Penn State Done In By Mistakes
by Matthew Auchincloss/CHN Reporter
ANN ARBOR, Mich. A game between the two most penalized teams in the country can only have 26 minutes’ worth of penalties. Any less would be odd.
“We needed a little more discipline to beat a great team like that,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said.
Gadowsky’s team wasn’t the most penalized team of the night, though. Instead, it was Michigan that was constantly on the kill. But it didn’t hurt the Wolverines, who turned penalty kills into goals and converted on their opportunities to advance to the Big Ten championship game, 5-2, on Saturday at Yost Arena. Penn State, meanwhile, couldn’t find its power-play rhythm and conceded a shorthanded goal.
“Obviously not good enough,” Gadowsky said. “I don’t think we had a power-play goal, and obviously we gave up the shorty, so not good enough to win it at Big Ten and championship level.”
For Michigan, this was both about revenge for last year and for the right to prove how good it’s been. Taking 16 penalty minutes wasn’t exactly in the game plan, but it accomplished it anyway.
Michigan will host Ohio State next weekend in the championship game, thanks to the Buckeyes’ OT win over Michigan State.
Michigan’s evening was more impressive given that its “power kill,” as associate coach Rob Rassey calls it, hasn’t been a massive strength this season. It currently sits 40th nationally at 79.3 percent, but it made it count tonight, going a perfect four-for-four in the second period and conceding nothing 4-on-4.
“It’s not about our percentage, it’s doing it in huge moments,” Michigan coach Brandon Naurato said. “And obviously these are pretty big moments.”
The second period was emblematic of just how the Wolverines commanded the game via special teams. Michigan’s second-period woes are well known, but they were nowhere to be found tonight. Despite taking 12 minutes of penalties, the Wolverines were in control of every facet, forcing the Nittany Lions to chase them despite the Lions having the man advantage for much of the period. Penn State was constantly disrupted and its power play failed to blossom at any point during the game.
Meanwhile, Garrett Schifsky potted a shorthanded goal after he was left wide open in front of the net by Gavin McKenna, who abandoned his defensive post to retrieve his stick that went flying. McKenna opened the scoring but went minus-3 on the night. In five games against Michigan, the projected first overall pick was held to just three points.
“That was our job,” Luca Fantilli said. “He’s an unbelievable player, and he’s got a lot of skill, and he can make you look silly. You gotta just just try and try and defend him as best as you can. But me and Tyler Duke took a lot of pride in that this year, playing against that line and him and trying to shut him down. It’s tough because he’s really good, but that’s our job, so we gotta know our role.”
On the power play, Michigan also capitalized — though it took a 5-on-3 for it to do so, as previous power plays were disrupted by its own penalties. Michael Hage hadn’t scored in two months and was sick with the flu, as well.
“That guy was throwing up before the game,” Fantilli said. “He was sick. He didn’t tell anybody, he didn’t complain, but all he did was work. … He hit, he back checked, he forechecked, and he got rewarded. And that’s the coolest thing you can see when a guy like that, who has all that talent plays a gritty game and gets rewarded with a goal like that. It’s awesome.”
“Gonna give him the flu every night,” Naurato joked.
More than just the special teams, though, the Wolverines got contributions throughout the lineup, with every line scoring at least one goal. Of their top five scorers, only Will Horcoff did not have a point.
In contrast, Matt DiMarsico, Aidan Fink, J.J. Wiebusch and Reese Laubach were all held off the scoresheet, and Charlie Cerrato and McKenna were held to just one point each. Aside from Lev Katzin’s goal, the depth did not appear, either, for Penn State. Michigan was simply the better team tonight.
“I think it just comes down to wanting,” Fantilli said. “I think our guys wanted it more and stuck to the details.”
Penn State is a virtual lock for the NCAAs regardless, but it will have to wait an extra week now to play again. Michigan has long wrapped up a No. 1 seed at the NCAAs, but now will look for the Big Ten Tournament championship first.