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Daniel Laatsch lifts Badgers men's hockey over No. 18 Penn State in overtime

Laatsch played the hero in a back-and-forth affair Friday night.
Nolan O'Hara|
Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings speaks to forward William Whitelaw during the second period of the game against Michigan State on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis.
Wisconsin coach Mike Hastings speaks to forward William Whitelaw during the second period of the game against Michigan State on Saturday, March 2, 2024, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wis. | Jovanny Hernandez / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK

Daniel Laatsch played the hero, scoring just over a minute into overtime to lift the Badgers men's hockey team to a 5-4 victory over No. 18 Penn State Friday night in University Park, Pa.

It's Laatsch's second overtime winner for the Badgers this season.

The game was certainly not without its drama. The Badgers (3-8-0) looked like they were going to hang on after Ryan Botterill scored a go-ahead goal with 8 minutes, 40 seconds remaining in the third period, but Danny Dzhaniyev scored a power-play goal with just 50 seconds remaining in the frame for the Nittany Lions (4-3-1) to send it into overtime.

That wasn't the only drama in the back-and-forth contest. The Badgers held a two-goal lead entering the third period, but that was quickly erased when Charlie Cerrato and Ben Schoen both scored within the first six minutes of the third frame.

Wisconsin struck first when Ryland Mosley scored 3 minutes, 27 seconds into the first period, but Aiden Fink knotted things up for Penn State with a power-play goal with just 1 minute, 25 seconds remaining in the opening period.

The Badgers got second-period goals from Sawyer Scholl and Cody Laskosky to take the two-goal advantage.

Tommy Scarfone made 32 saves on 36 Penn State shots in a valiant effort in net for the Badgers. Nittany Lions goalie Arsenii Sergeev stopped 23 of 28 Badgers shots.

The two teams meet again for a 6:30 p.m. puck drop Saturday night in University Park.

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Nolan O'Hara
NOLAN O'HARA

Nolan O'Hara covers all things Minnesota sports, primarily the Timberwolves, for Bring Me The News and Sports Illustrated's On SI network. He previously worked as a copy editor at the St. Paul Pioneer Press and is a graduate of the University of Minnesota's Hubbard School of Journalism. His work has appeared in the Pioneer Press, Ratchet & Wrench magazine, the Minnesota Daily and a number of local newspapers in Minnesota, among other publications.

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