EAST LANSING– After facing a one-goal deficit late, Michigan State clawed back in the third period to earn a point. However, Penn State sealed the deal in the shootout, gaining an extra point in the Big Ten standings.
The Spartans donned classic white jerseys with a light green script in honor of 90s night.
Despite the ice being tilted in their favor for the majority of the first period, the Spartans went into the locker room down 1-0 after the first 20 minutes.
“We just needed to get to our game a little bit more and play Spartan hockey,” said Spartans junior forward Tiernan Shoudy. “I don’t think we did enough of that to win tonight.”
Nittany Lions forward Dane Dowiak was the only player to find the back of the net in the first. Dowiak rifled a shot past the right shoulder of Spartans goaltender Trey Augustine on a breakaway to give Penn State a 1-0 advantage.
Spartan forwards Charlie Stramel and Karsen Dorwart both committed costly penalties at the beginning of the second period. But Augustine and the Spartans’ special teams were able to fend off the Nittany Lions’ best effort, killing the five-on-three advantage.
“I thought our guys did a heck of a job on the [penalty] kill, we made some big blocks and to kill five-on three for that period of time, credit to the guys,” said MSU head coach Adam Nightingale.
Shoudy was instrumental in the penalty kill for the Spartans, blocking a shot from the point as time expired on the penalty. Shoudy was rewarded on the offensive end a few shifts later, netting his sixth goal of the season to level the score at one apiece.
It looked like the game would be tied going into the final frame. Nittany Lions center Reese Laubach rattled Augustine’s water bottle with a wrist shot in the final minute of the second period, giving the Nittany Lions the 2-1 edge.
After extensive delay due to the referees’ deliberation of who should be on the ice. The Spartans remained calm, winning the face-off, getting the puck to defenseman Maxim Strbak, who connected from the point on his second goal of the season to tie the game.
“To be honest, I didn’t really know what was going on as well,” Strbak said. “We just said to each other we have a play to make, if we won the puck, we knew what was going to happen.”
The Spartans will be back for game two, Saturday, at 6 p.m. for Senior Night at Munn Ice Arena.
