Josh Fleming stood on his head Friday night, making a jaw-dropping 35 saves, and every single one of them was critical as Penn State pulled off a 2-1 shootout win over No. 18 Minnesota in their Big Ten opener. The Nittany Lions looked lost for much of the game, struggling to find their rhythm, but Fleming’s incredible goaltending, paired with a timely third-period goal from Justin Poirier, somehow secured two massive points.
First Period Flailings and Fleming’s First Stand
Right out of the gate, Penn State created a few good chances off the rush, but you just knew they weren’t going to convert. Kale Dach had a shot stopped on a 2-on-1, and his pass to Andrew Kuzma on the rebound was just off the mark. After some back and forth, Minnesota struck first. Javon Moore got a weak shot past Fleming, and just like that, the Gophers were up 1-0. That goal totally took the wind out of Penn State’s sails. Minnesota’s pressure became relentless, absolutely overwhelming the Lions’ defense. Fleming had to make several huge saves to keep the deficit at just one, bailing his team out repeatedly. Late in the period, Andrew Kuzma rang one off the post, and the rebound bounced off Minnesota goalie Luca DiPasquo’s back towards the goal line. For a second, you thought it was in, but Minnesota cleared it away at the last second. To add insult to injury, Marco Mignosa took a bad tripping penalty in the offensive zone right when Penn State was finally getting some sustained pressure. Minnesota took a 1-0 lead to the locker room, with nearly two minutes of power play time waiting for them in the second. Talk about a tough end to the period.
Second Period Struggle, Third Period Spark
Penn State did manage to kill off that penalty to start the second, which was huge. But Minnesota kept owning the offensive zone and racking up shots for the entire first half of the period. The Nittany Lions just couldn’t break out of their own zone, and when they did finally make a clean entry into the offensive zone, it was almost always one shot and done. Fleming, again, had to cover for a bunch of defensive gaffes just to keep the score at 1-0. You could feel the frustration building. The door finally cracked open in the final minutes of the second when Minnesota’s Tarin Smith got called for cross-checking. Penn State got two shots on goal on the power play, but nothing dangerous materialized. The power play expired, and the teams headed to the second intermission with Minnesota still clinging to that 1-0 lead.
Then, the third period started to change things. Penn State killed off another early penalty, and you could feel them slowly starting to tilt the ice. Midway through the period, Justin Larose found Justin Poirier breaking open in the high slot, and Poirier absolutely ripped a wrist shot glove side high past DiPasquo. Just like that, it was tied 1-1! The momentum shifted completely. Moments later, Minnesota’s Lev Katzin got whistled for hooking on a breakaway, and the penalty kill came up clutch for a fourth time, shutting Minnesota down without even a single shot on goal. Kale Dach hit the post again with five minutes left, but Minnesota somehow cleared it away again. Some sloppy puck management in the final minutes led to some absolutely terrifying moments in the defensive zone, but the Nittany Lions held on, and the game went to overtime tied at 1.
Overtime Overdrive and Shootout Salvation
Three-on-three overtime was all Minnesota possession. They were buzzing. But Josh Fleming was an absolute brick wall. He made five more saves, including a ridiculous pad save on a deflection by Evan Murr right at the top of the crease. Seriously, how did he stop that? Neither team could find the back of the net in overtime, sending this incredible Big Ten opener to a shootout. And after everything Fleming had done, it just felt right that he would “save the day,” as the final result showed Penn State taking the 2-1 shootout win.
Securing two points in the conference opener against a ranked opponent like No. 18 Minnesota is massive. Penn State showed a ton of grit, especially in that third period and overtime. They’ll need to clean up the defensive zone time, but for now, they’ve got some serious momentum heading into their next game, knowing they’ve got a guy like Josh Fleming between the pipes.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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