No. 17 Penn State spent plenty of Friday night driving play and still walked away with a 3-1 loss to No. 16 UConn in its season opener at the Ice Breaker Tournament at Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Conn.
That’s the kind of game hockey can throw at you: the shot count leans one way, the faceoff wins pile up, and the result still goes the other direction. Penn State outshot UConn 43-24 and won 37 of 56 draws, but Huskies goalie Kam Hendrickson turned into the difference-maker with 42 saves. A third-period goal that would have tied things was then wiped out on review, and that swung the night firmly back to UConn.
Freshman Kale Dach scored Penn State’s lone goal, while sophomore Justin Poirier picked up an assist and came close to leveling the game before the overturned call changed the final stretch.
Penn State came out with purpose right away, producing 10 shots in the opening period while holding UConn to just two. But the Huskies made one of their few looks count.
At 9:11, defenseman Will McIsaac jumped into the rush and snapped a wrist shot from the right faceoff circle past sophomore goalie Josh Fleming. Mike Murtagh and Ethan Gardula were credited with assists, and UConn took a 1-0 lead into the first intermission despite being pinned back for much of the period.
The Nittany Lions finally cashed in midway through the second. Poirier did the heavy lifting on the sequence, working around the UConn defense before setting up Dach for a backhand finish from just above the crease at 6:39. It was Dach’s first collegiate goal, with Poirier and Shea Van Olm assisting.
For Penn State, it was the kind of response that fit the way the game was going. But the tie didn’t last long.
At 15:35, Joey Muldowney finished a cross-ice pass from Alexandre Blais with a one-timer from the left circle that got past Fleming’s glove. Charlie Morrison got the secondary assist, and UConn carried a 2-1 edge into the third.
Penn State kept pushing in the final period and looked like it had finally broken through with 7:03 left. Poirier shoved a rebound past Hendrickson at the far post, and for a moment the game was tied. UConn challenged for goaltender interference, though, and the officials overturned the goal after video review.
Instead of heading into the closing minutes level, Penn State stayed in chase mode. The Nittany Lions pulled Fleming for an extra skater, but Kaden Shahan ended it with an empty-net goal at 18:26.
Penn State’s special teams never found the answer, either. The Nittany Lions went 0-for-3 on the power play and killed both UConn chances. Dach led Penn State with five shots, while Justin Larose had seven and defenseman Mac Gadowsky added five.
Fleming finished with 22 saves. Hendrickson’s 42-save night earned him first-star honors.
The defeat snapped Penn State’s five-game winning streak in season openers and left the program at 10-4-1 all-time in opening games. The Nittany Lions will get another chance quickly, facing Sacred Heart on Saturday to close the Ice Breaker Tournament at Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Conn.
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