Sports
Penn State Topples Ohio In Packed Arena
By: Nick Hart
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In the opening game of a two-game series between bitter rivals, a capacity crowd witnessed a lopsided hockey game. The Ohio University club hockey team fell to Penn State’s NCAA Division-I squad by a final score of 6-1 at the Giant Center in Hershey, Pa.
The Bobcats only trailed by a goal at one point in the second period, until the Nittany Lions unleashed an offensive explosion and scored four goals in less than five minutes to what would ultimately become the final score.
Ohio goaltender Matt Michno was pulled after goals by Kenny Brooks, Casey Bailey, Michael Longo and Mark Yanis, and he was replaced by Aaron Alkema. Alkema allowed no goals and made 10 saves in relief of Michno, but the damage had already been done by Penn State’s goal-scoring outburst.
Nick Rostek got the Bobcats on the board first when he redirected a shot from Paul Sergi into the top right corner behind Penn State’s sophomore netminder, P.J. Musico. Ohio proceeded to carry the momentum gained from Rostek’s tally into the next few minutes of play and generated several scoring opportunities, including a blistering slapshot by Jonathan Pietramala that was gloved out of the air by Musico.
Ohio’s time in the lead came to an end on the penalty kill, when Casey Bailey scored his first of two goals on the night with a slapshot from the half-wall. David Glen scored for Penn State just moments later to give the Nittany Lions the 2-1 lead.
No goals were scored in the third period, and the Bobcats successfully killed off several power plays during the period to make their penalty kill go 4/5 on the night.
Ohio will get its chance at redemption tomorrow night in front of a much smaller crowd, as they travel to Happy Valley to take on their NCAA rivals at the Greenburg Ice Pavillion at 7:30.