No. 15 Penn State men’s hockey (18-12-4, 9-11-4 Big Ten) concluded the 2024-25 regular season with a 5-3 loss in a nailbiter against No. 2 Minnesota (24-7-5, 15-5-4 Big Ten) on Saturday night in Pegula Ice Arena.

Both teams traded blows and leads throughout the game. But in the end, a late Minnesota power-play goal proved to be the difference-maker, and an empty-netter sealed a Penn State loss and a series split.

How It Happened

Matthew Wood tested Arsenii Sergeev and Penn State’s defense early. He got a turnover and sped towards the net, but Sergeev deflected the shot with his pad.

The Nittany Lions won a faceoff in the neutral zone. Then, Cade Christenson fired a shot from the blue line at Liam Souliere, who froze the puck after a glove save.

Penn State nearly hit the jackpot halfway through the period, as a shot from Matt DiMarsico scraped the goal post and flew out of play.

At 13:43 into the first period, Jarod Crespo was assessed a minor tripping penalty. Penn State’s defense broke up multiple Minnesota plays in front of the goal, which led to a kill.

With 44.7 seconds left until the first intermission, Beckett Hendrickson went to the sin bin for cross-checking. The Nittany Lions couldn’t consistently keep the puck in the offensive zone, and the Golden Gophers killed the penalty.

Then, at 6:01 in the second period, Simon Mack broke the ice with a shot that flew past Souliere and into the net to give Penn State a 1-0 lead.

However, Minnesota responded a few minutes later. The Gophers had a barrage of shots against Sergeev, and Wood capitalized on a rebound to tie it 1-1 at 9:45 in the second period.

Minnesota continued to control the game. At 15:13, Mason Nevers’ shot hit the post en route to crossing the line. After a brief review, the call was upheld and the Gophers took a 2-1 lead.

With 24.7 seconds left in the period, Jimmy Snuggerud fired a shot into the net, but Penn State challenged for a head contact call against Ryan Chesley. After review, Chesley was ejected and the goal was called off, then 2:15 was added to the clock.

Then, at 18:26 in the period, DiMarsico shot a loose puck into the net to tie it 2-2, sending the Pegula Ice Arena crowd into a frenzy.

Jimmy Dowd Jr. turned the puck over to Oliver Moore, whose breakaway would’ve been successful had it not been for the iron goalpost. Minnesota killed the remainder of the penalty with ease to begin the third period.

Connor Kurth controlled the puck. He passed it to Wood, who buried a one-timer to take a 3-2 lead at 3:44 into the third period.

But then, Charlie Cerrato went top shelf to tie it once again. It was 3-3 at 4:43 into the period, and the home crowd was revived again.

THE SCENES https://t.co/eBXpw4rPQk

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) March 2, 2025

Reese Laubach was handed a game misconduct for slashing, and Penn State was given a five-minute major penalty. With 30 seconds left in the power play and 3:04 remaining in regulation, Mike Koster scored to make it 4-3 Minnesota.

Moore scored to make it 5-3 Minnesota in the game’s final seconds.

Takeaways

• It simply wasn’t Penn State’s night. The Nittany Lions kept it neck-and-neck for most of the game, but in the end, Reese Laubach’s major penalty proved to be a difference-maker late in the game.
• Sergeev, however, continued to play well. He consistently made saves that many goaltenders wouldn’t make, and he ended the night with 27 of them.
• Penn State had several plays broken up by a tough Minnesota defense, which features Hobey Baker candidate Sam Rinzel. If the two teams meet again, shutting him down will be crucial in securing a postseason win.

What’s Next?

Penn State faces Michigan in Game One of the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals at 7 p.m. on Friday, March 7, in Yost Ice Arena in Ann Arbor, Michigan. It’s a best-of-three series.