STATE COLLEGE — The No. 2 Michigan hockey team’s first impression of the No. 5 Penn State was its lackluster defense that made scoring goals feel easy Friday. However, the Nittany Lions were determined to prove the Wolverines wrong the next day, completely revamping its image as a group.
A key change in net for the Nittany Lions proved crucial for the bounce-back victory, supporting an aggressive offense that became too big an obstacle for the Wolverines to hurdle. After a culmination of these difficulties, Michigan (11-3 overall, 4-2 Big Ten) dropped a 4-2 loss to Penn State (10-4, 3-3), returning to Ann Arbor with yet another split series as it navigates Big Ten play.
The first period produced little excitement on the offensive end. Instead, Penn State rallied around its reignited flame with a solid performance from its goaltender Josh Fleming. Stopping Michigan’s early advances, the Nittany Lions began to test freshman goaltender Jack Ivankovic with a peppering of shots. It was only a matter of time before Penn State broke the ice.
“Anytime you run into a hot goalie, obviously it’s gonna be a little bit harder to score,” junior defender Ben Robertson said. “The offense didn’t come at first and then got a little frustrated… Credit to him. Just got to find ways to get more pucks and create more chaos and make it a little bit harder for him.”
Halfway through the second period, the Nittany Lions charged up the left side to enter the offensive zone. They connected a series of passes, ultimately taking a shot from the right side of the ice. Catching the rebound, Penn State found a crack in Ivankovic’s wall to strike first against the Wolverines.
And the Nittany Lions weren’t done after getting a taste of success against Michigan. With two minutes left of play in the period, Penn State converted once more, sniping a shot past Ivankovic’s left side to double the lead. This time, it was the Wolverines in a state of panic, and much of the worry came from the lack of solutions.
Michigan didn’t play significantly different than most nights. The Wolverines caught up with their opponent to only be outshot 21-20. Plus, they were highly aggressive and had stints of complete control over the puck. But the Nittany Lions’ crucial change in net appeared to be the difference maker.
“I thought we played well enough to win,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “We had like, four or five posts. Their goalie was really good.”
After conceding seven goals as a team against the Wolverines yesterday, Penn State opted to give Fleming full reign over the crease over yesterday’s starter, Kevin Reidler. A tough night for Reidler echoed in the Nittany Lions’ play, calling for an elevated performance to shut down Michigan’s offense. And Fleming showed up big when Penn State needed him most.
The Wolverines’ luck in housing the Big Ten scoring leader proved important their offense’s dignity. Sophomore forward Will Horcoff tipped in a blue-line shot halfway through the third period to show a slight sign of life, but Fleming’s previous efforts provided enough cushion to alleviate any stress. His ability to dim Michigan’s offense allowed the Nittany Lions to make gutsy plays in the offensive end. A balanced structure proved to be the right move for Penn State and its hopes of earning a win this weekend.
The Wolverines’ may have strengthened its pulse in the third period. However, it was too little too late. An empty netter was all it took to bury any hopes of a Michigan sweep and Fleming’s convincing performance — a .941 save percentage — elicited an important win for Penn State. Despite a disappointing loss the night before, the Nittany Lions closed out the weekend proving its claim as a top-five competitor.
