Penn State kicked off the game showcasing their prolific offense, firing off four shots and scoring a goal before MSU’s first chance.

The Spartans didn’t bury their heads in the sand, as they answered right back with a goal scored by sophomore forward Abby Barker 10 minutes into the game.

With Penn State adding another goal before halftime, giving them a 2-1 advantage, the Spartans walked into halftime with confidence on their side.

“It’s a feat to keep a team as good as Penn State low scoring, so we felt good going into the second half,” junior goaltender Molly Cassidy said.

For Penn State, the best was yet to come, as they sent four balls into the net in the second half to cap a 6-1 victory. It took Penn State less than eight minutes to pour on the goals in the second half, but to head coach Helen Knull, it seemed like a few short seconds.

“After the game, we said it didn’t feel like a 6-1 game,” Knull said. “It was a blink of an eye, and all the sudden, (we look at the scoreboard) and were like ‘crap.’”

The game was a tale of two completely different halves for the Spartans, and sophomore forward Abby Barker knew what the main difference was.

“The first half, we set the tempo and played simple balls and played Spartan hockey,” Barker said. “In the second half, we were on our heels and let them set the pace.”

Barker scored the lone goal for the Spartans out of their eight total shots.

Cassidy had eight saves off of 23 Penn State shots, 12 of which came in the second half.

The Spartans next head to Iowa City for the Big Ten Tournament, where the first games are played Thursday.