Minnesota sweeps Penn State; Nittany Lions host the Badgers this weekend

Sam Warning handles the puck against Penn State on Friday. (Photo c/o Holly Peterson Minnesota Daily)

Game 1 versus the Golden Gophers last Saturday wasn’t an ideal outcome for the Nittany Lions. Minnesota, who went 1-for-3 on the power play, and out shot PSU by a 36-31 margin in the contest. Kenny Brooks’ power-play goal gave Penn State the early lead, but Minnesota was too tough as Penn State fell to No. 2 Minnesota, 5-1.

With 16:48 left in the first period, Brooks registered his first goal since Jan. 13 against the Gophers putting home freshman Zach Saar's rebound past Minnesota goalie Adam Wilcox (TB).

David Goodwin did extend his point streak to three consecutive games as he started the scoring play with a pass to Saar in the slot.

Minnesota’s Sam Warning would even the score with 12:05 left in the first period. At 11:05, of the first, Hudson Fasching (LAK) broke the 1-1 tie after a scramble in front of the net. Ben Marshall (DET) sent a shot toward Mat Skoff that Fasching gloved down before shooting the puck in the net.

Speedy Kyle Rau (FLA) made it a 3-1 game with 3:50 left in the opening stanza. The always active Fasching moved the puck behind the PSU defense before feeding Rau with a beautiful cross-crease pass. The Gophers would add two more goals over the final two periods.

Game 2 was bit of a different story.

For the first time all season, third string goalie P.J. Musico got the start versus the Gophers and he didn’t disappoint. The Orange, Calif. native stopped 35 of 37 shots, including several key saves to keep PSU within striking distance late in the third period. Unfortunately, the Lions’ fell by a 2-1 score.

Travis Boyd (WSH) gave Minnesota a 1-0 lead with 7:23 remaining in the opening period. Musico stopped Boyd's initial attempt with a left-pad save, but Boyd roofed the rebound into the net. North Vancouver, B.C., native, Curtis Loik would tie the game at 17:14 mark of the second period.

With 6:45 remaining in the third period, Tom Serratore scored to seal the victory for the Gophers. Boyd's initial shot was blocked by the PSU defense, and Serratore fired a slap shot for the winning goal.

It was a tough weekend for Penn State, but one positive I saw was Musico’s play. He battled all night and made some incredible stops that kept Penn State in the game. For his first start of the year against the number two team in the country he was excellent. Going forward, it will be interesting to see how much time Musico may see. With only four games left in the season, he may get another start.

The Nittany Lions return to State College this weekend when they host No. 5 Wisconsin. The Badgers are coming off of pair victories over Michigan State last weekend.

Wisconsin is a tough team to play against. They’re a smart, defensive hockey team that prides itself on its gritty style of play. Goalie Joel Rumpel has been excellent this season. He’s 16-4-1-2 on the year with a 1.83 GAA and .936 save percentage in 22 games played. He's a big goalie who is very athletic. Rumpel looks locked in right now and that’s a scary proposition for Penn State.

Overall, I think Penn State will split this series with Wisconsin. They played well in Game 2 versus Minnesota and I think that will carry over to the Wisconsin series. Will David Goodwin’s scoring streak continue? Will P.J. Musico get another start? We’ll have to wait and see.