Rhett Pitlick scores twice as Gophers men’s hockey shuts out Penn State in series opener

An old adage in hockey says that a team’s best penalty killer is its goalie. Friday night at 3M Arena at Mariucci, Justen Close showed exactly why there’s truth in those words.

Close made 36 saves for his third shutout of the season and 12th of his career as the Gophers defeated Penn State 3-0 in the opener of a Big Ten hockey series.

The senior goalie did his best work in the final 5:40 of the second period when, under the extreme duress of two five-on-three power plays for the Nittany Lions that totaled nearly four minutes, he made 10 saves. Close flashed the glove a couple of times, sending the crowd of 10,750 — the second largest in arena history — into a full-throated roar.

“In a tight game, it can be make-or-break,” Close said of the five-on-three penalty kill. “It was good that the boys buckled down there.”

Added coach Bob Motzko: “He was dialed in tonight — the whole game.”

So was Rhett Pitlick, who scored 43 seconds after the opening puck drop and again at 3:49 of the first period to stake the Gophers to a 2-0 lead. The Gophers (17-7-5, 10-5-4 Big Ten) posted their eighth victory in 10 games and remain in third place in the conference standings.

Connor Kurth also scored for the Gophers, and Oliver Moore had two assists. Penn State (12-12-3, 4-10-3) lost for the fifth time in seven games.

That predicament started at 14:20 when Gophers center Aaron Huglen received a tripping minor and defenseman Carl Fish was called for a five-minute major for contact to the head on the same sequence, creating a five-on-three power play for the Nittany Lions.

The Gophers killed the Huglen minor as Close made four saves, bringing roars from the student section. With 1:47 left in Fish’s major, Gophers center Jaxon Nelson took a cross-checking minor, and Penn State had a five-on-three power play again.

“We had to bear down,” Close said.

Close made a huge glove save on Aiden Fink with 57 seconds left in the period, and the Gophers killed off the rest of the Fish major. As he exited the penalty box, Fish raced in all alone for a shot on goalie Liam Souliere, who made the save. Seven seconds later, Penn State’s power play expired as the fans roared in approval.

“That’s as loud as it gets, especially when Fishy came out of the box,” said Close, who faced 3:46 of a five-on-three disadvantage. He’s now tied with Adam Wilcox and Kellen Briggs for most shutouts in Gophers history.

Pitlick swung credit to Close and the penalty kill for returning the momentum to the Gophers entering the second intermission.