Penn State men’s hockey (1-4-0, 0-0-0 Big Ten) beat Canisius (3-3-1, 0-0-0 Atlantic Hockey America) 5-1 Friday night to open the series.

The Nittany Lions finally won a game after four straight losses to open the season. Captain Dane Dowiak scored twice, and Andrew Kuzma notched his two collegiate goals against the Golden Griffins.

How It Happened

Kaden Pitre won the puck drop to start the first period against Canisius. The Nittany Lions had the puck in the Golden Griffins’ zone early on, desperate to score first.

Dane Dowiak had a chance when he flicked the puck to the upper corner of the net, which was batted down by Canisius goalie Jack Lisson. Moments later, however, Dowiak came at the net again, this time finding the back of it 2:19 into play.

COMIN’ DOWN THE TRACK, IT’S DANE DOWIAK pic.twitter.com/vMzwwKYVha

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) October 23, 2026

The Golden Griffins came back at Josh Fleming with multiple shots. Momentum swung their way when Jackson Smith took yet another penalty on the season (his fourth), this time for interference. The Nittany Lions were able to kill off the power play and not allow a single shot from the Golden Griffins.

Ethan Weber knocked on the door against Lisson but was denied by the defenders in front. Smith took a shot from in front of the net that was deflected, and Shea Busch could not capitalize on the rebound.

Things got messy when Shea Van Olm and a couple of Golden Griffins got into it in the Canisius zone. No penalty was called on the scuffle.

Penn State started to look disconnected halfway through the first period. Van Olm passed the puck to Nick Fascia right in front of Lisson but could not connect on the opportunity. Lev Katzin hit the post from the side, and no one was there to bat it in.

In the Penn State zone, Nolan Collins pushed his stick through Ethan Wolthers’ shot on Josh Fleming. The puck bounced back and forth for the rest of the period. Penn State outshot Canisius 11-5.

Canisius won the faceoff to start the second period. The puck stayed in the Penn State zone and eventually went past Fleming. Ben Brunelle flicked the puck past Fleming’s shoulder to tie the game two minutes into the second period.

Dowiak could not handle the puck in front of Lisson and was crushed by multiple Golden Griffins. The puck remained in the zone and allowed Kuzma to take the puck from Kale Dach into the net.

Andrew Kuzma scores his first goal as a Nittany Lion after receiving a diving pass from Shea Busch after Jackson Smith’s point shot was blocked! pic.twitter.com/vdiVwV27z0

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) October 24, 2026

David Elmy took a tripping penalty to put the Nittany Lions on the power play for the first time in the game. Smith was shoved through the Canisius bench door, which did not result in a penalty. The penalty was over quickly and was not successful.

Midway through the second period, Penn State challenged a play for a major penalty on Reese Laubach. After review, it was ruled that there was no major penalty and Penn State lost its challenge.

Canisius was charged with a cross-checking penalty on Jimmy Goffredo. A minute into the man advantage, Dowiak recorded his second goal of the game when his pass hit off of Carter Patterson into the net.

Dane Dowiak’s centering pass hit off Carter Patterson and into the net for a 3-1 Penn State lead and Dowiak’s second of the game pic.twitter.com/fHVezz6bna

— Onward Sports (@OnwardStSports) October 24, 2026

With five minutes left in the second slate, the Nittany Lions seemed to have found their groove. Tensions continued to rise between the two teams despite Penn State being in control. The second period closed with Smith and Patterson being separated as they both made their way to the locker room.

The final period started with a roughing penalty against Marco Mignosa. Matt Campbell was laid out hard and almost had to be taken off the ice on a stretcher. He was able to get up on his own eventually and skate to the locker room.

The Nittany Lions killed the power play, but the puck remained in their zone. Penn State could not complete the four-on-one chance with Laubach not able to get past Lisson’s padding. Patterson went after him right after the play ended.

Minutes later, Laubach still could not shove the puck into the net after several attempts. Busch took a tripping penalty midway through the third period, putting Canisius back on the power play. The penalty was killed by the Nittany Lions.

With three minutes left to play, Canisius pulled Lisson for the extra skater. Kuzma slapped the puck into the empty net for his second goal of the night.

In the dying seconds, Smith shot the puck past Lisson to put the final dagger in the night.

The Nittany Lions were able to close out the game and win the first game of the series against the Golden Griffins, 5-1.

Takeaways

• While the Nittany Lions notched a win for the first time this season, this is still not the team fans are used to seeing. Penn State still has time to find its identity, but Big Ten play is next week.
• Penn State was more disciplined this game but still needed to clean up its game. The Nittany Lions missed too many passes, opportunities, and shots against the Golden Griffins.
• Jackson Smith had two assists and a goal on the night but still took a penalty. The sophomore is adjusting to the season and producing points but is still finding himself in the box repeatedly.

What’s Next?

Penn State looks to close out the series against Canisius on Saturday, October 23, at 5 p.m. at home.