No. 4-seed Penn State men’s hockey (21-13-4, 9-11-4 Big Ten) clobbered No. 1-seed Maine (24-8-6, 13-5-6 Hockey East) 5-1 in the NCAA Regional Semifinal in the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Penn State fired on all cylinders and took a 3-1 lead into the first intermission. The Nittany Lions tacked on another goal in the second period, and controlled the majority of the remainder of the game to advance to their second NCAA Regional final in three seasons.

How It Happened

After making a pad save, Arsenii Sergeev was fooled by a puck that sailed up and into the net. Penn State challenged the play for a major penalty, but the call was upheld after a lengthy review. Charlie Russell’s goal gave Maine a 1-0 lead at 4:10 into the first period.

Although the Black Bears took an early lead, a minor boarding penalty against Thomas Freel gave the Nittany Lions a chance to capitalize. They did exactly that, as a wide-open JJ Wiebusch buried a one-timer to tie it 1-1 at 5:04 in the opening period.

Maine’s disciplinary issues continued, as Russell took another boarding penalty. But the Black Bears nearly scored on a shorthanded wrist shot in front of Sergeev; and Dane Dowiak was assessed a boarding penalty with 25 seconds left in Maine’s power play.

After some back-and-forth hockey, the Nittany Lions grabbed another goal. This time, Matt DiMarsico received a pass and went top shelf to take a 2-1 lead for his team’s first lead of the game at 14:26 into the period.

Penn State wasn’t done yet, though. Dowiak scored with assists from Danny Dzhaniyev and Simon Mack to grab a 3-1 lead at 18:08 in the period, which the Nittany Lions took into the first intermission.

Aiden Fink took a breakaway, maneuvered his stick, and sent a shot towards Albin Boija, who got his pad on it to deny the Nittany Lions at the start of the second period.

But then, at 5:41 into the period, DiMarsico ripped a shot in front of the goal and sent it past Boija to give Penn State a 4-1 lead.

Penn State continued its offensive onslaught for the rest of the period. Although the Nittany Lions didn’t score, they routinely tested Boija with barrages of chances, while Sergeev occasionally kept the Black Bears at bay when needed.

Wiebusch fired a shot at Boija, but it sailed high. The Nittany Lions continued to possess the puck, as another shot in front nearly went in.

At 10:11 into the third period, Josh Nadeau was sent to the sin bin for slashing. With 17 seconds left in the power play, Penn State got a 5-on-3 advantage as Harrison Scott was called for cross-checking.

Penn State had back-to-back shots denied, initially by the post and then by Boija. Another 2-on-1 chance was halted before both penalties ultimately expired.

Dowiak scored empty-netter with 3:23 left in regulation to seal the deal on a 5-1 win.

Takeaways

• Penn State took advantage of power plays, going 2-for-5. Capitalizing on those chances was always going to be immensely valuable against a high-caliber Maine team, which was something the Nittany Lions emphasized improving throughout the season. Meanwhile, they rarely made the same mistakes against the Black Bears, as they squandered both power play chances.
• The Nittany Lions have been playing with confidence for months, and it showed today. A confident team is a dangerous team, and this one appears capable of handling big moments and prosperity.
• The PPL Center in Allentown is under three hours’ driving from Happy Valley. The Nittany Lion faithful took over the building. Head coach Guy Gadowsky and several players have frequently expressed how much of a boost the crowd can give, so the turnout was likely a significant boost.

What’s Next?

Penn State faces UConn in the NCAA Regional Final at 4:30 p.m. or 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 30, in the PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania.