Red-hot Penn State men’s hockey has gained new national attention for its performances this weekend in Allentown. After a 5-1 win in the Regional Semifinal against Maine and a 3-2 victory in overtime against UConn, Penn State was ranked No. 5 in the USA Hockey poll, its highest position in any poll since the 2016-17 season.

During its trip to Allentown, Penn State entered PPL Center with the daunting task of knocking off No. 1-seeded Maine. After going down early, the Nittany Lions scored five consecutive goals, with Arsenii Sergeev making 27 saves to come out of the regional semifinal with a 5-1 win.

On Sunday, Penn State was back at the PPL Center to face off against No. 2-seeded UConn. Once again, the Nittany Lions went down early but kept themselves in the game. Dane Dowiak tied it in the first, bringing his weekend total to three goals. Sergeev kept the Nittany Lions in the game and pushed it into overtime. Matt DiMarsico sealed the deal after receiving a backwards pass in the slot from Charlie Cerrato. Penn State walked away with a 3-2 victory in the instant classic.

On their way to St. Louis for a chance at a national championship, the Nittany Lions will be back in action at 8:30 p.m. on Thursday, April 10, at the Enterprise Center against Boston University.