Michigan Rallies To Beat Penn State

A night after the Nittany Lions comeback fell short, they fell victim to one by the Wolverines.

Penn State has been growing desperate for a conference win. Entering Saturday with just three wins in Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions found themselves with a lead entering the third period against the No. 4 team in the nation.

But a night after having a comeback attempt fall a goal short, the Wolverines showed the Nittany Lions why they are the No. 4 team in the nation, rallying from a two-goal deficit to beat the Nittany Lions 4-3.

Special teams struggles once again plagued the Nittany Lions. They went 0-for-3 with the man advantage, including another five-minute power play after Jack Summers was ejected for a high hit on Danny Dzhaniyev. The Nittany Lions went goalless on seven power play opportunities.

The Wolverines, meanwhile, netted a shorthanded goal on a flukey sequence early in the contest. Though they officially went 0-for-1 on the power play, their rally commenced with a goal mere seconds after that man advantage expired.

How It Happened

After a scoreless first period, the Wolverines opened the scoring early in the second period. With the Nittany Lions on the power play, Oskar Autio tried to send a pass up ice to catch the Wolverines in a line change. The puck was intercepted in the neutral zone, and Nolan Moyle finished off the ensuing 2-on-0 rush.

Just a couple minutes later, the Nittany Lions leveled the game. After Erik Portillo couldn’t cover a sharp angle shot, the Nittany Lions kept jamming away, with Ben Copeland finally shoving the puck underneath Portillo.

Midway through the period, the Nittany Lions took their first lead of the weekend. Christian Sarlo jumped on a rebound and knocked the puck into an open net.

A few minutes later, the Nittany Lions extended their lead to two. After forcing a turnover, Tyler Gratton beat Portillo with a knuckle ball on a 2-on-1 rush.

The Wolverines drew back within a goal just after their power play expired, as Matty Beniers deflected a Luke Hughes shot through the legs of Autio.

Less than a minute into the third period, the Wolverines tied the game. Just as he did Friday night, Luke Hughes jumped into the rush, got behind the Nittany Lions defense and beat Autio on a mini-breakaway.

Midway through the period, the Wolverines got back in front, as Brendan Brisson whipped a rebound past Autio from the slot.

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By: Colin Piatt
Title: Michigan Rallies To Beat Penn State
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2022/1/15/22885679/michigan-wolverines-rallies-to-beat-penn-state-nittany-lions-mens-hockey
Published Date: Sun, 16 Jan 2022 02:58:09 +0000

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