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Beaver Stadium Shines for Hockey, but Michigan State Spoils Penn State's Party

The Spartans beat the Nittany Lions in overtime, completing an impressive Big Ten series sweep in State College.
Mark Wogenrich|
The Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Michigan State Spartans in a Big Ten hockey game at Beaver Stadium.
The Penn State Nittany Lions take on the Michigan State Spartans in a Big Ten hockey game at Beaver Stadium. | James Lang-Imagn Images

Michigan State spoiled Penn State's outdoor hockey carnival Saturday, as Charlie Stramel scored a hat trick, including the game-winner in overtime, to lift the Spartans over the Nittany Lions 5-4.

Penn State left Stramel, who finished with four points, wide open in front of the net, where Patrick Geary found him with a free puck. Stramel beat Penn State goalkeeper Kevin Reidler top-shelf 3:08 into the overtime period, and the Spartans completed an impressive series sweep in State College.

Fifth-ranked Penn State (18-8) entered the weekend on a seven-game Big Ten win streak, the longest in program history. But the second-ranked Spartans (21-5) won the opener 6-3 on Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena, then pivoted on short rest for the 1 p.m. start at Beaver Stadium. Penn State fans turned the afternoon into a spectacle.

A Beaver Stadium crowd of 74,575, the second-largest attendance for an outdoor college hockey game, withstood single-digit wind chills to bring a football atmosphere to an ice rink surrounded by snow.

And the building was loud, even during breaks. After the second period, Penn State's Aiden Fink tried to conduct an interview with Big Ten Network but had trouble hearing the questions.

The game was the centerpiece of Penn State's Winter Sports Weekend, which began Friday as the fourth-ranked women's hockey team christened the Beaver Stadium ice with a 3-0 win over Robert Morris. Penn State, which is in the middle of a $700 million renovation of Beaver Stadium, expects to parlay events like these into an NHL Stadium Series game in the future.

But Michigan State won the weekend. For the second straight game, Michigan State opened the scoring, with Daniel Russell skate-tapping the puck past Reidler. Michigan State outshot Penn State 31-26 in the first period, leading the Nittany Lions to look for more pucks on net.

Fink did that just 13 seconds into the second period with a slick sidestep to get a one-on-one with Michigan State goaltender Trey Augustine. Fink buried the shot to tie the game and kick off an entertaining second period in which he scored twice.

Penn State and Michigan State combined for five second-period goals, with neither team taking more than a one-goal lead. Stramel scored twice in the period for Spartans, once on a power play, and Penn State's Gavin McKenna had a goal and two assists.

The Nittany Lions led 3-2 late in the second, but Stramel added his second goal, on a power play, with 2 seconds left to tie the game. Penn State countered quickly in the third period with another go-ahead goal, this one from Shea Van Olm that gave the Nittany Lions their second lead of the game.

However, the Spartans retaliated again with Matt Basgall snapping a wrist shot from long range to tie the game at 4-4. Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky challenged the goal for offsides, but the challenge was overruled.

Michigan State outshot the Nittany Lions 40-35, and Reidler made 35 saves. Penn State went 0-for-3 on the power play, with Michigan State killing one in the third after tying the game.

Michigan State took Game 1 of the series Friday at the Bryce Jordan Center, playing a physical game in defeating the Nittany Lions 6-3. The Spartans jumped on Penn State early, scoring three goals in the first period, two by Anthony Romani. The Michigan State freshman recorded his first career hat trick in the win.

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Mark Wogenrich
MARK WOGENRICH

Mark Wogenrich is the editor and publisher of Penn State on SI, the site for Nittany Lions sports on the Sports Illustrated network. He has covered Penn State sports for more than two decades across three coaching staffs, three Rose Bowls and one College Football Playoff appearance.

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