Penn State Gets Back In Win Column With Victory Over Wisconsin
After a painful road trip for Penn State, the Nittany Lions returned home in emphatic fashion defeating the Wisconsin Badgers 4-1.
Sophomore goaltender Liam Souliere got the start in this one over regular Oskar Autio and was put to work early. Souliere stoned Wisconsin’s Brock Caulfield on a two-on-one opportunity.
“He deserved it,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said of Souliere’s start, “he’s an excellent teammate, he works extremely hard and he deserved it.”
Just a handful of minutes into the first period Penn State was given a huge opportunity to go in front with a long five-on-three power play when Wisconsin took a too many men on the ice followed by a tripping penalty just seconds later.
Instead of letting the chance go by the wayside like in their previous series against Michigan, the Nittany Lions converted with Ryan Kirwan scoring on a scramble play, giving Penn State the opener.
“It was really big because of the situation,” Gadowsky said, “I was worried that if we didn’t score on the five on three that momentum could have shifted.”
The Nittany Lions carried this momentum for the rest of the period outshooting the Badgers 16-7 in the frame.
The Nittany Lions used their extended zone time to create prime goal-scoring opportunities including a beautiful cross-zone pass from Christian Sarlo that allowed Connor McMenamin to skate in alone on goal and score Penn State’s second, going five-hole on Jared Moe.
Wisconsin had a power-play odd-man opportunity at the end of the period, but Penn State was able to kill it off.
The second period began with Moe and Souliere exchanging big stops including a two on one save for Souliere.
Penn State upped its lead to three when Connor McMenamin once again found himself on an odd man rush. McMenamin picked his spot and fired the puck into the top corner.
This led to Badger coach Tony Granato pulling Jared Moe from the game in favor of sophomore Cameron Rowe.
Souliere continued to be the star in the second when he robbed Wisconsin’s Jack Gorniak on a breakaway.
“I think we’re a team of momentum and it’s very important to make sure our guys keep the sails in the wind and I think that making big saves like that is how I can do something that will help them win the game,” Souliere said after the contest.
The Nittany Lions continued to dominate in possession and offensive zone time by cycling the puck and taking advantage of the long change in the second period.
After a long period of play in the offensive zone, Ryan Kirwan slotted his second goal of the night giving the Nittany Lions a 4-0 lead.
Penn State finished the second period outshooting the Badgers 36-24 dominantly.
The Nittany Lions began the third with an early power-play opportunity but failed to do anything notable except take a penalty of their own.
After ten seconds of four on four action, Corson Ceuelemans hopped out of the box and scored a goal off the left post from the high slot.
Wisconsin would be given two more power-play opportunities, nearly back to back, but on these occasions, the Nittany Lion penalty-killing unit succeeded.
Penn State finished the game without the shutout but is feeling good about their first win since New Year’s Day.
Up next, Penn State will take on Wisconsin again in the Nittany Lions’ first “wear white” game since 2019.
Maclain Young is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email macyoung21@gmail.com.
