"I think (Penn State’s) coaching staff does a great job, they’re competitive and their goalie is playing well," head coach Adam Nightingale said. "I thought they did a good job through the neutral zone on us."

The Spartans and Nittany Lions come into the series in a split situation. MSU traveled to Happy Valley in January, taking night one with a final score of 6-4 on the night of junior forward Isaac Howard’s four goal, five point night. Night two was a different affair of back and forth play, ending in a tie in the shootout, with Penn State taking the extra point in extra innings.

The Nittany Lions entered the weekend scorching hot, boasting an 8-1-1 record in their last 10 games, with a split against Ohio State and sweeps of Notre Dame and Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, the Spartans remained locked in a tight conference race with Minnesota and Ohio State, both tied at 40 points — just three behind MSU. Michigan and Penn State also remained within striking distance, fighting to secure home ice in the Big Ten Tournament.

MSU opened Friday’s game with its physical statement line: junior forward Tiernan Shoudy, senior forward Tanner Kelly and sophomore forward Tommi Männistö. The trio set the tone early, but Penn State struck first.

A defensive lapse left Dane Dowiak open in the slot, and he capitalized, firing a shot over the shoulder of sophomore goaltender Trey Augustine to give Penn State a 1-0 lead heading into the second period.

MSU tightened its defense in the middle frame, with shot-blocking and disciplined stick play protecting Augustine. The Spartans were tested on a five-on-three penalty kill, but Augustine stood tall, making a series of sprawling saves to keep the deficit at one.

The incredible performance from the middle frame was rewarded with Kelly sending the puck across the crease on a rebound shot, landing on the stick of Shoudy who knocked the puck past Arsenii Sergeev and tied it up at one a pop. 

For the one goal scored, Penn State had an answer with their second of the night as Reese Laubach squeaked the puck past Augustine above his right shoulder, giving the Nittany Lions the advantage with 56 seconds remaining in the second period and yet another lead to take into the final period of game play.

The third period is when the team had to make a campaign for a comeback, finally landing a full two minute man advantage, but the team showed hesitancy to shoot, playing a passing game at the top of the zone instead of putting pucks on net.

Finally, sophomore defenseman Maxim Štrbák stepped up, blasting a shot from the top of the circle to tie the game at 2-2 with 12:30 remaining.

Both teams battled down the stretch, but neither found the go-ahead goal in regulation, sending the game to sudden-death overtime.

The extra frame provided no resolution, leading to a shootout. Laubach, who had already notched a goal in regulation, struck again — this time for the decisive tally that gave Penn State the extra point and the win.

"I thought our execution support was poor and that’s credit to (Penn State)," Nightingale said. "They did a good job at making it hard to get through the neutral zone."

The Spartans will round out their season series against the Nittany Lions on Saturday, Feb. 22, looking to secure a regulation win and maintain their hold on first place in the Big Ten standings. Puck drop is set for 6 p.m. at Munn Ice Arena, with coverage on the Big Ten Network.