“I didn’t see it go in the net,” Guy Gadowsky said. “I saw the pass, and then I saw Folkesy sprint to the glass. That’s all I saw.”

Folkes planted himself in the middle of the ice as Alex Limoges turned with the puck behind the goal. Before anyone could react, it was in the back of the Wisconsin net, courtesy of a one-timer from Folkes, who sent the Badgers home yet again as Penn State claimed a 4-3 overtime win.

In this elimination game, you didn’t see it coming. There was no moment of anticipation before he reached the net.

Around this time two years ago, Liam Folkes barrelled in on a breakaway in overtime and came away euphoric, claiming Penn State’s first Big Ten title with a win over Wisconsin.

It was different. Yet it was also so beautifully similar.

It was not a mirror image. There was no trophy ceremony at the end of this hard-fought quarterfinal series.

And yet, the euphoria in blue and white was the same. As was the devastation for those wearing red, their season ended by the man wearing No. 26 for the second time in three years.

“He’s got ice in his veins,” Penn State goaltender Peyton Jones said.

Indeed, Folkes put the finishing touch on a seemingly harmless play. But it developed thanks to the strong grip of Limoges, who won the puck out of a scrum with a Badger defenseman, wheeled, and found nothing but open space between himself and Folkes standing in the slot.

“We saw that we got [the puck] deep, and we saw that Limoges has a little bit of a jump on their defenseman and was able to battle the puck from him,” Gadowsky said. “Limoges is so heavy on the puck. That’s one of his strengths is winning battles. When he did, he just saw Folkesy alone.”

And it was over.

It all happened so quickly, and yet, it seemed like everyone knew that’s how the first three-game series in Big Ten history would end.

Gadowsky said two players who were scratched for the game predicted it would be Folkes who scored the golden goal during the intermission before the overtime.

Before the game even started, former Nittany Lion Andrew Sturtz texted a group of current players, requesting that someone else find the winner because he was tired of watching the highlight video of Folkes’ Big Ten winner from two years ago.

Bad news, Andrew. Better get used to it.

“He’ll see it for a couple more years,” Jones said, laughing.

Folkes’ game winner came nearly 70 minutes of game time after he opened the game with a goal just 1:18 in to give Penn State an early lead.

The Nittany Lions looked like their early jump might carry them to an easy victory.

But this wasn’t that kind of series. A physical battle of wills that featured suspensions, misconducts, and an extra-large order of nasty wouldn’t see one team fold so easily.

Wisconsin responded with a Brock Caufield goal that came against the run of play about four minutes later.

And then both teams dug in. As fast-paced as games between these two teams had been all season, defense was not optional on Sunday.

Penn State broke through next with a power-play goal from Wisconsin native Cole Hults. Then the Badgers scored twice in the span of 24 seconds to take their first lead of the night in the second period.

As the frame came to a close, Wisconsin got its chance to put the game away. The Badgers skated up the ice with a four-on-one rush, leaving the unfortunate duo of Jones and Alex Stevens to deal with the mess.

Somehow — some way — the puck stayed out. And back came the Nittany Lions the other way with a rush of their own, which was finished by Limoges.

The sophomore, who broke the Penn State single-season points record with his two points on the night and moved into a tie for the single-season goals record, flipped the game on its head with one of the most profound momentum changes you’ll ever see in hockey.

“That was huge. That was huge. That was the turning point,” Gadowsky said.

But nobody told Wisconsin that at the time.

The Badgers played what their coach, Tony Granato, called one of their best periods of the year in the third. Penn State went into survival mode.

And thanks to huge saves by Jones, who made 36 of them on the night, the Nittany Lions hung on to force overtime.

After 10 minutes of an overtime period with enough chances on both sides to induce more than a little heavy breathing, Folkes ended the drama with his heroics.

“[If there’s a clutch gene], he’s got it,” Gadowsy said.



