UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Led by a pair of newcomers in their first game at Pegula Ice Arena, No. 12 Penn State scored a pair of third period goals to secure a 3-2 victory over AIC in non-conference action on Friday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- After a scoreless first frame, Penn State (4-0-0) opened the scoring as junior Ryan Kirwan (DeWitt, N.Y.) blocked a shot in the defensive zone and skating in on an odd-man rush with senior Xander Lamppa (Rochester, Minn.) and it was the latter finding the former for a shortside snipe and the 1-0 lead at 2:50 of the second period.
- A weird sequence followed as AIC's (0-4-0) Jordan Biro was tripped at the top of the crease and a centering pass from Dustin Manz hit Biro's behind as he laid on his back and the puck trickled into the net for the 1-1 score at 4:27 of the second period.
- On the ensuing powerplay Josh Barnes laced a one-timer from the slot for the 2-1 Yellow Jacket lead at the 5:38 mark.
- The Nittany Lions evened the score early in the third period with a powerplay tally of their own as freshman Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alberta) ripped a shot from the low slot off a beautiful pass from senior Christian Sarlo (Lynbrook, N.Y.) for the 2-2 score at the 3:19 mark of the stanza.
- Penn State then took the lead with under five minutes remaining in regulation when graduate student Tanner Palocsik's (Aliquippa, Pa.) wrister from the point snuck through traffic and into the back of the net for the 3-2 edge at the 15:45 mark.
GOALTENDING
Souliere improves to 4-0-0 on the year after stopping 10-of-12 shots while his counterpart, Nils Wallstrom, falls to 0-4-0 after making a career-high 42 saves in the defeat.
NOTES
- Penn State opened the scoring for the third time in four games this season improving to 3-0-0 in such games.
- The Nittany Lions held the commanding 45-12 advantage in shots on goal while going 1-for-4 with the man-advantage. AIC went 1-for-1 on the powerplay.
- The 12 shots allowed is a new program record for fewest shots allowed in a game while the one shot the Yellow Jackets had in the third period ties a single-period low allowed.
- Penn State moves to 8-3-1 all-time in home openers and 8-2-1 all-time in season openers at Pegula Ice Arena. The Nittany Lions have now won three-straight home openers and seven of the last eight while improving to 5-2-0 all-time against AIC.
- Penn State is 4-0-0 to begin the season for the second-straight season and the third time in the first 12 years of the program.
- Kirwan extends his career-long goal streak to four games to start the season tying Kevin Wall ;23 for the Penn State record for games with a goal to begin a season.
- Lamppa collected multiple assists in a game for the first time in his career while tying his career-high with those two points. It marks his first multi-point effort this season and the fifth of his career.
- Fink now has points in two-straight games and three of his first four while Sarlo runs his point streak to three games just one shy of his career-high.
- Graduate student Jacques Bouquot (South Windsor, Conn.) also has points in three-straight games and with an assist in each of those games has tied his career-long assist streak.
NEXT UP
Both teams return to Pegula Ice Arena tomorrow night to conclude the weekend series with a 5 p.m. puck drop to be streamed on B1G+.
For more information on the 2023-24 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.