As Penn State sat in the visitor's locker room in Value City Arena during the second intermission on Saturday night, it was one period away from glory.
A miraculous comeback in the second half of its season was near completion. The scene was set. Holding a one-goal lead entering the third period, the Nittany Lions were 20 minutes away from clinching a spot in the Big Ten championship and cementing themselves into the NCAA Tournament field.
As the blue and white found itself in a position it was near unbeatable in — sitting at a pristine 18-0-1 when leading after two periods — the Buckeyes finally cracked the code.