Joshua Fleming had 27 saves and Luke Misa had a goal and an assist to lead No. 9 Penn State to a 3-0 victory over the Gophers men’s hockey team on Friday, Jan. 9, in State College, Pa.
The Gophers (8-11-1, 4-5 Big Ten) were playing their first regular-season game in more than a month; their previous game that counted was a 6-5 overtime loss at Ohio State on Dec. 5.
They played an exhibition at Bemidji State on Jan. 2, a 3-3 tie without coach Bob Motzko, who was leading the United States at the World Junior Championship.
The shutout by Fleming, a freshman from Montreal, was the first by a Nittany Lions goaltender in the history of their 55-game series with the Gophers, which began in 2014.
Misa, a freshman from Oakville, Ontario, and Cade Christenson, a sophomore from Edmonton, scored in the first period to give Penn State (13-6, 5-4 Big Ten) a 2-0 lead after 20 minutes.
“We made life too easy for them in the early part of the game,” Motzko told KTLK radio after the game. “Both of their first two goals came after turnovers.”
Matt DiMarsico, a junior, stuffed in a shot after it hit the pipe and dropped into the crease with five seconds remaining in the second period to make it 3-0.
“That late goal crushed us,” Motzko said. “That one really stung. Now, we had to chase them in the third period.”
