Saturday, November 9
University Park, Pa.
6 P.M.
Michigan State University
3-5-0, 1-1-0-0B1G
4
at
6
Penn State
7-2-0, 3-1-0-0B1G
1
2
3
F
Michigan State
0
2
2
4
Penn State
2
3
1
6
Spartans’ Comeback Effort Falls Just Short in Loss at No. 6 Penn State
11/9/2019 9:31:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pennsylvania – A night after a 2-0 shutout win over No. 6 Penn State, the Michigan State hockey team nearly fought back from a four-goal deficit before falling to the Nittany Lions, 6-4. Trailing 5-2 entering the third period, the Spartans scored twice to make it a one-goal game, but with the net empty for an extra attacker, Penn State scored with 29 seconds to play to hang on for a 6-4 win.
Patrick Khodorenko scored twice and had an assist to lead the Spartans (3-5, 1-1), while Mitchell Lewandowski and Dennis Cesana both had a goal and assist.
"I thought our guys did some good stuff; I thought it was a really good battle by both teams," MSU head coach Danton Cole said. "Both teams worked really hard and we knew it was going to a dogfight.
"I don't have any complaints on our guys. I thought our guys played really hard. They kept getting better every period, I thought. In the third, they played a heck of a period and we gave ourselves a chance there at the end."
Trailing 5-1 and on a power play late in the second, the Spartans ended the period with a highlight reel goal by Khodorenko to make it 5-2 at the second intermission. Khodorenko got the puck from Lewandowski near the left side of the Penn State blue line, entered the zone and turned defenseman Mason Snell inside-out to get in all alone on goaltender Peyton Jones. Khodorenko deked and then tucked the puck inside the left post with 12 seconds to play in the period for his third goal of the season.
Michigan State controlled the play in the third and made it 5-3 when Cesana scored off an odd-man rush with 7:51 to go. While playing 4-on-4, Cesana grabbed the puck in the MSU end and raced down the right side and snapped the puck under the bar for his third goal of the season.
Another power play nearly brought the Spartans another goal closer, but PSU Jones turned away Sam Saliba on a semi-breakaway with 5:03 to go.
The Spartans pulled John Lethemon with under two minutes to go and it paid off as Khodorenko got his second of the night to make it a one-goal game, 5-4 with 1:07 to go. After pressure in the PSU end, the puck squirted out to Khodorenko in the right circle and he swept it into a nearly open net.
The Spartans got Lethemon to the bench again for the extra attacker, but Penn State's Denis Smirnov scored on the empty net with 29 seconds to go to make it 6-4 and end the Spartans' comeback hopes.
"We had some good determination and there is a lot for us to build on from this weekend," Cole said.
Penn State (7-2, 3-1) took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Nikita Pavlychev and Evan Barratt. Pavlychev got the first goal with 9:20 to play in the first when he got ahold of a loose puck in the low slot and chipped it up into the net.
Barratt made it 2-0 with 3:36 left in the period, retrieving the puck from behind the MSU net and then backhanding it past Lethemon.
The Spartans got their first power play of the series just over four minutes into the second period and took advantage as Lewandowski scored his second goal of the season. Lewandowski finished off tic-tac-toe play from Khodorenko and Nicolas Müller with a one-timer from the left circle to cut the Spartan deficit to 2-1 at the 6:22 mark of the second period.
The one-goal deficit didn't last long though as point shot by Clayton Phillips got through traffic in front and into the net at the 7:36 mark reestablish Penn State's two-goal lead.
A deflection on a point shot in front by Alex Limoges made it a 4-1 game with 8:32 to go in the second. Just over four minutes later, Sam Sternschein scored on an odd-man rush, making it 5-1.
The Spartans outshot the Nittany Lions 12-7 in the final period, while Penn State held a 31-29 edge for the game.
MSU's power play continued to click, finishing the game 2-for-5. PSU was 1-for-2.
The Spartans will start a home-and-home series with Michigan on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) at Yost Ice Arena, and then host the Wolverines at Munn on Saturday (7 p.m.).
Patrick Khodorenko scored twice and had an assist to lead the Spartans (3-5, 1-1), while Mitchell Lewandowski and Dennis Cesana both had a goal and assist.
"I thought our guys did some good stuff; I thought it was a really good battle by both teams," MSU head coach Danton Cole said. "Both teams worked really hard and we knew it was going to a dogfight.
"I don't have any complaints on our guys. I thought our guys played really hard. They kept getting better every period, I thought. In the third, they played a heck of a period and we gave ourselves a chance there at the end."
Trailing 5-1 and on a power play late in the second, the Spartans ended the period with a highlight reel goal by Khodorenko to make it 5-2 at the second intermission. Khodorenko got the puck from Lewandowski near the left side of the Penn State blue line, entered the zone and turned defenseman Mason Snell inside-out to get in all alone on goaltender Peyton Jones. Khodorenko deked and then tucked the puck inside the left post with 12 seconds to play in the period for his third goal of the season.
Michigan State controlled the play in the third and made it 5-3 when Cesana scored off an odd-man rush with 7:51 to go. While playing 4-on-4, Cesana grabbed the puck in the MSU end and raced down the right side and snapped the puck under the bar for his third goal of the season.
Another power play nearly brought the Spartans another goal closer, but PSU Jones turned away Sam Saliba on a semi-breakaway with 5:03 to go.
The Spartans pulled John Lethemon with under two minutes to go and it paid off as Khodorenko got his second of the night to make it a one-goal game, 5-4 with 1:07 to go. After pressure in the PSU end, the puck squirted out to Khodorenko in the right circle and he swept it into a nearly open net.
The Spartans got Lethemon to the bench again for the extra attacker, but Penn State's Denis Smirnov scored on the empty net with 29 seconds to go to make it 6-4 and end the Spartans' comeback hopes.
"We had some good determination and there is a lot for us to build on from this weekend," Cole said.
Penn State (7-2, 3-1) took a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Nikita Pavlychev and Evan Barratt. Pavlychev got the first goal with 9:20 to play in the first when he got ahold of a loose puck in the low slot and chipped it up into the net.
Barratt made it 2-0 with 3:36 left in the period, retrieving the puck from behind the MSU net and then backhanding it past Lethemon.
The Spartans got their first power play of the series just over four minutes into the second period and took advantage as Lewandowski scored his second goal of the season. Lewandowski finished off tic-tac-toe play from Khodorenko and Nicolas Müller with a one-timer from the left circle to cut the Spartan deficit to 2-1 at the 6:22 mark of the second period.
The one-goal deficit didn't last long though as point shot by Clayton Phillips got through traffic in front and into the net at the 7:36 mark reestablish Penn State's two-goal lead.
A deflection on a point shot in front by Alex Limoges made it a 4-1 game with 8:32 to go in the second. Just over four minutes later, Sam Sternschein scored on an odd-man rush, making it 5-1.
The Spartans outshot the Nittany Lions 12-7 in the final period, while Penn State held a 31-29 edge for the game.
MSU's power play continued to click, finishing the game 2-for-5. PSU was 1-for-2.
The Spartans will start a home-and-home series with Michigan on Thursday (6:30 p.m.) at Yost Ice Arena, and then host the Wolverines at Munn on Saturday (7 p.m.).
Team Stats
MSU
PSU
Shots
29
31
PPG
2
1
SHG
0
0
Penalties
4
7
Penalty Mins
8
14
Faceoffs Won
36
28
Game Leaders
+/-
0
Goals
2
Sh
3
A
1
+/-
-1
Goals
1
Sh
4
A
1
+/-
-2
Goals
1
Sh
4
A
1
+/-
-2
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
1
Players Mentioned
D
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