McDonald's late marker helps Ice Hockey split with No. 12 Penn State

STATE COLLEGE, Pennsylvania - Having already lost two games this season when leading heading into the third, the American International College ice hockey team did not want history to repeat itself. 

Despite the 12th-ranked Penn State University squad tying the contest, it was the Yellow Jackets ultimately prevailing, with Casey McDonald's go-ahead goal late in the third the difference in a 6-4 win.

AIC is now 1-4-0 on the season.

It was a power-play run to perfection that put AIC on top early. Matt Rickard dropped the puck from the midpoint to the left wall for Jordan Biro, who fired quickly below the goal line for Julius Janhonen. As Janhonen cut left-to-right behind the net, Rickard snuck into the top of the slot, and Janhonen found him there as he came out from behind the cage for a one-timer goal, Rickard's first of the year, at 2:54.

The Nittany Lions bounced right back, knotting the game 1-1 at 6:30 on a Simon Mack goal.

Things could have gone badly for AIC midway through the period when Tomi Leppanen took a five-minute major, but the stalwart AIC penalty kill kept it from doing harm, and a minute later, Alexander Malinowski's pass set up Brian Kramer at the left point. He zipped the puck through the offensive zone to Janhonen, who did not miss the slapshot for his first goal of 2023-24 at 16:57.

Another AIC penalty late in the frame gave the hosts a chance to tie, but again it was AIC benefitting. As Austen Long left the box, he created a two-on-one opportunity in the period's final minute, and he was ultimately the finisher on some nifty passing and netfront jam between himself, Brett Rylance, and Blake Wells at 19:44. It was Long's first of the season.

In the second, a miscue from the Penn State defense allowed Alexander Malinowski in alone, and he took full advantage, blasting a slapshot into the right corner of the net from the left faceoff circle for an unassisted goal at 10:46, his first point of the season.

However, exactly a minute later, Chase McLane negated that goal with one of his own for Penn State, and the Nittany Lions cut the deficit to 4-3 on a Danny Dzhaniyev goal at 15:13. AIC's three-goal lead had shrunk to one heading into the final period.

For over 15 minutes, Alexandros Aslanidis held the fort, turning aside shot after shot, but the home team was able to equalize at 16:16 on a bid by Reese Laubach.

The momentum was in favor of Penn State, but Casey McDonald grabbed it away with an incredible move. Taking a pass from Dustin Manz, he went through the legs of a defender to get free in front and then picked the corner of the cage for his first of the season at 17:47, giving the Yellow Jackets back the lead.

The Nittany Lions roared one more time, but with the net empty, Pennslyvania native Brian Kramer fired the final shot, a 190-foot dagger into the empty net for his second of the year at 19:53.

Aslanidis made 36 saves in securing his first win of 2023-24. The victory was AIC's first over Penn State in regulation, with the previous pair both coming in overtime, and the second time that AIC had beaten a Penn State team that was ranked in the DCU/USCHO Poll; the last time was the team's meeting on October 20, 2017 when AIC won 3-2 in overtime over then-No. 11 Penn State.

The game itself was also a milestone, as Head Coach Eric Lang passed program founder William Turner for sole possession of second on AIC's all-time games coached list with 251. An AIC Hall of Famer, Turner coached the Yellow Jackets from the inaugural 1948 season to 1957 and again from 1964 to 1970. Lang now trails only Gary Wright on the list, although he has another 744 games to surpass his mentor's program record of 994.

AIC will open Atlantic Hockey Association play on Friday, October 27 at 7:05 p.m. when the Yellow Jackets host Army West Point at the MassMutual Center.