Well, folks, that’s not how the season was supposed to start.

Penn State men’s hockey has fallen out of the USCHO poll after losing to UConn and Sacred Heart in the 2026 Ice Breaker Tournament, the organization announced Monday.

The Nittany Lions opened the season No. 17 in the poll, six spots below their No. 11 finish in last season’s final poll.

Penn State traveled to Storrs, Connecticut, on Friday and lost 3-1 to now-No. 17 UConn. The Nittany Lions battled throughout, but two late referee decisions stripped them of game-tying goals and gave the Huskies an opening-night win.

Penn State stayed in Connecticut to take on unranked Sacred Heart following the loss. Despite a crazy Michigan goal from Justin Larose, the Nittany Lions fell 6-3.

Four Big Ten teams remain ranked: No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Michigan State, No. 5 Wisconsin, and No. 20 Minnesota.

The Nittany Lions return to Pegula Ice Arena for their home opener against No. 8 Quinnipiac at 7 p.m. on Friday.

About the Author

Collin Ward

Collin is a fourth-year majoring in digital/print journalism. He lives in Basking Ridge, New Jersey and enjoys TAYLOR HAM, egg, and cheese. As a New York Giants and Chelsea FC fan you can normally find him yelling at his TV screen on the weekends. Please follow him on X(formerly Twitter) @wardcollinz for Penn State football stuff. You can email him at [email protected].

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