(UW ATHLETICS) UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Four goals in the first period and two power-play goals in the third lifted the Wisconsin men’s hockey team past the No. 18 Penn State Nittany Lions, 6-3, on Saturday night at Pegula Ice Arena.
With tonight’s win, the Badgers earn their first series sweep of the season and are tied with Minnesota for first place in the Big Ten conference with 11 points.
Wisconsin (4-8-0, 3-5-0 Big Ten) got off to a hot start, scoring four goals in the first eight minutes and 20 seconds of the contest after Kyle Kukkonen, Quinn Finley, Christian Fitzgerald, and Tyson Dyck each found the back of the net. Penn State (4-5-0, 0-4-0 Big Ten) gained momentum in the second period, scoring one goal 48 seconds into the period and one with 6:22 remaining in the frame to cut the Badgers’ lead in half. PSU added a third goal with 9:26 into the third period to make it a 4-3 game.
With 8:26 remaining in regulation, the Nittany Lions took a major penalty for boarding, giving Wisconsin a five-minute power-play. The Badgers capitalized on the man advantage twice, with Ryland Mosley and Cody Laskosky each scoring their second goal of the weekend to help UW to a 6-3 victory.
How it Happened
Junior forward Kukkonen broke the ice 40 seconds into the contest. Penn State goaltender Arsenii Sergeev tried to play the puck from behind his own net, but Kyle Kukkonen intercepted the past and shot it into a wide-open net to tally his second goal of the year.
Sophomore forward Finley doubled the Badgers’ lead 3:02 into the game. Graduate student forward Ryland Mosley passed up the right boards to freshman defenseman Logan Hensler at the blue line. Hensler took a shot, which was blocked by a PSU player in front of the net, but Finley picked up the loose puck and shoveled it home to notch his roster-leading eighth goal of the season.
Wisconsin made it a 3-0 game with 12:22 left in the first period. Junior forward Jack Horbach passed from the right side boards across the zone to graduate student defenseman Anthony Kehrer at the blue line. Kehrer took a shot, which missed wide, and junior forward Fitzgerald picked up the puck deep in Nittany Lion territory. Fitzgerald skated around the zone before using a drag move to beat goaltender Noah Grannan – who replaced Sergeev after the second Badger goal – and put home his first goal of the season.
Forty-two seconds later, junior forward Dyck scored his first goal in a Badgers jersey. In UW territory, Hensler defensively poked the puck away from a Nittany Lion toward Dyck in the neutral zone. He, along with graduate student forward Cody Laskosky, started a two-on-one rush into the PSU zone before Dyck let a hard shot fly to light the lamp and make it 4-0, Wisconsin.
Penn State found the back of the net 48 seconds into the second period on a goal from Jarod Crespo.
The Nittany Lions added another tally with 6:22 left in the second on Charlie Cerrato’s second goal of the weekend.
PSU made it a one-goal game with 11:34 left in the third after Aiden Fink shot a wrister past UW goaltender Tommy Scarfone.
With 8:36 remaining in regulation, Penn State’s Matt DiMarsico took a major penalty for boarding, giving Wisconsin a five-minute power play.
Thirty-four seconds into the power play with 8:12 left in the third, Ryland Mosley scored his second goal of the weekend. Freshman forward Gavin Morrissey rushed into the neutral zone and passed to Finley on his left who skated the puck into PSU territory. Near the bottom of the left faceoff circle, Finley passed up to Mosley in the slot, who fired home his fifth goal of the season.
Laskosky scored the Badgers’ second goal of the five-minute power-play with 4:32 left in the game. Morrissey made a pass from the middle of the left circle to Finley at the right faceoff dot. Finley then passed to Laskosky in front of the net, and he redirected the puck past the Penn State netminder to tally his second goal of the season.
Wisconsin went 2-for-4 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. UW finished the contest with a 33-31 deficit in shots on goal.
Notes to know:
– Tyson Dyck, who transferred to UW from UMass before the 2023-24 season, scored his first goal in a Badger sweater in his 40th game for Wisconsin
– The last time UW scored four goals in a period was on Jan. 6, 2024, in the first period at Notre Dame
– The Badgers scored 11 goals in their two-game series at Penn State after scoring eight goals total in its last four games
– UW owns wins in seven consecutive games against Penn State, which is the longest win streak for the Badgers over the Nittany Lions
– Wisconsin has won five consecutive games in the series at Penn State, extending its longest road win streak in series history
Up Next: The Badgers have a week off before hosting Alaska Anchorage at the Kohl Center on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 28-29. Friday’s game starts at 7 p.m. and Saturday’s begins at 8 p.m.
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