Men's Hockey Blanked by No. 8/9 Minnesota at MariucciMen's Hockey Blanked by No. 8/9 Minnesota at Mariucci

Men's Hockey Blanked by No. 8/9 Minnesota at Mariucci

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. – No. 8/9 Minnesota scored twice in the opening four minutes of play and that proved to be enough as Penn State dropped a 3-0 decision to the Gophers in Big Ten Conference action on Friday evening inside 3M Arena at Mariucci.

The Nittany Lions fall to 12-12-3 on the year and 4-10-3-0-0-2 in conference action with the loss with the Gophers move to 17-7-5 overall and 10-5-4-2-0-0 in Big Ten play with the victory.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • Minnesota opened the scoring less than a minute in as Rhett Pitlick redirected a cross-ice pass from Oliver Moore inside the far post for the 1-0 edge just 43 ticks into the contest.
  • Pitlick added his second goal of the opening period as a point shot from Luke Mittelstadt hit a body out front of the crease and dropped right to his stick and he didn't miss the yawning net for the 2-0 edge at the 3:49 mark.
  • The Gophers extended the lead early in the third period as Connor Kurth deposited a loose puck on the doorstep after Nittany Lion senior net-minder Liam Souliere (Brampton, Ontario) made a pair of saves just 76 ticks into the final frame.

GOALTENDING
Souliere falls to 9-8-1 on the year after making 24 saves in the loss while his counterpart, Justen Close, improves to 16-7-5 after stopping all 36 shots he faced for his third shutout of the season.

NOTES

  • Penn State held the 36-27 edge in shots on goal including the commanding 19-7 mark in the second period.
  • The Nittany Lions were unable to capitalize on three powerplay chances including a five-minute major and pair of extended 5-on-3 opportunities. Penn State was a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill at the other end.
  • Penn State was shutout for the second time this season and first time on the road since last February at Notre Dame.

NEXT UP
Both teams return to 3M Arena tomorrow afternoon for a Saturday 3 p.m. matinee to close out the regular-season series.

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.