University Park, Pennsylvania – No. 20 Penn State lost 5-0 to No. 8 Michigan State in the Big Ten Conference series opener on Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena.
With the loss, the Nittany Lions fall to 10-8-3 overall and 2-6-3 in Big Ten play, while the Spartans improve to 14-4-3 on the year and 8-1-2 in conference play with the win.
How it happened
- The Spartans took the lead in the scoring when Tanner Kelly redirected a shot from the far post that slipped through the blocker of the Nittany Lion senior goalkeeper. Liam Soulier (Brampton, Ont.) took a 1-0 lead at the 4:49 mark of the first period.
- Michigan State took a 2-0 lead at the 10:11 mark midway through the first frame when Reed Rebster slid into the zone without 10 men on the penalty kill and drilled a shot short side over Solier's glove.
- MSU extended its lead to 3-0 early in the middle period when Gavin O'Connell weaved through traffic from under the dot to the short side with 3:51 to play.
- Joey Larson made it 4-0 for the visitors at 13:48 of the second period.
- Larson added his second goal on the power play with just 2:37 left in the game to make it 5-0.
Goalkeeper
Soulier recorded a season-high 35 saves in the loss, dropping his record to 7-5-1 on the season, while his opponent Trey Augustin stopped all 31 of his opponents' shots for his second shutout win of the season and improved his record to 12-3-2 on the season.
Note
- Michigan State led 40-31 in shots on goal, made 1 of 5 with the man advantage and was a perfect 4 of 4 on the penalty kill.
- It will be Penn State's first shutout loss in nearly two years, since a 6-0 loss to Notre Dame on Jan. 29, 2022.
- Freshman Reese Laubach (San Jose, Calif.) saw his career high in points come to an end after four games.
- Penn State has two wins, five losses and three ties this season when the opponent has scored first.
next time
The two teams will close out their season series tomorrow evening at Hockey Valley, kicking off at 4:30pm, and the game will be broadcast live on the B1G Network.
For more information about the 2023-24 season provided by Penn State Bookstore, the official bookstore of Penn State Athletics, visit the men's hockey page on GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
