of the power play, the Nittany Lions earned their first win in Minneapolis in eight tries.
Minnesota struck first midway through the opening period.
On the man advantage, forward LJ Mooney sliced through the slot and found forward Tanner Ludtke alone near the right circle, where Ludtke buried a point-blank chance for a 1–0 Gophers lead at 9:23.
It was the second power play goal of the series for Minnesota who entered the series with Penn State at the bottom at converting on the man advantage.
Penn State pressed for an answer but couldn’t break through until late in the second period, when its struggling power play finally clicked.
Forward Gavin McKenna set up sophomore forward Charlie Cerrato for a one-timer from above the right dot, and Cerrato ripped it high past Gophers goalie Nathan Airey to tie the game 1–1 at 14:32.
The goal snapped Cerrato’s nine-game drought and ended Penn State’s 0-for-17 slump on the power play.
Just 1:06 into the third period, the Nittany Lions struck again with the man advantage.
McKenna connected with forward JJ Wiebusch who threaded a cross-ice pass to defenseman Jackson Smith, who hammered home a one-timer for the 2–1 lead.
That proved to be the difference, as Penn State tightened defensively and Reidler closed the door the rest of the way..
Penn State outshot Minnesota 29–24 and went a 2-for-4 on the power play while the Gophers finished 1-for-2.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.McKenna, who assisted on both goals, extended his nation-leading freshman scoring total to 18 points and now leads all freshman with 14 assists – which is tied for fifth nationally for all skaters..
With the win, Penn State enters a 41-day break at 11-5-0 overall and 4-4-0 in Big Ten play.
Many Nittany Lions will take part in the Spengler Cup in Davos, Switzerland.
The Nittany Lions return January 3–4 at the Pegula Ice Arena against RIT.
Nittany Sports Now’s Three Stars of the Game
Third Star – Jackson Smith (Penn State – D)
Smith had better discipline both from a penalty perspective and puck possession Saturday night. Smith’s slap shot on the power play demonstrates how much of a weapon it can be when he has a shot at the net.
Second Star – Gavin McKenna (Penn State – F)
McKenna’s multipoint performance demonstrates his playmaking vision that many consider generational. McKenna was the primary on Cerrato’s fifth of the year, demonstrating his high IQ on the ice.
First Star – Kevin Reidler (Penn State – G)
Penn State’s goaltending has been up and down through the last three series, but Reidler acted as a stopper when Penn State absolutely needed it the most, going into a long layoff.
