Friday, January 10
University Park, PA
7 PM
Michigan State University
18-2-1, 9-1-1
6
at
4
Penn State
8-10-1, 1-9-1
1
2
3
F
Michigan State
1
2
3
6
Penn State
2
1
1
4
Howard's Five-Point Effort Propels Spartans, 6-4
1/10/2025 11:46:00 PM | Men's Ice Hockey
State College, Pa. – Isaac Howard had four goals and an assist as Michigan State overcame a 2-0 first-period deficit to earn a 6-4 victory on the road at Penn State on Friday night.
The top-ranked Spartans improved to 7-1-1 in road games, and are unbeaten in eight straight contests (7-0-1) dating back to Dec 7 – with seven of those eight games played away from Munn Ice Arena – three at neutral sites and four others at road venues (Wisconsin, two at Minnesota, and Penn State). MSU is now 18-2-1 overall and take over sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with 27 points (9-1-1).
Howard has a goal in six straight games and a total of 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in MSU's last eight contests to overtake the national scoring lead. He now has 32 points on a career-best 17 goals, more than doubling his eight goals scored as a sophomore a year ago. He had 36 points in 36 games last year.
MSU overcame a two-goal deficit for the third time in four games – the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead over the first 13 minutes of the game, but Howard cut the lead in half with under four minutes remaining in the period, and tied the game six minutes into second. Penn State pulled ahead with Charlie Cerrato's goal at 13:24, but MSU answered with a power play goal by Matt Basgall 90 seconds later to send the teams into the locker room tied 3-3 after 40 minutes. Howard and Karsen Dorwart gave MSU a 5-3 lead by the 15-minute mark of the final frame, but the home team pulled their goaltender in favor of an extra attacker with more than four minutes remaining, generating a Dane Dowiak goal at 16:36 to pull within a goal A late penalty against the Nittany Lions led to Howard icing his night with a power play goal at 17:53.
Dorwart fiished his night with a goal and two assists , while Charlie Stramel also had a three-point night with three assists.
Penn State goalie Arsenii Sergeev made 39 saves for Penn State (8-10-1, 1-9-1 B1G), including 17 in the first period. The Nittany Lions got their four goals from four different scorers. Cerrato had a goal and an assist to lead PSU offensively.
The teams finish up the two-game weekend series on Saturday night at 6 pm.
STATISTICS OF NOTE
PERIOD RECAPS
First Period: Aiden Fink put the home team on the board first, collecting the puck behind the net, taking a stride, and tucking it inside the left post for his 10th goal of the season. Another play from behind the net to the left side led to Penn State's second goal at 13:32, as Carson Dyck passed the puck out to a crashing Dylan Lugris, and he popped it home from below the hash marks for a 2-0 home team lead. MSU cut into the PSU advantage with just 3:42 remaining in the period, as Daniel Russell took a feed from Charlie Stramel off the left wall and shot from the cusp of the right circle. Goalie Arsenii Sergeev made the initial save, but he gave up the rebound with Isaac Howard on the left side – and Howard backhanded it home for his 14th goal of the season. The Spartans had a commanding 18-8 edge in shots – and Sergeev was certainly doing his part to keep his team in the lead.
Second Period: Howard struck again early in the second to tie the game at 2-2. Stramel won the offensive zone faceoff back to Nicklas Andrews at the right point, and he got it to Daniel Russell. Russell passed it off to Howard in the low slot, and set up the junior's 15th goal of the season. The teams were each assessed penalties at 11:51 – it started as a Geary roughing call, but after the Spartans asked for a review, a five-minute major was assessed against Penn State – making it two minutes of 5x5 and then an extended three-minute power play for MSU. The Nittany Lions got a rising shot from Charlie Cerrato with 18 seconds remaining in the Geary penalty to regain the lead. MSU countered with a power play marker at 4:05, when the Spartans were buzzing deep in their offensive zone. Karsen Dorwart tapped it to Isaac Howard, who got the puck out of traffic and up to Basgall inside the blue line. The junior ripped a shot from there, which eluded all the bodies in front and ended up in the back of the net for his third goal of the season. The teams combined for 29 shots in the period,
Third Period: Howard broke the 3-3 deadlock at 7:10, He skated in and was heavily marked by a defender, and scored from the bottom of the right circle to complete his hat trick. MSU carried the one-goal lead into the final six minutes, and went up by a pair of scores at 14:19 when Karsen Dorwart backhanded a rebound home for his sixth of the season – the initial shot came from the right point from Andrews, who earned his second assist of the night. The home team thought it had pulled within a goal, but an unreal play by Di Pasquo kept the puck from crossing the line, preserving the two-goal advantage. With 4:14 remaining, Sergeev headed to the bench in favor of an extra skater, and the move paid off for the Nittany Lions, getting a goal from Dane Dowiak at 16:36 to indeed pull within a score, but a Nicholas DeGraves hooking call with 2:21 remaining put MSU on the power play for the fifth time, and for what appeared would be most of the balance of regulation. However, Howard found the puck on his stick at 17:53, and buried his fourth goal of the night (off assists from Dorwart and Stramel) to cap the night's scoring.
The top-ranked Spartans improved to 7-1-1 in road games, and are unbeaten in eight straight contests (7-0-1) dating back to Dec 7 – with seven of those eight games played away from Munn Ice Arena – three at neutral sites and four others at road venues (Wisconsin, two at Minnesota, and Penn State). MSU is now 18-2-1 overall and take over sole possession of first place in the Big Ten with 27 points (9-1-1).
Howard has a goal in six straight games and a total of 17 points (11 goals, six assists) in MSU's last eight contests to overtake the national scoring lead. He now has 32 points on a career-best 17 goals, more than doubling his eight goals scored as a sophomore a year ago. He had 36 points in 36 games last year.
MSU overcame a two-goal deficit for the third time in four games – the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead over the first 13 minutes of the game, but Howard cut the lead in half with under four minutes remaining in the period, and tied the game six minutes into second. Penn State pulled ahead with Charlie Cerrato's goal at 13:24, but MSU answered with a power play goal by Matt Basgall 90 seconds later to send the teams into the locker room tied 3-3 after 40 minutes. Howard and Karsen Dorwart gave MSU a 5-3 lead by the 15-minute mark of the final frame, but the home team pulled their goaltender in favor of an extra attacker with more than four minutes remaining, generating a Dane Dowiak goal at 16:36 to pull within a goal A late penalty against the Nittany Lions led to Howard icing his night with a power play goal at 17:53.
Dorwart fiished his night with a goal and two assists , while Charlie Stramel also had a three-point night with three assists.
Penn State goalie Arsenii Sergeev made 39 saves for Penn State (8-10-1, 1-9-1 B1G), including 17 in the first period. The Nittany Lions got their four goals from four different scorers. Cerrato had a goal and an assist to lead PSU offensively.
The teams finish up the two-game weekend series on Saturday night at 6 pm.
STATISTICS OF NOTE
- MSU allowed four goals, tying its largest number to an opponent this season. The Spartans were shut out on the road at Wisconsin on Dec. 6 (4-0).
- The Spartans were playing their ninth game since Dec. 6 and eight of those games have been away from Munn Ice Arena. MSU has two more road tilts before a home game on Jan. 18 against Michigan.
- Howard's five-point effort was MSU's first since Lee Reimer had three goals and two assists since Oct. 29, 2011 – Lee Reimer had three goals and two assists in a home game against Robert Morris. It was the first four-goal game for MSU since Erik Middendorf had four goals against Wisconsin on Nov. 4, 2022 in a 5-0 victory.
- Howard's four goals and five points matches the single-game best of any player nationally this season. He now has at least one goal in six straight games and a combined 17 points in the last eight (11-6-17). He has doubled his goal total from his sophomore season, when he had eight and 36 points.
- Of Howard's 32 points on the year, 26 have come with his team skating at even strength.
- Howard's 17 goals and 32 points has overtaken the national lead in those categories..
- The line of Isaac Howard- Charlie Stramel-Daniel Russell combined for 10 points tonight. Stramel had assists on three of Howard's scores, and Russell the primary assist on each of the first two. Stramel and Russell are tied for second on the team with 18 points.
- Karsen Dorwart had a goal and two assists, tying his single game high in points this season. He now has a 6-10-16 scoring line.
- Graduate student Nicklas Andrews skated in his 150th career game and contributed a pair of assists.
- Matt Basgall had a power-play goal, his third score of the season, and shared the team lead of three blocked shots with David Gucciardi.
- Di Pasquo made his fifth consecutive start and improved to 7-0-0 with his 29-save performance.
- Freshman Vladislav Lukashevich also earned an assist on Dorwart's goal, and has points in back-to-back games after scoring his first collegiate goal at Wrigley against Wisconsin last Saturday.
PERIOD RECAPS
First Period: Aiden Fink put the home team on the board first, collecting the puck behind the net, taking a stride, and tucking it inside the left post for his 10th goal of the season. Another play from behind the net to the left side led to Penn State's second goal at 13:32, as Carson Dyck passed the puck out to a crashing Dylan Lugris, and he popped it home from below the hash marks for a 2-0 home team lead. MSU cut into the PSU advantage with just 3:42 remaining in the period, as Daniel Russell took a feed from Charlie Stramel off the left wall and shot from the cusp of the right circle. Goalie Arsenii Sergeev made the initial save, but he gave up the rebound with Isaac Howard on the left side – and Howard backhanded it home for his 14th goal of the season. The Spartans had a commanding 18-8 edge in shots – and Sergeev was certainly doing his part to keep his team in the lead.
Second Period: Howard struck again early in the second to tie the game at 2-2. Stramel won the offensive zone faceoff back to Nicklas Andrews at the right point, and he got it to Daniel Russell. Russell passed it off to Howard in the low slot, and set up the junior's 15th goal of the season. The teams were each assessed penalties at 11:51 – it started as a Geary roughing call, but after the Spartans asked for a review, a five-minute major was assessed against Penn State – making it two minutes of 5x5 and then an extended three-minute power play for MSU. The Nittany Lions got a rising shot from Charlie Cerrato with 18 seconds remaining in the Geary penalty to regain the lead. MSU countered with a power play marker at 4:05, when the Spartans were buzzing deep in their offensive zone. Karsen Dorwart tapped it to Isaac Howard, who got the puck out of traffic and up to Basgall inside the blue line. The junior ripped a shot from there, which eluded all the bodies in front and ended up in the back of the net for his third goal of the season. The teams combined for 29 shots in the period,
Third Period: Howard broke the 3-3 deadlock at 7:10, He skated in and was heavily marked by a defender, and scored from the bottom of the right circle to complete his hat trick. MSU carried the one-goal lead into the final six minutes, and went up by a pair of scores at 14:19 when Karsen Dorwart backhanded a rebound home for his sixth of the season – the initial shot came from the right point from Andrews, who earned his second assist of the night. The home team thought it had pulled within a goal, but an unreal play by Di Pasquo kept the puck from crossing the line, preserving the two-goal advantage. With 4:14 remaining, Sergeev headed to the bench in favor of an extra skater, and the move paid off for the Nittany Lions, getting a goal from Dane Dowiak at 16:36 to indeed pull within a score, but a Nicholas DeGraves hooking call with 2:21 remaining put MSU on the power play for the fifth time, and for what appeared would be most of the balance of regulation. However, Howard found the puck on his stick at 17:53, and buried his fourth goal of the night (off assists from Dorwart and Stramel) to cap the night's scoring.
Team Stats
MSU
PSU
Shots
45
33
PPG
2
0
SHG
0
0
Penalties
4
5
Penalty Mins
8
13
Faceoffs Won
43
44
Game Leaders
Skaters
+/-
1
Goals
4
Sh
11
A
1
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
4
A
2
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
2
A
3
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
2
Players Mentioned
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice Hockey
D
/ Men's Ice Hockey
F
/ Men's Ice HockeyF
/ Men's Ice HockeyIsaac Howard Wins The Hobey | Spartans All-Access
Monday, April 21
Adam Nightingale | Hockey Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Adam Nightingale, Daniel Russell, Tiernan Shoudy Post Game Comments | Cornell
Thursday, March 27
Adam Nightingale, Tiernan Shoudy, Matt Basgall, and Tanner Kelly | NCAA Regional
Wednesday, March 26