(UW ATHLETICS) UNIVERSITY PARK, PA – A four-goal third period and goals from seven different Badgers helped the No. 11 Wisconsin men’s hockey team to a 7-3 rout of the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday evening at Pegula Ice Arena.
With tonight’s win, the Badgers have clinched home ice for the Big Ten tournament quarterfinals and will take on Ohio State on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at the Kohl Center to start the postseason.
Penn State (20-11-2, 12-9-2 Big Ten – 41 points) got on the board first, 6:25 into the first period, before Quinn Finley tied the game for Wisconsin (20-11-2, 13-10-0 Big Ten – 36 points) at 9:11. PSU took a 2-1 lead on the power play at 10:56 into the first, but UW’s Vasily Zelenov tied the game at two, 2:29 into the second. Continuing back-and-forth play in the second period, Grady Deering gave Wisconsin its first lead of the night at 4:14, but PSU tied it at three with 1:06 remaining in the middle frame.
Wisconsin took off running in the third period, scoring four goals in the final 20 minutes of play. Simon Tassy struck first four minutes in, before Ryan Botterill and Adam Pietila added goals at 6:24 and 13:52, respectively. Gavin Morrissey notched the Badgers’ seventh goal at 17:32 on a five-on-three power play to seal a 7-3 win for UW.
How it Happened
First Period
The Badgers got the first power play of the night, 3:15 into the opening period, but Penn State got the kill.
PSU opened the scoring at 6:25 with a goal from Cade Christenson.
Junior forward Finley tied the game at one for the Badgers at 9:11.
The Nittany Lions earned their first power play of the night at 10:46, which they capitalized on 10 seconds in at 10:56 when Gavin McKenna found the back of the net. Wisconsin challenged the tally for goaltender interference, but the call stood as a good goal.
Second Period
Wisconsin tied the game at two with a fortunate bounce off the glass that went straight to freshman forward Zelenov in the slot, 2:29 into the frame.
Less than two minutes later, at 4:14, freshman forward Deering gave UW a 3-2 lead when a Pietila shot hit the post, then hit Deering in the body before bouncing into the net.
The Badgers got their second power-play of the night at 5:48, but PSU got the kill once again.
At 8:02, a five-minute major was called on freshman forward Blake Montgomery. Midway through the major, at 8:52, a penalty was called on Penn State as both teams skated four-on-four for two minutes before Wisconsin killed off the remaining PSU power play.
With 1:06 left in the second, Penn State’s Aiden Fink tied the game at three.
Third Period
Wisconsin opened the third period with some offensive firepower, scoring two goals in 2:24 in the first seven minutes of the frame.
Senior forward Tassy netted the game-winning goal exactly four minutes into the period.
At 6:24, sophomore forward Botterill made it a 5-3 game.
Sophomore forward Pietila found the back of the net to tally Wisconsin’s sixth goal at 13:52.
Penn State took a penalty for too many men at 15:49, before being called for a minor infraction again at 16:29 to give Wisconsin 80 seconds of a five-on-three power-play.
To cap off a four-goal third period, sophomore forward Morrissey lit the lamp on the five-on-three for his 30th point of the season.
At 18:25, a final penalty was called on the Nittany Lions as UW finished the game on the man advantage to earn a 7-3 victory.
Wisconsin went 1-for-5 on the power play and 1-for-2 on the penalty kill. UW finished the contest with a 41-31 advantage in shots on goal.
Notes to know
– Wisconsin reached 20 wins for the second time in three seasons under Mike Hastings, the fourth time in 12 seasons and for the 40th time in school history
– Wisconsin won for the sixth consecutive time at Penn State dating back to Feb. 25, 2023
– Gavin Morrissey collected his 30th point of the year to post his second consecutive 30-point season to start his NCAA career. He had nine goals and 32 points as a freshman and boasts seven goals and 30 points so far this season as a sophomore
– Weston Knox posted his first-career three-point night with three assists
– Wisconsin recorded its sixth four-goal period of the year in the third frame
Up Next: The Badgers continue their series at Penn State and play their final contest of the regular season on Friday, March 6. The contest starts at 6 p.m. CT and streams on B1G+.
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