Ann Arbor, MI — Both No. 5 (NCAA Percentage Index — NPI) Penn State and No. 2 Michigan entered the night looking to rebound after having their seven-game winning streaks snapped by top-ranked Michigan State. Regulation and overtime couldn’t determine the winner but in a shootout is where Michigan got the edge to win tonight at the Yost Ice Arena
Michigan once again had a slow start, something that has become a trend for the Wolverines, as forward Matt DiMarsico set up Reese Laubach for his seventh goal of the season and a 1–0 lead.
For DiMarsico, the assist extended his point streak to 10 in his last 11 games and gave him a team-leading 33 points on the season.
Midway through the first period, Michigan defenseman Drew Schock and forward Michael Hage found a streaking Garrett Schifsky to tie the game at one.
Less than a minute later, Penn State responded as defenseman Jackson Smith scored his ninth goal unassisted to give the Nittany Lions a 2–1 lead once again.
In a matchup featuring the two most penalized teams in the nation, Penn State committed the first early miscues when forward Ben Schoen was called for holding, putting Michigan on the power play.
Not even a minute into the Schoen penalty, forward Lev Katzin committed a slashing penalty, giving the nation’s top-ranked power play a two-man advantage against one of the country’s best penalty kills. Michigan’s active leading goal scorer, TJ Hughes, capitalized to knot the game at two.
The goal was Hughes’ 14th of the season and the 61st of his distinguished Michigan career. It also marked his 23rd point in 16 career games against Penn State.
After Michigan’s Cole McKinney was called for interference following a hit on Aiden Fink, it appeared the Nittany Lions would have a chance to showcase their special teams. However, discipline issues resurfaced as forward JJ Wiebusch was assessed a five-minute major for butt-ending, along with a game misconduct.
Early in the second period, Michigan’s Kason Muscutt and Penn State captain Dane Dowiak were involved in a scrum that resulted in an injury to Dowiak, who headed to the locker room and did not return. Shea Van Olm served the penalty, leaving Penn State shorthanded on attackers.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State weathered the penalty storm and later capitalized on a miscommunication deep in the Wolverines’ zone. Michigan forward Will Horcoff turned the puck over to Van Olm, who set up Nic Chin-DeGraves for his third goal of the season and his first point since the January 4 game against RIT, giving Penn State a 3–2 lead.
Minutes later, Michigan forward Michael Hage recorded his third assist of the night, feeding defenseman Asher Barnett for his fourth goal of the season to tie the game at three.
In the third period, following an ugly turnover by Katzin, Michigan capitalized with a four-on-two rush. Goaltender Fleming had no answer for Hughes’ second goal of the night, which gave Michigan its first lead of the game at 4–3.
Late in the period, Laubach collided with Michigan goaltender Jack Ivankovic, while forward Josh Eernisse attempted to make a play but mistook DiMarsico for Laubach. The sequence resulted in a double-minor penalty for Eernisse, with DiMarsico inadvertently sent to the penalty box as well.
On the ensuing power play, Penn State capitalized as Laubach and Gavin McKenna set up Smith for his second goal of the game, tying the score at four with just three minutes remaining.
After a scoreless overtime, the teams moved to a shootout, where Michigan’s Michael Hage scored the lone goal to secure the victory as Ivankovic stopped DiMarsico, Fink, and McKenna.
Michigan’s record this season in the opening game of series play is now 13–1-1, after the shootout win.
While Penn State earned a point in the standings, it will look to even the series tomorrow at Yost Ice Arena. Puck drop is scheduled for
