Penn State 5, Maine 1: Domination

No. 12 Penn State delivered arguably the biggest win in program history with a resounding 5-1 win over No. 4 Maine in Friday night’s NCAA Tournament first round. After surrendering the first goal, the Nittany Lions controlled the remainder of the game with suffocating pressure, an excellent transition game, and timely goaltending from Arsenii Sergeev.

First Period

The Black Bears drew first blood on a fluky goal five minutes in. A no-call on a cross check to the head eventually led to some sustained zone time for Maine. After a point shot was blocked in front, the puck took a strange bounce off Bodie Nobe’s stick, launched high over Sergeev, and found the back of the net to give Maine the…