Senior forward Grant Loven put up the lone goal for St. Thomas in a 4-1 loss to Big Ten opponent Penn State University in the second game of the two-game series Wednesday night at St. Thomas Ice Arena in Mendota Heights.
The Tommies’ (1-15) offense couldn’t generate enough scoring chances, giving them only 12 shots on net while senior goaltender Jacob Berger took on 36 from the Nittany Lions (9-6).
“It’s really hard to stay in the game with teams like Penn State who come at you in waves and they’re really good at finishing their plays off,” coach Rico Blasi said. “We just didn’t generate enough chances for us to be offensive and get some opportunities.”
A strong period and a half from St. Thomas generated a 1-1 score in the second period until Penn State sophomore forward Tyler Paquette scored with 10:24 remaining. Penn State stayed aggressive in the Tommies zone the entirety of the game scoring in all three periods.
“I think we had points in the game where we were really strong,” first-year forward Tim Piechowski said. “We didn’t come for the full 60 and we fell into their trap and started to play racehorse hockey which is their game.”
The game brought 10 penalties, four from the Tommies and six against the Nittany Lions, forcing a power-play goal from both sides.
The Nittany Lions secured a two-goal lead by the end of the second period from junior forward Connor Maceachern. The last goal was scored at 9:16 in the third, with the final score of 4-1.
Berger played both games the full 60 minutes and Blasi said he did everything he needed to do.
“There’s nothing Jacob could have done anymore,” Blasi said. “He gave everything he had.”
The Tommies will be back at home next weekend to face Bemidji State University Friday and Saturday at 7:07 p.m.
“It’s always nice to play at home,” Piechowski said. “I think as a team, we feel a lot more confident when we get to sleep in our own beds.”
Olivia Paradise can be reached at para4336@stthomas.edu.