UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Sophomore JJ Wiebusch (Verona, Wis.) became the first Nittany Lion all-time to score four goals in a game, however, it was not enough as Clarkson used four-unanswered goals to defeat No. 4 Penn State, 6-4, in non-conference action at Pegula Ice Arena on Thursday night.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Clarkson (1-1-0) opened the scoring early against the run of play as Talon Sigurdson collected a bouncing puck atop the goal crease and sent it into a yawning net for the 1-0 edge just 67 ticks in.
- The Nittany Lions (2-1-0) responded with an early powerplay tally as Wiebusch roofed the puck shortside under the bar from the near post off passes from freshman Gavin McKenna (Whitehorse, Yukon) and junior Aiden Fink (Calgary, Alberta) for the 1-1 score at 4:25 of the first period.
- Penn State opened the middle frame fast and furious with a pair of goals off the stick of Wiebusch as he tipped the hat early with scores just 95 seconds apart for the 3-1 lead at the 3:40 mark.
- The Golden Knights responded just 50 ticks later to make it a one-goal game again as Adrian Misaljevic converted after a defensive zone turnover for the 3-2 score at the 4:30 mark.
- Wiebusch would score again this time depositing a rebound off the stick of classmate Charlie Cerrato (Fallston, Md.) for the 4-2 Nittany Lion edge at 7:23 of the second period.
- Clarkson continued to fight making it a one-goal game yet again with an unassisted, shorthanded tally by Erik Bargholtz for the 4-3 score at the 13:25 mark.
- The Golden Knights then potted the equalizer early in the third period as Owen Van Steensel cashed in at the near post just 88 ticks into the frame for the 4-4 score.
- The visitors continued to press scoring their third-straight goal to take the 5-4 lead midway through the final frame as Misaljevic slipped one through the five-hole of Penn State sophomore goaltender Kevin Reidler (Gavle, Sweden) for the 5-4 advantage at the 10:10 mark.
- Bargholtz then sealed the contest with his second of the game into the empty net at 18:59 of the third period to account for the 6-4 final.
GOALTENDING
Reidler drops to 2-1-0 on the year after collecting 20 saves in the defeat while his counterpart, Shane Soderwall, moves to 1-1-0 after stopping 36-of-40 shots in the victory.
NOTES
- Penn State held the 40-26 edge in shots on goal while going 2-for-6 on the man-advantage and a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill for the second-straight game.
- With his four-goal performance Wiebusch secures his first multi-goal game of the year and the second of his career while collecting his second multi-point effort of the year and the 10th of his career. It is also his second hat-trick or better following his three-goal playoff performance at Michigan back in March.
- The hat-trick plus one performance marks the 17th time a Nittany Lion has scored at least three goals in a game and is already the second this season after junior Matt DiMarsico’s (Wexford, Pa.) hat-trick in the season opener last Friday.
- Cerrato collected three second period assists to tie his career-high while securing his second multi-point effort of the season and the 17th of his career while with a pair of helpers McKenna adds his second multi-point game in the first three games this season.
- Wiebusch, McKenna, Cerrato and Fink all extend their season opening point streaks to three games.
- Penn State falls to 9-4-1 in home openers and sees its streak of four-straight home opening victories snapped.
- The win for the Golden Knights marks their first-ever at Pegula Ice Arena. Penn State still maintains a 4-2 lead in the all-time series following the loss.
NEXT UP
Both teams return to Hockey Valley tomorrow night to conclude the series with a 7 p.m. puck drop.
For more information on the 2025-26 season, visit the men's hockey page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.