Penn State splits Michigan series; Set to face the No. 2 Golden Gophers this weekend

Penn State goalie Matt Skoff stops Michigan's Alex Kile in the second period against at Yost Arena last Saturday. The Wolverines won, 5-2. (Photo c/o Brianne Bowen of The Ann Arbor News)

So much for that prediction last week, eh?

If you recall, in my preview I said that the Wolverines would pretty much run roughshod on the Nittany Lions. Well, Penn State made me eat my words big-time.

The Nittany Lions tallied five goals last Friday against a No. 10 Michigan team that entered the game averaging less than two goals a game on home ice. The Wolverines would strike first scoring three goals in the opening 20 minutes for the 3-1 lead.  Boo Nieves (NYR) gave the Wolverines the early 1-0 advantage after Derek DeBlois picked up a turnover behind the Penn State net and fed a wide open Nieves in the slot.

Phil Di Giuseppe (CAR) would give Michigan a 2-0 lead on the powerplay. Michigan rushed up ice and Di Giuseppe rang his first shot off the right post. He would then score on the rebound.

Just over 25 seconds later, David Goodwin would cut the Michigan lead in half. Kenny Brooks’ initial shot was steered into the corner by Wolverine goalie Zach Nagelvoort. Taylor Holstrom picked up the loose puck and found Goodwin crashing to the net. Goodwin deposited the puck five hole past Nagelvoort.

Michigan would regain the two goal lead with just over four minutes to go in the opening frame. Speedy Andrew Copp (WPG) found a streaking Tyler Motte (CHI) and fed him with a beautiful cross-crease pass for the 3-1 lead.

The only scoring in the second period occurred with 35 seconds remaining in the stanza. While on the powerplay, Dylan Richard spotted Casey Bailey at the top left circle for a one-timer that hit the post and into the net. That was Bailey’s sixth goal of the year and he now has six points in his last six games.

The Nittany Lions would tie the game just three minutes into the third period. With a man down, Tommy Olczyk chipped the puck in behind the Michigan defense. That’s where Dylan Richard picked up the puck in the neutral zone and skated in on Nagelvoort uncontested. Richard quickly went to his backhand and roofed the puck into the net. Penn State leads the Big Ten Conference with five shorthanded goals this season.  

Alex Guptil (DAL) would score for Michigan with just over two minutes left in the game to break the 3-3 tie. The resilient Nittany Lions kept fighting and somehow Casey Bailey tied the game at four with less than five seconds remaining. Bailey’s little wrister found daylight through traffic and into the back of the net.

Not to be outdone, David Goodwin scored his second goal of the game in overtime for Penn State’s first road Big Ten victory in school history.

Penn State out shot the Wolverines by a 44-36 margin. Matt Skoff stopped 32 shots.

In game two last Saturday, Taylor Holstrom and Curtis Loik both scored, but Michigan was too much too handle as they fell by 5-2 margin. Despite the loss, the Nittany Lions earned a season split with the Wolverines.

Overall, it was a pleasant surprise to see PSU split with Michigan. That goes to show you that any team can indeed win on any given night. Michigan didn’t take Penn State lightly. Penn State just out willed and out fought the Wolverines until the end. They were the hungrier team and it showed.

Penn State travels to Minneapolis this weekend to play the No. 2 Minnesota Golden Gophers for their final road trip of the regular season. Friday’s game (Feb. 28^th) will air live on BTN at 9 p.m., while Saturday’s contest (March 1) is set for 7 p.m. on NBC Sports Network.

The Gophers were off last weekend, but two weeks ago they swept Michigan. The Gophers are 21-4-5 overall, and 14-1-3 on home ice this season. Playing “the U” on their home ice is a daunting task. The Gophers are the second best overall team in college hockey behind Boston College. They have lineup that is littered with NHL draft picks. Mariucci Rink is actually an Olympic size ice sheet (100 feet by 200 feet), and the Gophers use this to their advantage.

After last week’s prediction debacle, I’ve not going to offer up any here. However, Penn State does have the experience now of playing big-time teams. They played No. 1 BC twice. They split with No. 10 Michigan. They played well against Minnesota in Happy Valley back in January.

Here is Penn State’s chance to make a national statement by beating Minnesota at home. Remember, this is college hockey and anything can happen.