Knies leads Gophers past Penn State in overtime

Matthew Knies put away the tying goal to force overtime and sealed No. 2 Minnesota men’s hockey’s road victory, 3-2, scoring the game winner at No. 7 Penn State Saturday inside Pegula Ice Arena.

With the goalie pulled, Knies buried a Jimmy Snuggerud wraparound pass for the Golden Gophers (23-8-1 overall, 17-4-1 B1G) with 41 seconds remaining in regulation. The sophomore finished off a perfect Logan Cooley pass in the extra session, completing the sweep of the Nittany Lions (19-12-1 overall, 9-12-1 B1G).

PSU wasted no time erasing the memory of its drubbing the previous night as it scored on the first shot 29 seconds into the game. The home side nearly doubled its lead as a shot was deflected in the slot but bounced off the post. The Gophers woke up and started to get their legs moving to pressure the Nittany Lions net as Jaxon Nelson nearly lifted a backhand over the goaltender’s shoulder. Justen Close delivered a glove save on the other end as the action opened up in the middle of the first period. Both teams failed on power-play opportunities before intermission as PSU held the one-goal edge.

Minnesota returned the favor on the Nittany Lions early in the second stanza as Rhett Pitlick collected the puck at the blue line and skated in alone. The sophomore buried his ninth goal of the year under the pads 1:58 after the frame started and the Maroon and Gold pulled even, 1-1. Luke Mittelstadt pushed the puck up the ice from his defensive zone and Connor Kurth’s chip pass sprung Pitlick free. The Gophers kept up the pressure and thought they secured the go-ahead tally with 7:25 to play. Garrett Pinoniemi found the back of the yet, but it was disallowed for incidental goalie contact, and the score remained tied through two full frames.

It took remarkable saves from each netminder to keep it a 1-1 game with the pace intensifying for the first five minutes of the final period. Knies nearly gave the Gophers the lead at the 11-minute mark, ripping a shot that rang off the crossbar and Mittelstadt added a slapshot from the point as the chances continued to mount for the visitors. PSU scored with just 2:03 on the clock and came less than a minute away from the upset, but Minnesota battled back after pulling the goalie.

Knies was in the perfect spot at the goal mouth for a Snuggerud pass and forced overtime scoring his 19th of the season in the final minute of regulation. He stayed locked in and hit the post during the 3-on-3 overtime before Cooley spun around a defender and slid a pass across the slot. Knies blasted a one-timer into the back of the net and Minnesota registered its ninth win over a top-10 team this year, 3-2.

Close won his 20th game this season as the senior made 26 saves. The Gophers held PSU, the nation’s shot leader at 40.1 per game, to just 28.