No. 7 Michigan Rallies Late to Defeat No. 6 Men's Hockey, 5-4No. 7 Michigan Rallies Late to Defeat No. 6 Men's Hockey, 5-4

No. 7 Michigan Rallies Late to Defeat No. 6 Men's Hockey, 5-4

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – No. 7 Michigan scored three unanswered goals during a four-minute stretch in the third period to earn the, 5-4, come-from-behind victory over No. 6 Penn State in Big Ten Conference action on Saturday evening inside Yost Ice Arena.

The Nittany Lions fall to 18-9-1 overall and 8-9-1-0-2-0 in Big Ten play with the setback while the Wolverines move to 16-9-1 on the year and 8-8-0-2-2-0 in conference action with the win.

The loss marks the first time this season Penn State has been swept and it is also the first time this season the Nittany Lions have lost back-to-back games falling to 7-1-1 following a loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Penn State started fast opening the scoring with a pair of goals in just six seconds withing the first minute of the game as senior Tyler Gratton (Pottstown, Pa.) ripped a shot into the back of the net after brother Dylan Gratton's (Pottstown, Pa.) initial bid was blocked out front just 38 seconds in.
  • Junior Xander Lamppa (Rochester, Minn.) then tipped home his third tally of the weekend as he got a stick on the elder Gratton's offering just six seconds later for the 2-0 edge just 44 ticks into the contest.
  • Michigan appeared to have cut into the deficit midway through the second period with a powerplay tally from Adam Fantilli, however, Penn State challenged a contact to the head major prior to the goal which took it off the board at the 7:04 mark of the frame.
  • The Nittany Lions extended the lead further during the major penalty as sophomore Danny Dzhaniyev (Brooklyn, N.Y.) laced a shot past Wolverine net-minder Erik Portillo during an odd-man rush for the 3-0 margin at exactly 9:00 of the second period.
  • Michigan would get on the board late in the second period cutting into the deficit as Luke Hughes found the back of the net for the 3-2 score at the 14:32 mark.
  • Hughes pulled the Wolverines closer with a powerplay tally with just 78 seconds remaining in the middle frame making the score 3-2.
  • Penn State regained the two-goal edge early in the third period as senior Ture Linden (Great Falls, Va.) corralled a loose puck in the net mouth and finished for the 4-2 edge at the 3:05 mark.
  • The Wolverines wasted little time making it a one-goal game again as Hughes found the back of the net for the third time making the score 4-3 just 2:01 later.
  • Michigan evened the score as Dylan Duke found himself behind the defense and he slipped the puck past the right pad of Souliere for the 4-4 score at 7:58 of the third period.
  • Luke Hughes continued to fill up the net as he laced a one-timer into the left corner for the 5-4 lead at the 9:15 mark of the third period.

GOALTENDING

  • Souliere falls to 16-8-1 on the year after making 22 saves while his counterpart, Erik Portillo, improves to 15-8-0 after stopping 32 shots in the victory.

NOTES

  • The two goals in just six seconds from Gratton and Lamppa mark the fastest back-to-back scores in program history breaking the previous record of nine seconds set by Dylan Richard and Chase Berger against Michigan State on January 14, 2017.
  • Penn State held the 36-27 edge in shots on goal, however, were outshot 14-7 in the third period while both teams went 1-for-3 on the powerplay.
  • The opening goal marked just the 20th time in 28 games this season that Penn State has scored first. The Nittany Lions are now 14-5-1 in such games.
  • With one goal and one assist Tyler Gratton collects his third multi-point effort this season and the third of his career.
  • With a pair of assists junior Christian Berger (St. Louis, Mo.) collected his second multi-point effort this season and the fourth of his career.
  • Hughes' four goals are the first time an opposing player has tallied four times in a single-game against Penn State since Cody Wydo for Robert Morris on November 1, 2013.

NEXT UP
Penn State remains on the road next week with a trip to Columbus to battle No. 8 Ohio State for a pair of Big Ten contests on Friday and Saturday evening.

For more information on the 2022-23 season presented by the Penn State Bookstore: Official Bookstore of Penn State Athletics, visit the men's hockey page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.