3 Wisconsin (21-9-2, 12-5-1-0 B1G) |
Box Score | Photo Gallery | Postgame Comments University Park, Pa. • Pegula Ice Arena • Attendance: 5,829 | 2 Penn State (6-24-2, 2-15-1-0 B1G) |
March 8, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Sophomore forward Kenny Brooks' (Las Vegas, Nev.) fourth goal of the season with 2:44 left in the third period forced overtime, but the Penn State men's hockey team surrendered the game-winning tally with 21 seconds remaining in the extra frame as the Nittany Lions fell to fifth-ranked Wisconsin, 3-2, at Pegula Ice Arena Saturday night.
Sophomore forward Casey Bailey (Anchorage, Alaska), who netted his fourth power-play goal of year, and Brooks helped Penn State (6-24-2, 2-15-1-0 Big Ten) twice erase one-goal deficits before Wisconsin (21-9-2, 12-5-1-0 Big Ten) skated to the overtime victory with Mark Zengerle's winner.
The Nittany Lions out shot Wisconsin by a 43-29 margin and went 1-for-5 on the power play. The Badgers were 0-for-4 with the man advantage. Penn State netminder Matthew Skoff (McKees Rocks, Pa.) turned aside 26 shots, while Wisconsin's Joel Rumpel made 41 saves.
After Wisconsin skated to a 1-0 lead at 9:01 of the opening period, Penn State responded just 1:06 later to even the score. Following a Nittany Lion turnover, Eddie Wittchow dropped a pass back to Keegan Meuer in the right circle, where his shot through traffic reached the back of the net.
The Nittany Lions tied the game with 9:53 remaining while on the power play. From the top of the right circle, freshman Dylan Richard (Sherwood Park, Alta.) passed to sophomore David Glen (Fort Saskatchewan, Alta.) at the top of the crease, where he sent a no-look, backhand pass to the left circle for Bailey's one-timer.
In the second period, Nic Kerdiles netted a shorthanded marker as the Badgers grabbed a 2-1 lead. Zengerle collected a loose puck at Wisconsin's offensive blue line and threaded a pass behind the Nittany Lion defense. Kerdiles gathered the puck, moved it between his legs and scored on his forehand.
Brooks led the Nittany Lion response as he tied the game at 2-2 at 17:16 of the third period. Sophomore defenseman Connor Varley (Lansdale, Pa.) fired the puck around the boards, where Curtis Loik (North Vancouver, B.C.) moved it behind the Badger net. A Las Vegas, Nev., native, Brooks circled around the cage and sent the puck toward the low slot, where it went off a Badger defenseman and past the goal line.
In the overtime period, Joe Faust's stretch pass sent the Badgers down the ice on an odd-man rush, where Kerdiles found Zengerle for the winning score with 21 seconds left in the frame.
The Nittany Lions will close out the regular season next weekend when they host Ohio State March 14-15. Puck drop Friday, March 14 is set for 7 p.m., while opening faceoff Saturday, March 15 is at 3 p.m.