After a scoreless first period, the Michigan Wolverines scored three goals in the second and five in the third in an 8-1 rout of the Nittany Lions, earning a weekend split with Penn State and creating a four-way tie for first place in the Big Ten standings after the league’s first weekend of conference play.
The line of Max Shuart, J.T. Compher, and Boo Nieves combined for three goals and four assists; sophomores Shuart and Compher led the Wolverines with three points each. Zach Nagelvoort made 41 saves in the contest.
“The difference in tonight’s game for me is that we didn’t have that letdown, that three-minute letdown, that really cost us the game last night and we couldn’t recover from that,” said Michigan coach Red Berenson, “and the pucks were going in [tonight].”
Penn State won Friday’s Big Ten opener, 3-2, with all three goals coming in a span of 2:52 late in the second period.
“Even though we didn’t score in the first period, our team played patient, played hard, and then sooner or later, you’ve got to put one of those chances in,” said Berenson. “Boo Nieves’ goal was a highlight-reel goal. You don’t get many of those.”
Nieves opened the scoring for the Wolverines at 2:04 in the second, skating in on the right wing and deking a Penn State defender before firing a backhander past PSU goaltender Eamon McAdam. Michigan’s additional second-period goals were scored by players in the right place at the right time; at 9:56, Tyler Motte was in front of the Penn State crease to receive Andrew Copp’s feed from behind the net, and at 16:44, Zach Hyman crashed the Nittany Lions’ net just as the puck lay dormant in the crease, with McAdam unable to cover up Alex Kile’s initial shot.
The Nittany Lions’ only goal came with 32.5 seconds left in the second, Taylor Holstrom’s rocket from the crease on Casey Bailey’s rebound.
That last-minute goal gave the Nittany Lions some life heading into the third “absolutely,” said PSU coach Guy Gadowsky.
“We had another chance in the third and then gave up a shorty,” said Gadowsky. “I thought that was a big goal.”
That short-handed goal by Copp at the six-minute mark put the Wolverines up 4-1, but Michigan didn’t begin to roll until Compher registered his first of the season at 11:32. Then it was Kile at 13:37, Compher again at 15:54, and Michael Downing at 16:45.
“I think we were pressing to try to even it up and we pressed a little too much and gave up many odd-man rushes and certainly didn’t do our goaltender any favors,” said Gadowsky. “I thought he played very well, but they’re such a skilled group that if you give them odd-man rushes, they’re going to make you pay. That’s exactly what they did.”
Next weekend, Penn State (7-3-2, 1-1-0 Big Ten) plays a single nonconference game against Cornell in Madison Square Garden (Nov. 29), while the Wolverines (5-6-0, 1-1-0 Big Ten) host Rensselaer for two games (Nov. 28-29) in nonconference play.
