No.17 Penn State men’s hockey (5-2-1 ) fell to Notre Dame (4-3-0 ) Saturday Night in a showdown at Pegula Ice Arena. The game was 3-3 after regulation, and Notre Dame one with a shootout goal.
First Period:
Noah Grannah got the nod for tonight’s start, making just his seventh appearance in the crease for Penn State. Unfortunately for Grannah, the Fightin’ Irish came to set the tone early, not even two minutes, and Penn State found itself down a goal. But following that opening goal, Grannah and the defense adjusted.
Danny Dzhaniyrv finally got the scoring going for Penn State with a superb deflection shot off the rocket shot of Tanner Palocsik to tie the game at the 17:50 mark of the first period. Despite the game becoming a bit chippy, Penn State seemed to be gaining the advantage over the rough and tough Fighting Irish at the end of the second period. Both teams entered their respective locker rooms tied at one goal apiece.
Second Period:
The chippiness of the first period seemed to enter the second as numerous “extracurricular activities” occurred straight out of the gate. As things became more physical, Penn State found itself on the power kill where the vicious power play could not be stopped. Grannah could do nothing but watch as the Fighting Irish found the back of the net, making it 2-1 at the 6:37 mark of the second period.
With under seven minutes to go in the second period, Dylan Lugris was able to cash in on the expiring PSU power play with a right place at the right time goal to tie the game yet again, this time at two goals a precise
Penn State finally got the pendulum swinging its way deep into the period with a slicker-than-slick deke-out goal from Xander Lamppa to put the score in PSU’s favor 3-2 at the 16:50 mark of the second period. At the end of the period, Penn State walked into the second intermission with all the momentum.
Third Period:
Penn State seemed to be in control for most of the third period until it found itself on a five-on-three power kill due to more “extracurricular activities.” Unfortunately, Norte Dame capitalized on the short-handed Penn State line and tie the game at three goals a piece at the 10:58 mark of the third period. Both teams didn’t wanna give an inch to the other, leading to the end of regulation with the game tied and headed to overtime.
Overtime:
This OT period lived up to the hype that was built throughout the game, both teams getting shots off at all angles in attempts to create some sort of advantage. It felt like Penn State had some sort of advantage until PSU once again found itself on the penalty kill. Notre Dame soon created a siege on the Penn State net, desperately trying to get into the back of the net, but Grannah stood tall in the crease and sent the game to a shootout.
Shootout:
Despite PSU gaining momentum from the previous overtime period, Grannah let a top-shelf goal slip past and give Notre Dame a tie-breaker.
Goaltender Stats:
Noah Grannah stood tall in tonight’s crease despite letting in some crucial goals at critical times. Grannah’s final stats on the night would be a dozy, spending a total of 65 minutes in the crease while also blocking 26 shots on goal. Due to the game going to a shootout, Grannah’s record still remains at (0-0-0)
Next Game:
The Penn State Nittany Lions Finish their six-pack homestand on Sunday, November 5th, as they conclude their two-game series with The Notre Dame Fighting Irish at The Pegula Ice Arena at 7:30 pm.
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