ANN ARBOR, Mich.- Matt Traynor’s 100th career goal guides no. 10 Penn State to 11-8 road win at no. 13 Michigan. Despite trailing heading into the second half, a five-goal scoring run for the Nittany Lions as well as a strong performance from Jack Fracyon as the netminder and dominance at the faceoff x for Reid Gills proved to be the difference makers in the contest. Penn State improves to 7-4, 1-2 Big Ten while Michigan falls to 6-5, 2-1 Big Ten.
Traynor, Jack Aimone and Liam Matthews were the multi-goal scorers for PSU, Traynor had three and Aimone and Matthews had two. Ethan Long, Luke Walstrum, Kyle Lehman and Brendan Leary also put one goal on the board. Long led the team in assists with two and Lehman guided the Nittany Lions on the ground with four crucial ground balls. Between the pipes, Fracyon made nine saves while only giving up eight goals. Gills won 8-of-9 opportunities at the faceoff x down the stretch to allow Penn State to dominate in offensive possessions in the fourth quarter.
FIRST QUARTER - 3-2 Penn State
- Penn State began the scoring with a strong effort from Long to find Traynor who shot a laser from 10 yards out.
- After a series of back-and-forth possessions, Michigan finally put one across at nearly the six-minute mark.
- The Nittany Lions responded with back-to-back goals to pull ahead 3-1. Walstrum curled around the back of the net to notch an unassisted goal and Aimone found one on his own from the alley.
- The Wolverines capitalized on a win at the faceoff x to score in transition on the ensuing faceoff to end the scoring in the first stanza.
SECOND QUARTER – 5-4 Michigan
- PSU struck first in the second quarter on a scrappy goal from Lehman off a find from Hunter Aquino.
- Michigan found back-to-back goals to knot the score even at 4-4. The Wolverines had the final word of the quarter to pull ahead by one heading into the halftime break.
THIRD QUARTER – 7-6 Michigan
- Traynor got the scoring started out of the break with another goal off a pass from Long to tie it at fives but UM quickly responded to grab a one goal-edge.
- Matthews capitalized on a man-up opportunity with a catch-and-shoot goal after a solid find from Traynor. Once again, the Wolverines responded on their offensive end to maintain a one-point advantage at 7-6.
FOURTH QUARTER – 11-8 Penn State
- Penn State controlled the final stanza with a five-goal run including three goals from Long, Traynor and Aimone in just over a minute long stretch.
- Later in the stanza, Matthews found his second goal of the day off a pass from Will Peden.
- Leary took advantage of an open net on a clear attempt from behind midfield to give Penn State an 11-7 edge. UM managed to add one more goal heading into the final minute but a big win at the faceoff x from Gills allowed PSU to run the clock.
POSTGAME NOTES
- Traynor produced his sixth multi-goal effort of the season with three goals, including his 100th career goal, becoming only the 10th player in PSU history to reach this mark.
- Gills was effective at the faceoff x when his number was called, winning 8-of-9 faceoffs down the stretch during PSU’s goal run in the fourth quarter.
- Leary tallied his second career goal as a defender, both coming during the 2024 campaign.
- PSU won the ground ball battle 29-24 and outshot the Wolverines 38-28.
- The Nittany Lions improve their all-time record against the Wolverines to 12-4.
UP NEXT
The Nittany Lions return to Happy Valley to host John’s Hopkins on Saturday, April12 for Alumni Day which will also serve as their White Out.