University Park, PA – No. 8 Penn State delivered a statement performance with a 7–3 victory over RIT, using a dominant special teams showing and a four-goal third period, highlighted by forward Jared Crespo’s hat trick, to pull away in a fast-paced, physical contest.
Having to bounce back after RIT goaltender Jakub Krbecek’s 44-save shut out in Rochester, as well as being without forward Gavin McKenna as he completes his World Juniors competition.
The opening period set the tone with both teams trading chances and goaltenders Kevin Reidler for Penn State and Krbecek (RIT) settling in early.
Penn State broke through first when forward Aiden Fink finished a clean look nine minutes into the first period, converting a setup from forwards Dane Dowiak and Reese Laubach to give the Nittany Lions a 1–0 lead.
RIT answered later in the period as forward Ben Roger capitalized at 13:39, slipping a shot past Reidler to even the score.
The remainder of the frame featured heavy shot blocking, strong defensive play, and rising physicality, capped by multiple penalties at the horn that foreshadowed a chippy night.
Penn State took control in the second period, leaning heavily on sustained offensive pressure and special teams execution.
After killing off early pressure from RIT, the Nittany Lions struck on the power play when defenseman Jackson Smith scored midway through the second frame, hammering home a shot following crisp puck movement.
Momentum stayed with Penn State, as “The B-T-B” connection began making an impact in the game. Forward Charlie Cerrato made it 3-1, finishing a well-worked sequence assisted by forwards JJ Wiebusch and Matt DiMarsico.
Penn State outshot RIT 15–7 in the period, forcing Krbecek to stand tall to keep the deficit manageable at 3-1 heading into the third.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.The final period exploded offensively for Penn State.
Forward Jarod Crespo opened the scoring six minutes into the third period, extending Penn State’s lead to 4-1 with a strong finish off a feed from Cerrato.
RIT briefly pushed back when William Moore scored at 7:19, cutting the margin to two and injecting life into the Tigers’ bench.
Any momentum, however, was quickly erased.
Crespo struck again on the power play late in the final frame to make it 5-2.
Less than a minute later, Penn State forward Cade Christenson made it 6–2.
After Roger’s second goal of the night made it 6-3, Crespo completed his hat trick just a minute later, sealing the 7–3 result.
Penn State finished with a 36–32 edge in shots and converted three times on the power play, while Reidler turned aside 29 shots in a steady performance before giving way late.
No. 8 Penn State returns to Big Ten play on Friday night against Minnesota at the Pegula Ice Arena, with the puck scheduled to drop at 6 PM (Eastern).
