No. 5 Penn State Hockey Ties Notre Dame 3-3, Secures Shootout Victory

SOUTH BEND, IN – No. 5 Penn State men’s hockey (20-9-2, 12-7-2 Big Ten) battled back from a three-goal deficit to tie Notre Dame (6-22-5, 2-17-2 Big Ten) 3-3 on Friday night, earning the extra point in the Big Ten standings with a shootout win at Compton Family Ice Arena.

First Period Struggles

Notre Dame controlled the early play, opening the scoring with a goal from freshman Dashel Oliver at the 5:02 mark, assisted by Henry Nelson. Black Shoe Diaries reports that the Fighting Irish capitalized on early momentum. Penn State faced further challenges as Ben Schoen and Jarod Crespo were both penalized for tripping, leading to a 5-on-3 power play for Notre Dame.

Despite successfully killing off the two-man advantage, Penn State continued to struggle. William Belle extended Notre Dame’s lead with a breakaway goal and Cole Knuble added another just 28 seconds later, making it 3-0. Shea Van Olm finally got the Nittany Lions on the board with a wrist shot late in the period, assisted by Mac Gadowsky, leaving the score at 3-1 after the first intermission.

Second Period Comeback Initiated

The second period saw a more subdued pace, with Notre Dame maintaining a significant shot advantage (25-9 at the halfway mark). Although, Penn State began to build momentum. Following matching unsportsmanlike conduct penalties to Shea Van Olm and Henry Nelson, Aiden Fink scored with under a minute remaining in the second period, assisted by Gavin McKenna, pulling Penn State within one.

Third Period Tie and Shootout Heroics

Penn State carried the momentum into the third period. Fink scored his second goal of the night, tying the game 3-3 after stripping a Notre Dame skater of the puck and converting on a 1-on-1 opportunity. Onward State highlighted the Nittany Lions’ strong start to the final frame.

The third period ended without another goal, sending the game to overtime. Both teams had chances, but Josh Fleming and Nicholas Kempf stood strong in goal. The game was decided in a shootout, where freshman Gavin McKenna scored the lone goal, securing the extra point for Penn State.

Up Next

Penn State and Notre Dame will face off again on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET at Compton Family Ice Arena. The game will be broadcast on Peacock. SI.com reports that Penn State seeks to complete the sweep.