No. 6 Penn State Men’s Hockey Crushes Ohio State 11-4
No. 6 Penn State men’s hockey (19-9-1, 11-7-1 Big Ten) demolished Ohio State (11-17-1, 7-12-0 Big Ten) 11-4 Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena.
Josh Fleming was in the net for the Friday start against the Buckeyes. Things escalated quickly for the Nittany Lions. With the team almost scoring double digits, they dominated the entire 60 minutes. McKenna had 8 points in just this game alone. Aiden Fink drew first blood, and the Penn State scoring did not stop there.
How It Happened
Penn State won the faceoff to start the first period against Ohio State. The Buckeyes quickly regained control of the puck with a shot coming from Chris Able.
Bryce Ingles took a shot from the blue line that went straight to the hands of Fleming. After attempts to steal the puck back, the Nittany Lions struggled to take the puck into their offensive zone.
The game started to get physical after the Nittany Lions and Buckeyes found themselves shoving each other early on. Four minutes in, and Penn State had yet to notch a shot toward Kristoffer Eberly.
Jackson Smith skated in front of Eberly and shot the puck, which was deflected by the Buckeye. Reese Laubach was looking to continue his point streak when Eberly quickly gloved the shot.
Getting into an offensive groove, Shea Van Olm’s pass to Fink was intercepted in front of the net. The Buckeyes then regained the control they had been possessing all game.
On an offensive surge, Carter Schade and Van Olm collided into the boards after they attempted to fire the puck past Eberly. Penn State was rewarded a power play after Ingles was called for interference on the play.
On the power play, Fink took the puck from Gavin McKenna, who then shot the puck past Eberly on a one-timer.
Moments after the game resumed to five-on-five hockey, Riley Thompson was called for hooking.
The puck trickled past Eberly after McKenna shot it from the middle of the ice on the advantage. Special teams were now rolling for the Nittany Lions.
Decent Celly
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) February 21, 2026#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/Ki9vhpSagA
Fleming dove to catch the puck on Davis Burnside’s attempt to cut the Penn State lead in half. The Roar Zone started chanting, “Hobey Baker” after the play.
The Nittany Lions were tested on the penalty kill after Nick Fascia was called for hooking. Félix Caron’s shot got past Fleming from in front of the net.
Smith couldn’t hang onto the puck from the corner of the net, and it was then turned over to the Buckeyes. Then, Cade Christenson was called for interference with a little more than three left in the first period.
The Nittany Lions cleared the zone multiple times to kill the Buckeye power play. The first period ended with the Nittany Lions leading 2-1.
The second period started with Penn State controlling the puck. Matt DiMarsico was tripped skating toward the net by Able, sending the Nittany Lions on their third power play of the game.
DiMarsico was able to find the back of the net after his shoulder tapped McKenna’s pass in to extend the lead 3-1.
Just after a minute, JJ Wiebusch was dished the puck from DiMarsico as his shot breezed past Eberly.
Eberly was sent to the bench while Sam Hillebrandt took over the Ohio State net.
The Buckeyes bounced back from the Nittany Lions’ goals when Caron notched another goal on the scoreboard. Penn State still led 4-2.
Van Olm skated into the zone and took the pass from Ben Schoen to add to the lead.
The Buckeyes continued to push offensively despite the 3-goal deficit they were facing. However, the Nittany Lions could not stop picking up the puck and scoring.
Luke Misa shot the puck from McKenna past Hillebrandt to make the score 6-2 now.
Burnside for Ohio State shot the puck from in front of the net past Fleming to continue the back-and-forth goal scoring.
The ice was finally calm as the two teams exchanged the puck with ten minutes left in the second period.
Then, six minutes left in the second frame, the two teams continued to battle for the puck and skate back-and-forth. Fink’s shot toward Hillebrandt bounced off his pads and back to Fink. Penn State then lost the puck to Ohio State.
Van Olm scored the touchdown for the Nittany Lions after he took the puck from McKenna.
On a shorthanded surge, Wiebusch passed the puck to DiMarsico, who then fired the puck past Hillebrandt.
The third period started with a faceoff win by Ohio State. The ice was tilted toward Penn State, with it still dominating the ice, scoreboard, and more.
Nic Chin-DeGraves had a shot on the net that was quickly saved by Hillebrandt. The Nittany Lions were still pressuring the Buckeye net.
With under 13 minutes to go in the final frame, Misa scored yet another goal, this time from DiMarsico’s shot on the blue line.
With under eight minutes to go in the game, Ohio State was struggling to get a stick on the puck. The Buckeyes were able to find the back of the net for the last time Friday night when Adam Eisele scored.
Wiebusch and Burnside were sent to the penalty box for roughing with five minutes left to play. During four-on-four, Caron was called for hooking. To bring more company to the Buckeye penalty box, William Smith was called for interference.
Smith made the score double digits after a pass from McKenna in the middle.
A SMITTYYYYYY BOMB!!
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) February 21, 2026#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/rVtoe6hjsO
Laubach was able to extend his goal-streak from the corner of the net to extend the lead to 11-4.
Schoen was called to the penalty box with eight seconds left for unsportsmanlike conduct.
The Nittany Lions finished strong as they concluded the first game against the Buckeyes, 11-4.
Takeaways
- The Penn State special teams were very successful in this matchup. The team scored on all of the penalties, setting up the offense to thrive against the Buckeyes.
- The offense completely took off in this game. With blank goals, each line saw success offensively. The team needed this bounce-back after three straight weeks of losing.
- With injuries plaguing the Nittany Lions, this win helped re-establish the identity that may have been shaken up due to all the moving around. Lines and even positions have changed in the Penn State locker room, and an 11-4 victory is a great start toward getting comfortable.
What’s Next?
The Nittany Lions look to close out the series against the Buckeyes at 8 p.m. Saturday, February 21, at Pegula Ice Arena.
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