Penn State Drops Big Ten Opener To Ohio State, 5-2

The Buckeyes scored five unanswered goals in nine minutes of game time.

Penn State was seemingly in control of the game. Up one late in the second period, it maybe wasn’t the type of game the Nittany Lions are most comfortable playing, but they were keeping Ohio State’s attack at bay while generating chances of their own.

Then the flood gates opened.

A pair of goals before the second period was through, then three more in a span of 2:02 in the third, and suddenly the tight contest had turned into a blowout, as the Nittany Lions dropped their Big Ten opener 5-2 on Friday.

It’s very cliched to say all the Buckeyes had to do was get to the net and make life miserable for Liam Souliere, but that’s pretty much all it took. Their first three of five unanswered goals came via net front deflections on point shots.

Up to that first goal, the Nittany Lions were doing their part to make Souliere’s night easy, yielding just nine shots through nearly two periods of play.

How It Happened

Just past the midway point of the first period, Kevin Wall continued his run of form as he opened the scoring for the Nittany Lions. As Ben Copeland was circling the Ohio State net, he pivoted a pass against the grain, giving Wall a near open net to bury his shot.

Late in the second period, the Buckeyes leveled the game. Kamil Sadlocha deflected a point shot from Mason Lohrei over Liam Souliere’s blocker.

With just 12 seconds remaining in the middle frame, Sadlocha deflected another point shot past Souliere to give the Buckeyes the lead.

Early in the third period, the Buckeyes extended their lead with another tip in goal on Souliere. Jake Wise was the beneficiary this time as he deflected a point shot by Grant Gabriele.

Barely a minute and a half later, Jake Leslie made it a three-goal game as he beat Souliere over the glove on a 2-on-1 rush.

Just 35 seconds later, Gustav Westlund extended the Buckeyes lead even further as the puck bounced off his body and past Souliere for a power play goal.

The Nittany Lions got one back a few minutes later on a power play of their own, as Connor MacEachern sniped his fifth of the season from the left circle.

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By: Colin Piatt
Title: Penn State Drops Big Ten Opener To Ohio State, 5-2
Sourced From: www.blackshoediaries.com/2021/11/5/22766216/penn-state-nittany-lions-mens-hockey-drops-big-ten-opener-to-ohio-state-buckeyes-5-2
Published Date: Sat, 06 Nov 2021 01:30:51 +0000

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