Penn State men’s hockey (22-14-4, 9-11-4 Big Ten) was eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in a 3-1 loss against Boston University (24-13-2, 14-8-2 Hockey East) on Thursday evening in Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri.

The Terriers never lost the lead, with two goals in the second period. The Nittany Lions cut the lead in half early in the third period, but a late empty-netter ended Penn State’s roller-coaster season and hopes of a National Championship.

How It Happened

Boston University won the opening faceoff, but Penn State quickly took control, dumped the puck into the offensive zone, and took a shot at Mikhail Yegorov on his left side in front of the net.

Although the Nittany Lions didn’t score, they aggressively chased pucks into the Terriers’ zone. Aiden Fink capitalized on one instance by developing an odd-man rush and taking a shot in front of Yegorov that barely missed.

Arsenii Sergeev got his first test of the game shortly following Fink’s attempt. Matt Copponi flicked a wrist shot at the net, but the Russian deflected the puck with his right pad. He dove on another puck a few minutes later to freeze it, barely denying the Terriers of the ice-breaker. Jack Hughes took a turnover and fired a shot from the faceoff circle, which Sergeev also grabbed.

Penn State developed a two-on-one. Fink skated alongside Matt DiMarsico and took a shot, but Yegorov beat him to it to cap off a scoreless opening period.

Sergeev stopped a shot with his pad, but didn’t freeze the puck. Jack Hughes tapped the loose puck into the net to give Boston University a 1-0 lead at 1:35 of the second period.

Six minutes into the period, Sascha Boumedienne was penalized for tripping to give Penn State the game’s first power play. The Nittany Lions took only two shots on goal and remained scoreless during the one-man advantage.

Cole Hutson and Cole Eiserman developed another two-on-one. Jarod Crespo dove as Eiserman buried the one-timer from Hutson, making it 2-0 at 10:44 of the second period.

With 7:06 left, Jimmy Dowd Jr. was sent to the sin bin for holding. Dane Dowiak took off on a breakaway and shot it directly on net, but Yegorov made the save. With 14 seconds left in Boston University’s power play, Hughes was booked on a tripping minor. Once again, the Nittany Lions were held scoreless.

Two Penn State chances nearly went in. Then, Nick DeGraves picked up a rebound and scored in front of the net to cut Boston University’s lead in half to 2-1 at 2:15 of the third period.

Six minutes into the period, Penn State was assessed a penalty for too many men on the ice. However, the Terriers squandered their opportunity by failing to establish consistent puck control.

While both teams traded shots, Penn State had the majority of chances. The Nittany Lions picked up rebounds and continued to test Yegorov, although he and the Terrier defense kept Penn State at bay.

With two minutes left, Sergeev was pulled for the extra skater. Jack Harvey scored the empty-netter to make it 3-1 and secure a victory for Boston University.

Takeaways

• Boston University was simply the better team. The Terriers are in their third consecutive Frozen Four and are stocked with NHL talent. That showed in every area tonight.
• It wasn’t a bad performance, but some things could’ve been better. For instance, squandering all power plays against the No. 38-ranked penalty kill typically won’t lead to wins in Tournament games.
• This was a sensational season for Penn State men’s hockey. Although it ended with a loss, it’s clearer now than ever that this program is continuing to head in a very good direction.

What’s Next

Penn State’s season is over.