No. 8 Penn State returned to game action Friday night following a 41-day break, but the long layoff proved costly as RIT stunned the Nittany Lions with a 1-0 shutout victory behind a spectacular goaltending performance from Jacob Krbecek.
Krbecek delivered the best outing of his career, turning aside all 44 Penn State shots to steal the win for the Tigers. The senior netminder was under constant pressure all night, yet remained composed through traffic, rebounds, and sustained zone time from the Nittany Lions, who controlled much of the game’s flow.
The game’s lone goal came just six minutes into the opening period. RIT forward Evan Konyen finished a well-executed setup from Austin Brimmer and Zach Wigle, slipping the puck past Penn State goaltender Josh Fleming. Fleming, who entered the night among the Big Ten leaders in save percentage at .929, was sharp in his own right, stopping 19 of 20 shots in the loss.
Despite the final score, Penn State’s offensive effort was far from lacking. The Nittany Lions generated 88 total shot attempts and doubled RIT in shots on goal, 44-22, but could not solve Krbecek. Defensemen Jackson Smith and Mac Gadowsky led all skaters with 11 shot attempts each and finished with five shots on goal apiece, consistently activating from the blue line to create chances.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Freshman standout Gavin McKenna did not dress for Penn State as he continues to compete for Team Canada at the World Junior Championship. McKenna has already posted nine points at the tournament and entered play second among Big Ten rookies with 18 points overall. Meanwhile, Spengler Cup standout Aiden Fink was limited to just one shot on goal.
The loss marked Penn State’s first defeat in a second-semester opener since 2017, dropping the Nittany Lions to 9-4-1 all-time in those contests. The series concludes Sunday evening in Hockey Valley, with a 5 p.m. puck drop at Pegula Ice Arena.
