5 No. 1 Minnesota (15-2-3, 5-0-1-0 B1G) |
Box Score | Highlights | Photo Gallery | Postgame Comments Penn State Goals: Brooks | Loik University Park, Pa. • Pegula Ice Arena • Attendance: 6,154 NEXT GAME: Jan. 17 at Michigan State • 6:30 p.m. • BTN | 2 Penn State (4-12-1, 0-4-0-0 B1G) |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sophomore forward Curtis Loik (North Vancouver, B.C.) secured his first career multi-point game and Minnesota failed to out shoot a team for just the fourth time this season, but the Penn State men's hockey team fell to the top-ranked Gophers, 5-2, at Pegula Ice Arena Monday night.
Minnesota scored once in both the first and second periods before the teams combined for five goals in the third frame to account for the 5-2 final. Loik, who helped put the Nittany Lions on the scoreboard when he assisted on Kenny Brooks' (Las Vegas, Nev.) third-period goal, garnered his two-point effort with a laser above Gopher netminder Adam Wilcox's blocker with less than four minutes left in the game.
Sophomore David Glen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) picked up his third point in the last four games with an assist, while defenseman Luke Juha (Mississauga, Ont.) collected a helper on Loik's marker. Freshman netminder Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) turned aside 20 shots.
Penn State (4-12-1, 0-4-0-0 Big Ten), which went 0-for-3 on the power play out shot Minnesota (15-2-3, 5-0-1-0 Big Ten) by a 38-25 margin. Wilcox turned aside 36 shots for the Gophers, who went 1-for-5 with the man advantage.
The Nittany Lions, who played their ninth ranked opponent in the past 10 games, will return to action Friday, Jan. 17 when they begin a two-game series at Michigan State. Opening faceoff for the series opener is set at 6:30 p.m. with the game airing live on BTN, BTN2Go.com and the Penn State Sports Network.
Minnesota opened the scoring at 2:25 of the first period. While on an early power play, Travis Boyd tallied off a feed from Hudson Fasching and Mike Reilly. Sam Warning extended the Gopher advantage with his first of two goals with 2:45 left in the second after one-timing Justin Kloos' pass to the back of the net.
In the third period, Warning collected his second goal of the game at 6:06 when he scored off Michael Brodzinski's rebound.
Brooks cut into the Minnesota lead with 9:59 left in regulation. After Loik and Glen cycled the puck below the goal line, Brooks found daylight right outside the crease and slid the puck past Wilcox.
The Gophers responded just 17 seconds later as they took a 4-1 lead. Ben Marshall passed to Warning, whose shot deflected off Nate Condon and into the net.
Loik netted his first marker since Oct. 26 with a highlight-reel tally at 16:30. After receiving an outlet pass from Juha, Loik streaked down the left-wing boards before unleashing a rocket past Wilcox.
With four seconds left in the game and McAdam pulled for an extra attacker, Kloos added an empty-net goal to account for the 5-2 final.