The No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions took on a second consecutive top-ranked opponent in the Minnesota Golden Gophers. The Nittany Lions beat the Gophers 4-2 in Game 1, becoming the first team in NCAA history to take down a No. 1 team in consecutive weeks. However, the Lions failed to complete the sweep in Game 2. Minnesota scored three unanswered goals to take the second game 3-1.

Here were four things that stood out in the series.

Connor MacEachern had three points (two goals, one assist) in Game 1 which set a single game career-high for the senior forward. MacEachern only scored three goals before Thursday night, so he was due for a big performance.

"We were very happy to see that because himself and his line actually have been really really good and they have been snakebitten," coach Guy Gadowsky said. "We were just looking and hoping for something to catch fire and they're playing extremely well."

The senior forward was second on the team with 14 goals last year, six of them being on the power play, and his two-goal performance on Friday brought his season total to five.

Liam Souliere continues to get better with each start. He was the reason why Penn State only lost 3-1 on Friday rather than 6-1.The junior goaltender had 24 saves in Game 1 and 27 saves in Game 2.

Souliere leads the Big Ten with a 1.81 goals-against average. He has been excellent on his rebound control and the defense in front of him continues to be solid. The Lions' defense blocked 25 shots in the series.

Penn State has been able to win games without scoring a power-play goal. This time however it cost them the game. In its last six games, the Nittany Lions have only scored once on 21 power play opportunities. It was 0-for-4 in the series with only nine shot attempts.

"It was the idea that our power play was an extension of our mentality," Gadowsky said. "I think we've gotten away from that a little bit."

If the Nittany Lions had converted on at least one of those chances, particularly in Game 2 when they had three opportunities, they could have walked away with more than just three points. It is very alarming that the man-advantage unit has struggled this much considering that Penn State has one of the best offenses in the nation.

"It's a tough part of the game and something we have to continue to work out," MacEachern said. "I don't think we're worried about it. We know we have the capability in the room of doing what we need to do to be successful on the power play."

This series did not favor one side. Both games were pretty even for the most part. Each team had its fair share of high-danger scoring opportunities and sustained pressure in Game 1, but Minnesota had the majority of possession in the second half of Game 2.

Neither squad could play its brand of hockey for a full 60 minutes because of how well each team was playing defensively.

"We knew Minnesota was a very good team," MacEachern said. "The priority is coming into this week with a positive mentality [and] getting ready to play a full 60 minutes."

The Golden Gophers started to clamp down defensively when they took the lead on Friday which slowed down Penn State's momentum. The Nittany Lions did not have many quality scoring chances toward the end of Friday's contest.