Notre Dame 4, Penn State 2: Five-Alarm Fire

Penn State hockey fell to 2-7-1 with a 4-2 loss to Notre Dame on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions scored the first goal but were completely flattened in the final 40 minutes of regulation in another embarrassing loss as we hit the 10-game mark of the season. First Period Penn State came out firing on all cylinders and put up more sustained zone time in the first period than they did at any point last night. Patrick Quinlan made several point-blank saves, including two with Shea Busch uncontested in front of the net. During 4-on-4 play later in the frame, Justin Poirier carried the puck cleanly through the neutral zone and set up Jackson Smith for a wrist shot in the high slot that bounced past Quinlan: Notre Dame pressured a bit, but the Nittany Lions took their 1-0 lead to the locker room and made way for the annual Teddy Bear Toss. Second Period Just as they did last night, Notre Dame took control of the game in the second period. Carter Slaggert tied the game 39 seconds into the second, and the Fighting Irish immediately swung the momentum of the game. Penn State struggled to generate a consistent attack in the middle period, and the chippy play started to pick up throughout. A commotion behind the net resulted in the puck finding a wide open Danny Nelson in front of the net. Nelson easily beat Josh Fleming to give Notre Dame a 2-1 lead. The ugly defensive play continued for Penn State throughout the second period, and Penn State was fortunate to escape the second only trailing by a goal. Third Period Things snowballed from bad to worse in the third period for Penn State, as Danny Nelson and Panayioti Fimis each scored a goal in the first three minutes of the period to suddenly put Notre Dame ahead 4-1. Dane Dowiak pulled Penn State within two in the later stages of the third on the power play: Scoring Summary First Period PSU: Jackson Smith (3)- Justin Poirier (8)- 4v4- 14:07 Second Period ND: Carter Slaggert (2)- Hagen Burrows (2), Paul Fischer (6)- 5v5- 0:39 ND: Danny Nelson (4)- Unassisted- 5v5- 16:47 Third Period ND: Danny Nelson (5)- Sammy Nelson (2)- 5v5- 0:29 ND: Panayioti Fimis (2)- Hagen Burrows (3), Henry Nelson (3)- 5v5- 2:32 PSU: Dane Dowiak (4)- Lev Katzin (4), Jackson Smith (10)- PP- 15:16 Shots By Period ND: 9-12-8- 29 PSU: 16-10-12- 38 Random Observations Houston, We Have (Several) Problems- Penn State now has losses to Sacred Heart, Robert Morris, and Notre Dame twice. This is the worst team since the program’s inception in 2012, and I don’t see any signs of improvement. There is zero structure to their game in all three zones. It’s just five skaters playing shinny hoping that scoring chances magically materialize and the goaltender can bail out all of their breakdowns. I lay the blame squarely on the coaching staff. Adjustments are nowhere to be found. The players look like they have no clue what they are doing. This is a five-alarm fire. What’s Next Penn State will travel to Ann Arbor for a series with Michigan next Friday and Saturday.