| 0 | 5 |
| Mariucci Arena | Minneapolis, Minn. | 9,813 | |
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March 13, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS - The Penn State men's hockey team conceded three goals in the opening 15 minutes and No. 15 Minnesota took a 5-0 win at Mariucci Arena Friday night. The loss dropped Penn State out of Big Ten title contention on the penultimate evening of conference play. Goaltender Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) made 35 saves in net.
"We were slow to start," said head coach Guy Gadowsky. "We were a little better in the third, but we never generated enough opportunities. (Minnesota) is a great skating and passing team and they showed that tonight."
Penn State (18-13-4, 10-8-1-0 Big Ten) had an early chance for the opening goal as Eric Scheid (Blaine, Minn.) connected with a Scott Conway (Basingstoke, England) pass, but Minnesota (20-12-3, 11-5-3-0 Big Ten) escaped harm thanks to Adam Wilcox (18 saves).
The Nittany Lions were shut out for just the second time this season, while attempting their fewest shots in the program's Division I era.
The Gophers, owners of the nation's best power-play percentage, would take advantage of its first man advantage as Kyle Rau netted his 17th of the season with 11:12 remaining in the period. Rau redirected a Mike Reilly blast from the high slot.
The lead doubled on a Justin Kloos wraparound two minutes later, beating McAdam on the right post for his 12th of the year. Hudson Fasching would make it 3-0 with 5:03 remaining, setting up shop in front of the net to put home a Reilly feed.
Penn State would play Minnesota even for much of the remainder of the game. The Nittany Lions had five chances on the power play but were unable to convert on any of them. The fifth one was cut short on a questionable five-minute boarding major assessed to Casey Bailey (Anchorage, Alaska) that quelled Penn State's opportunity to eat into the lead..
The Gophers would put the game out of reach with 3:15 remaining on a Leon Bristedt empty-netter for a 4-0 lead before Vinny Lettieri put home a rebound for a 5-0 advantage 30 seconds later.
An ensuing scrum took place that led to Conway's dismissal from the game due to a contact to the head major penalty and a 10-minute game misconduct. Penn State racked up 26 penalty minutes in all.
"That's not Penn State Hockey," Gadowsky added. "There's no place for that, I'm very disappointed that took place."
Minnesota held a 40-18 edge in shots, out-shooting Penn State in all three periods (18-6, 9-6 and 13-6). The Nittany Lions finished 0-for-5 on the power play, while limiting Minnesota to one power play goal in five chances.
Penn State blocked 15 shots in the game led by Minnesota native Nate Jensen (Shorewood, Minn.), who had five. Minnesota held the edge on draws, 41-32, with David Goodwin (Des Peres, Mo.) posting a positive mark, 13-9.
Minnesota's Kyle Rau tallied a game-high three points on a goal and two assists.
GAME NOTES
• Penn State fell to 1-6-0 all-time against the Gophers and 0-3-0 at Mariucci Arena.
• Penn State dropped its fifth straight true road victory. The Nittany Lions last won a true road game Dec. 6 at Wisconsin.
• The Nittany Lions have been shut out on consecutive Friday the 13ths. PSU fell, 3-0, at Michigan State in February.
• Minnesota improved to 13-3-1 at home this season. The Gophers have dropped just one Big Ten game all season and look to break a string of three straight splits on Saturday.
NEXT TIME OUT
Penn State and Minnesota wrap up their respective regular seasons Saturday night at 8 p.m. ET inside Mariucci Arena. A victory by Penn State could sew up the No. 3 seed in next week's Big Ten Tournament pending the results of Michigan-Michigan State, while playing spoiler to Minnesota's repeat title hopes.
The Gophers and Wolverines are tied with 36 points, trailed by Michigan State (34) and Penn State (33).