MADISON, Wis. — At some point, Penn State’s notable road victories stop becoming just program-builders and start being considered as the foundation of what could be a strong season.
The Nittany Lions added to last month’s wins at Michigan and at Massachusetts-Lowell with a 5-2 victory over Wisconsin on Friday at the Kohl Center.
David Goodwin had a collegiate career-high four points on a goal and three assists as Penn State improved to 3-3 on the road this season.
The formula on Friday was simple, Goodwin said: Get pucks to the net and make plays around the crease.
“This one was really gritty, nothing special, no pretty plays,” he said. “Just really blue-collar.”
Goodwin assisted on power-play goals by David Glen and Casey Bailey and an even-strength goal by Dylan Richard before scoring into an empty net from his own zone in the game’s final minute.
“I thought he worked really hard in all three zones,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said.
Glen and James Robinson scored first-period goals to give the Nittany Lions (8-4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) a 2-0 lead, but Wisconsin’s Morgan Zulinick cut into the advantage before the end of the first.
Richard and Bailey extended the Penn State lead to 4-1 with goals in the second and third periods, respectively.
Tim Davison also scored for Wisconsin, which was outshot 40-24.
The Badgers (1-9-1, 0-1) took a step back after tying and beating Ferris State last weekend.
“We played so well top to bottom last week, and we came out a little flat [Friday], which was unexpected,” Wisconsin goalie Joel Rumpel said. “I thought we were going to come out a lot stronger. It starts with me, obviously, as well. It’s unfortunate, but you learn a lot more from losing than you do from winning.”
The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, already have equaled their win total from last season, their first in a conference after the program started in the fall of 2012.
And with three road wins, they already have one more than they collected in 2012-13.
“We’re still looking at it in the big picture. It’s still early,” Gadowsky said. “We are happy with the results that we’ve gotten so far this season, but at the same time we’re just trying to improve every day. We know we have a long way to go, but we’re getting closer every week and this certainly is a nice step.”
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