No. 5 Penn State men’s hockey (7-1-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) soundly defeated Stonehill (1-6-0) 4-2 on Saturday night at Pegula Ice Arena.

After a scoreless first period, Penn State was able to find its stride, sparked by another JJ Wiebusch goal. The win secured a series sweep for the Nittany Lions as they concluded their non-conference schedule.

How It Happened

Kevin Reidler got the nod as tonight’s starter for Penn State. Gavin McKenna, Shea Van Olm, and Aiden Fink were the starting forwards, while Jackson Smith and Jarod Crespo anchored the blue line. 

Stonehill controlled the opening faceoff, but Penn State immediately gained possession. Aiden Fink recorded the game’s first shot, but Stonehill goalie Connor Androlewicz made the pad save. The Skyhawks quickly returned the favor with an odd-man rush, with Reidler denying the shot attempt.

Less than two minutes into the action, Stonehill was guilty of a tripping call, sending Penn State to the power play. The Nittany Lions struggled to keep the puck in the zone, with McKenna and Wiebusch rattling off the team’s only shot attempts on the man advantage.

Despite the Stonehill kill, Penn State found itself on the power play once again after Matthew Rafalski was called for cross-checking. The Nittany Lions nearly got on the board, but two great attempts by Wiebusch were denied.

After Stonehill cleared the zone, Justin Mexico had a breakaway opportunity, but the puck skipped away from him between the circles. The Skyhawks subsequently killed off the remainder of the penalty.

A few minutes later, Stonehill won a faceoff in its offensive zone and Pat Murphy ripped a shot off the post. During the same possession, Nico Collins was called for a trip, forcing the Nittany Lions to go on the penalty kill.

But just six seconds later, the Skyhawks were in the same situation. Joel Lehtinen committed a trip of his own, as the teams would play 4-on-4 for essentially the full two minutes.

Penn State was able to work an odd-man rush, but wasn’t able to get a shot off. Shortly after, McKenna found a racing Fink in the offensive zone, but there were no Nittany Lions in the area to help him out. Both power plays would expire with the score still tied at zero.

Penn State was able to keep pressure on Stonehill, as Casey Aman contributed to a flurry of offensive action by keeping the puck in the zone twice. However, the momentum was temporarily squandered after Lev Katzin was called for a trip. 

On the penalty kill, Charlie Cerrato entered the zone with speed on a shorthanded opportunity, but he was dragged to the ground and into the boards by the Skyhawk defense. The Nittany Lions would ultimately kill off the power play, something they have been so great at this far in the season.

Directly following the kill, Penn State would find itself on the power play yet again. Jake Gutwirth committed a hook, as the blue and white sought to put a goal on the board with under four minutes to go in the period.

Mac Gadowsky began as the quarterback of the power play unit, as Penn State was able to get set up before Stonehill cleared the zone off a blocked Katzin shot. 

The majority of the action on the man advantage came with Reese Laubach, Matt DiMarsico, Wiebusch, Charlie Cerrato, and Smith on the ice. The team mustered six shots on the power play, but still was unable to find the back of the net.

With seven seconds left in the period, Stonehill tried to capitalize on a loose puck in front of the net, but Penn State was able to bat it away. The first period would come to a close with the teams tied 0-0.

Penn State won the faceoff to begin the second period. Gavin McKenna had a breakaway opportunity early with Aiden Fink speeding along on the opposite wing. His shot missed the mark.

After a Nittany Lion turnover in the neutral zone, Stonehill drew a hooking call as it raced toward the net. The penalty was delayed, as the teams played for roughly 30 seconds before Penn State could control the puck.

Ben Schoen and Aman were able to create a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush, but could not capitalize. Clears by Nick Fascia and Gavin McKenna helped to kill off the rest of the power play.

As Penn State returned to full strength, the Nittany Lions were in another rush, this time being a 3-on-1 opportunity. Aiden Fink went crashing into the net, taking Androlewicz down with him. Penn State couldn’t score, as the puck bounced just wide to the right of the net.

The team’s next close call came after a Schoen backhanded shot nearly missed. But backing him up was teammate Jarod Crespo, who scored on a slapshot from beyond the left circle. Smith recorded the primary assist, with Luke Misa being credited with the secondary. The time of the goal was 6:23. Penn State would take the lead, 1-0.

FROM DOWNTOWN!! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/KzM5A9zp63

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 25, 2025

Following the center ice faceoff, Mexico was able to generate a shot attempt, but it was absorbed by Reidler. Shortly after, Nick Fascia whiffed on a shot, allowing the Skyhawks to enter the zone.

The period’s first penalty would come off a slashing call, with Stonehill’s JJ Grainda being the perpetrator. McKenna was able to get a shot off right as the power play began, but the attempt was saved. He got his redemption 10 seconds later, as he found the back of the net for the second consecutive night. Cerrato and Smith assisted on the power play goal. The time of the goal was 10:00, as Penn State stretched its lead to 2-0.

Back-to-back games for Gav!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/IJogFVLB2P

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 25, 2025

In search of a score, Stonehill entered the zone on an odd-man rush. The Skyhawks kept the puck in the zone before Zachary Aben ripped one past Reidler for the goal. Mexico contributed with the assist on the goal, which was scored at 12:15. The score cut the Nittany Lion lead in half, and Stonehill trailed 2-1.

The next five minutes featured four Stonehill shots, compared to one by Penn State. None were high-danger attempts as both goalies were able to handle them with ease.

Penn State worked an odd-man rush, entering the Skyhawk zone. After the Nittany Lions caught Androlewicz out of position, Wiebusch put one in an empty net. The goal was being reviewed for potential offside on DiMarsico. After the brief pause in the action, the referees determined that the call on the ice was, in fact, correct. 

Penn State took a 3-1 lead off the goal at 17:21, with DiMarsico and Cerrato assisting on the play.

It's just getting silly at this point!

JJ with his NINTH of the season!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/OeS32as2Ud

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 25, 2025

The hockey gods give and the hockey gods take.

Less than a minute following the score, Shea Van Olm committed a trip, resulting in an immediate Stonehill goal on the power play. Pat Murphy found the back of the net off a Reidler rebound at 18:31. Lehtinen and Mexico received credit for the assists. Penn State’s lead was now 3-2.

The second period drew to a close with the 3-2 score holding for the final minute and a half. Penn State led the shot attempt battle 22-20.

Stonehill won the draw at center ice to begin the third period. The action was sloppy to start, with both teams turning the puck over multiple times in the first two minutes.

Collins recorded a shot, as a clapper from the blue line was saved by Androlewicz. Stonehill won the subsequent faceoff and cleared the zone.

Following an offensive zone faceoff for Stonehill, Billy Renfrew ripped a shot that was nearly identical to Collins’. Riedler produced a rebound, but the puck was cleared. Aiden Fink skated with the puck up ice, but a pass attempt was interrupted by the Skyhawk defenseman. 

Five minutes into the period, Aman put one on net. Androlewicz couldn’t save it cleanly, as the puck bounced around in the crease. The Stonehill goalie eventually found and gloved it. On the faceoff, DiMarsico rocketed a one-timer off the pipe. Cerrato followed up with a close call of his own.

As Stonehill skated with the puck in its defensive zone, Misa forced an impressive turnover directly in front of the net. However, the defense made up for its miscue as the Skyhawks regained possession.

Van Olm leveled a huge hit at the blue line, sending a Stonehill player crashing into the boards. The referees determined that the hit was dangerous, as they called Van Olm for boarding. The Nittany Lions would look to kill off yet another penalty.

Laubach led an odd-man rush on the kill, but he waited too long before getting a shot off. The puck didn’t leave his stick cleanly, as Stonehill survived the danger, not for long, however.

After Gavin McKenna entered the zone alone, he found Nico Collins in the center, whose shot rebounded and led to a Van Olm goal. The time of the score was 9:18, as Penn State doubled its lead, the team now up 4-2. Van Olm’s goal marked the first of his collegiate career.

SHEA. VAN. OLM. #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/4z9NOKYVMH

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 26, 2025

With the blue and white playing with an extra surge of energy, Riedler made an incredible save to prevent the quick Stonehill response.

With nine minutes left in regulation, Aman was called for a trip in front of the Penn State crease. The Nittany Lions were able to kill off the power play, as they continued to hold a two-goal advantage with time rapidly dwindling.  

Another tripping call was handed out with just below five minutes left. Stonehill’s Aben was sent to the box as Penn State searched for the dagger. It was unable to find it, but time remained on its side, as the Nittany Lions could taste victory.

Penn State would hold on to win it 4-2, securing the win and the series sweep.

Takeaways

•  JJ Wiebusch continues to be on fire. His goal tonight marks his ninth on the season in just eight games.
•  Penn State got off to yet another slow start. After a scoreless first period that featured a Stonehill rush to begin the action, the Nittany Lions need to do a better job of applying early pressure.
•  Shea Van Olm scored the first goal of his collegiate career. His score makes him the eleventh Nittany Lion to tally a goal thus far in the season, demonstrating both the talent and depth of this roster.
• The game featured 12 penalties, with a majority being tripping calls. Penn State went just 1-6 on the man-advantage.
• Penn State finishes its non-conference slate with an impressive 7-1 record, its lone loss coming to Clarkson. Despite the strong record, none of the games came in particularly dominant fashion. The team must clean up some of its mistakes and fix its turnover problem as it enters conference play.

What’s Next?

Penn State will open its Big Ten slate against Ohio State at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday, October 30, in Columbus.