Penn State Earns New Year’s Eve Sweep Over RIT

Story posted January 1, 2023 in CommRadio, Sports by Mac Young

It’s safe to say the Nittany Lions will be celebrating a happy New Year as Penn State picked up its first sweep over a ranked opponent Saturday night, knocking off No. 20 RIT by a final score of 3-1.

The Blue and White controlled most of the contest, never trailing and spending most of the night in the RIT zone.

Tigers goaltender Tommy Scarfone made some phenomenal saves throughout the game, keeping the Nittany Lions in check throughout the night.

The play of Scarfone can be credited as to why the Penn State offense did not put up a staggering six goals as they did on the penultimate day of 2022.

The Nittany Lion offense performed admirably in its persistence. First, it was veteran forward Chase McLane who went to a tough area to screen the RIT goaltender and redirect a puck for his first tally of the season.

It was McLane’s first goal since going down with a season-ending injury in the 2021-2022 campaign.

The next Nittany Lion goal was equally as special.
Midway through the second period, both teams were in scramble mode after Scarfone had made a couple of big saves, but the frozen biscuit eventually found its way to freshman forward Alex Servagno.

Falling away, Servagno ripped a shot to the top corner of the goal for his first career score and what would eventually go down as the game-winning goal.

The Tigers continued to play hard throughout the rest of the game with their shining moment coming on a third-period penalty kill. For the second straight night, Tiger forward Tyler Mahan scored a shorthanded goal.

That made things dicey for a few moments, but ultimately the Nittany Lions remained in control.

The Tigers pulled their netminder, but Connor McMenamin sealed the deal shortly after with an empty net goal. That was the final score of the game with it all ending in a 3-1 Penn State victory.

The Nittany Lions finish 2022 with a 17-5 record and a perfect 10-0 nonconference record. They are currently ranked as a top five team in the country in both major polls.

One could not have asked for a better first half of a season and closing of 2022 for the Nittany Lions. They should have high hopes heading into the new year and the second-half of Big Ten play.

Maclain Young is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.