UAH came up with two equalizers in the third period, but Penn State’s goal with less than five minutes to go gave the Nittany Lions a 4-3 win Saturday and a sweep in the “Independent League Megabowl.”
The physical play that escalated throughout Friday’s game continued into Saturday. Eleven penalties were called on Penn State and seven on the Chargers as Sebastian Geoffrion continued to mix it up with the Lions.
Penn State started the scoring at 8:45 of the first period. Taylor Holstrom centered to Casey Bailey, who fired it far side past John Griggs.
Most of the action was in the UAH zone, including during a Penn State power play that saw Griggs make four saves. The Lions also had a couple of chances on the Chargers’ lone advantage of the period.
David Glen continued his hot hand at 10:45 of the second, scoring his fourth goal of the series with a wicked short-angle shot from the bottom of the right circle to give Penn State a 2-0 lead.
The Chargers finally got on the board as Michael Webley found Kyle Lysaght in the right circle, who slid it past Matthew Skoff to cut it to 2-1 with 2:26 left. It was Lysaght’s fifth goal of the season.
The Chargers started the third with a two-man advantage after two penalties late in the second: as Rich O’Brien got a indirect contact to the head roughing penalty for a hit on Geoffrion with :44 seconds left in the 2nd, followed by a slash by Connor Varley at the horn. UAH capitalized 54 seconds in, as Justin Cseter follows up a rebound on Jeff Vanderlugt’s shot to tie the game at 2. Lysaght got the second assist.
After Kenny Brooks put Penn State up 3-2 at 7:23, UAH tied it up again at 12:20 as Brice Geoffrion got his first goal of the season, tucking it past Skoff on the right post. Anderson White and Graeme Strukoff assisted.
But Mark Yanis, left all alone in the slot, one-times a blast past Griggs with 4:26 left for the game-winner.
UAH will be idle for another two weekends before finally finishing the season with two games at Minnesota-Duluth on March 1 and 2.