Penn State Comes Close, But Can’t Finish Off Notre Dame
Blocked by the luck of the Irish.
No. 5 Penn State men's hockey dominated No. 19 Notre Dame in nearly all facets early before the Fighting Irish salvaged a series split with a 5-3 victory.
It was exactly the start that the Nittany Lions needed in a series finale: fast. The blue and white have been unable to collect a second Big Ten series sweep this season despite winning every opening game.
It was all Penn State early coming out with the first seven shots of the game, but as it would be the story of the night Ryan Bischel would not let barley any through.
Bischel finished the game allowing three goals on 47 shots en route to the eighth victory of his senior campaign.
The Fighting Irish recorded the eighth shot of the game and with that shot they tallied the first goal of the game off of the stick of Ryder Rolston. Rolston’s team-leading sixth goal came after Nick Leiverman juggled the puck through neutral zone before passing it off.
But the Nittany Lions kept shooting, including twice when they went on the power play off of a Drew Bavaro slash. That scoreless power play would serve as an example of all but one of Penn State’s man-advantages.
Penn State outshot Notre Dame 13-5 in the first period, but the Fighting Irish kept the one-goal lead heading into break.
Out of the locker rooms came the teams, and it was much of the same on the ice. The Nittany Lions hunted for a goal, doubling up the Fighting Irish in shots on goal 16-8 in the period.
Four of eight Notre Dame shots came in a quick sequence at the end of the blue and white’s second unsuccessful power play of the night. Liam Souliere stopped a short-handed opportunity before making three more saves after time expired on the advantage.
Souliere allowed four goals, a mark that he previously set as a season high against Michigan and again versus Ohio State, on 21 shots.
Kevin Wall finally got Penn State on the board shortly after that sequence from Souliere. Wall’s team-leading ninth goal of the season came off of a rebound from a Connor MacEachern shot.
The ice stayed tilted in favor of the Nittany Lions, who outshot Notre Dame 50-22 in the game, despite a late second period penalty kill from the Fighting Irish.
But just before the teams would head into intermission, Tyler Gratton took a shot from the blue line that was blocked by Notre Dame and led to a breakaway. With no one home to help Souliere, Justin Janicke scored his third goal of the season.
The Fighting Irish sacrificed their bodies on many occasions, out-blocking Penn State 23-8 with none being bigger than that one.
That sequence led to Notre Dame being up at the end of two, something that has led to success this season as the Fighting Irish entered the game 6-0 when leading after two periods.
Like the previous 40 minutes, Penn State came out firing in the final 20 outshooting the blue and gold 21-9.
But Notre Dame overcame the slew of shots as Jackson Pierson put the Fighting Irish ahead 3-1 on the powerplay in the middle of the period. Pierson’s shot would serve as the dagger as the floodgates opened with Jack Adams scoring the fourth and Landon Slaggert scoring on the empty net.
Penn State scored two late goals, one by Connor McMenamin and the other by Christian Sarlo, but it was too little too late.
Penn State heads to break 15-5 on the season with its next matchup coming on Dec. 30 against RIT.
Justin Ciavolella is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email jtc5751@psu.edu.
