No. 17 Penn State men’s hockey (0-1-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) lost to UConn (1-0-0, 0-0-0 Hockey East) 3-1 on Friday night at Toscano Family Ice Forum in Storrs, Connecticut, in its season opener.

Despite outshooting the Huskies 43-24, the Nittany Lions trailed for a majority of the contest, coming up just short after a late game-tying goal was overturned for goaltender interference.

How It Happened

Josh Fleming got the start in net for the Nittany Lions, opposite Kam Hendrickson for UConn. Penn State controlled possession early after an opening faceoff win by team captain Dane Dowiak.

Hendrickson recorded the game’s first save on a Shea Busch shot. The Nittany Lions continued to apply pressure, firing two more shots, both of which deflected by Hendrickson.

As the period neared its midway point, Fleming was tested for the first time. One of these was a wrist shot off the stick of Will McIsaac, which found its way into the back of the net, giving the Huskies an early lead.

Penn State controlled possession after giving up the goal, but Hendrickson stood tall, saving everything that came his way, as UConn went into the first intermission with a slim 1-0 advantage.

After the break, a Penn State offensive zone turnover led to a two-on-one break for UConn. Alexandre Blais’ shot soared just wide of the Nittany Lion, keeping Penn State within one.

Despite being down, the Nittany Lions continued to control possession. A little under seven minutes into the second, Kale Dach was the beneficiary of chaos in front of the UConn net, backhanding the puck just over an extended Hendrickson, tying the game at one.

Kale Dach’s first goal as a Nittany Lion! https://t.co/IGj6P6tWYu

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) October 10, 2026

Shortly after, Anthony Allain-Samake was rung up for boarding as Penn State was entering the UConn zone, resulting in the game’s first power play.

Hendrickson made three saves, two of which were Mac Godowsky’s, to help the Huskies kill the penalty.

Soon after the penalty expired, Cole Davis found himself behind the Nittany Lions’ defense, but Fleming shut the door with a sliding save to keep the game tied.

UConn got a power-play opportunity of its own with just over eight minutes left in the middle period, as Justin Larose was sent to the box for cross-checking.

Penn State killed the power play with relative ease, with Fleming being kept clean.

UConn took the killed penalty to heart, sustaining their best attack of the game. After a couple of great saves by Fleming, Joey Muldowney rocketed one from the slot into the top corner of the net, giving the Huskies the lead once again.

Both teams traded chances with no further goals being scored as the second period expired.

The Huskies maintained zone time in the first shift of the third; their momentum was halted after Charlie Morrison was called for an elbowing minor, sending the Nittany Lions back on the power play.

Penn State’s man-advantage was cut short when Dach was sent to the box for holding.

Fleming made several key saves as the four-on-four turned into a Husky power play, getting the game back to even strength with the score still at 2-1.

As the third period crossed over its halfway point, Fleming made three of his best saves of the night, keeping Penn State within striking distance.

Seemingly inspired by Fleming’s heroics, the Nittany Lions went back on the attack, but Hendrickson stood strong in net, making great saves of his own.

With just over seven minutes in the game, Justin Poirier appeared to knot things up at at two, but the goal was overturned for goaltender interference after a UConn challenge.

The Nittany Lions pulled their goalie with a little under three minutes left. Soon after, Kaden Shahan got behind the Penn State defense and skated the puck into the net, putting the icing on the cake for a 3-1 UConn victory.

Takeaways

• Despite scoring just one goal, the Nittany Lions’ speed was obvious, as they outshot UConn 43-24.
• Penn State might’ve run out of gas in the third. UConn didn’t sustain much time of possession until the final frame, when it was able to bleed out the clock.
• Despite the loss, Josh Fleming was excellent down the stretch for the Nittany Lions, making several key saves to keep Penn State in the game.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will conclude their participation in the Ice Breaker Tournament when they take on Sacred Heart on Saturday, October 10. The game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. at the Martire Family Arena in Fairfield, Connecticut. Folks can follow along on FloHockey.