Penn State men’s hockey (2-4-0) swept Canisius (3-3-2) with a 3-2 overtime win Saturday evening at Pegula Ice Arena.

Mac Gadowsky put the Nittany Lions ahead early. After falling behind in the middle period, Penn State rallied to tie the game, and Jackson Smith scored an overtime goal to complete the sweep.

How It Happened

Dane Dowiak won the opening draw before Nick Fascia fired the first shot off Jack Lisson’s blocker in the early seconds of the contest.

Canisius held possession for much of the early game. Still, the Nittany Lion defense did a good job keeping goalie Ryder Fetterolf clean, limiting the Golden Griffins to just one shot in the first half of the opening period.

Justin Larose drew a cross-checking minor, giving Penn State its first power play. Reese Laubach took two shots on the man advantage, but the scoreline didn’t change.

Penn State applied much better pressure after the power play, with Gadowsky letting one fly from the blue line that found its way through the crease chaos and into the back of the net to make it 1-0 Penn State.

The Hometown Kid gets us going!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/cCHKQhXw5P

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 24, 2026

Shortly after the goal, Dowiak was sent to the box for tripping. Fetterolf stopped a flurry of shots to help preserve his team’s lead as the penalty bled into the second period.

Penn State finished the kill to begin the middle frame.

Fetterolf continued a strong start in goal, making three more saves soon following the penalty’s expiration, with one being a breakaway robbery of Trey Funk.

A few minutes later, Lisson made a robbery of his own, stuffing Justin Poirier right in front of the net after a two-on-zero break.

The goaltenders kept trading great saves, with Fetterolf making an incredible sliding save when Ethan Wolthers got behind the Penn State defense.

The Nittany Lions still controlled possession over the next stretch. Shea Van Olm and Lev Katzin got nice chances that Lisson turned away.

David Elmy finally ended the dream of a shutout for the Penn State, beating Fetterolf high from the slot with just under five minutes left in the second.

Fetterolf bounced back almost immediately, making a tough save on Funk just seconds after letting up the goal. He then stopped Ben Brunelle on a breakaway before a scuffle broke out, and Van Olm and Joe Messina were both booked for roughing.

Canisius benefited from four-on-four play and Rhys Chiddenton scored just eight seconds into the penalties.

After conceding the goal, Penn State controlled possession for the rest of the second period but couldn’t beat Lisson as the Nittany Lions headed into the locker room down 2-1.

Penn State had a great shift to start the third, but it ended when Fascia was rung up for tripping near the offensive blue line.

Hunter Price also committed a tripping minor just 29 seconds into the Golden Griffins’ power play, sending the game to four-on-four play.

Both Fascia and Price served their time without consequence as neither team could mount much offensively and the game returned to five-on-five.

Shortly after the penalties expired, Nolan Collins’ shot was blocked and found its way to Poirier, who promptly tied the game with a snipe over Lisson’s glove.

POIRIERRRRRRRRRR

TIE GAME!!!!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/m7cdtwK6Fq

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 24, 2026

The Nittany Lions’ momentum stalled after Andrew Kuzma was called for holding, giving Canisius another power play.

Penn State got a strong kill, with Fetterolf stopping the lone shot that came his way.

With just over six minutes left in the third, Ethan Weber committed a neutral-zone trip, putting the Nittany Lion penalty kill back on the ice.

Penn State killed the penalty again, keeping the game tied as regulation loomed.

The Nittany Lions really ramped up offensively late in the third, getting several chances before drawing a penalty with just over a minute left.

Canisius did a great job wasting time and closing out regulation with the game still tied.

Penn State began sudden-death overtime with a four-on-three advantage, as the late penalty bled into the extra period.

The Golden Griffins controlled possession early, forcing Fetterolf to make two quick saves, before Jackson Smith got behind the Canisius defense and walked it off with a snipe.

SMITTY CALLED GAME!!!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/nreRIMIIrs

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 24, 2026

Takeaways

• Penn State’s penalty kill really showed out, coming up big on four Canisius power plays, two in the latter half on the third.
• After a quiet stretch, Jackson Smith came up huge with a rocket to win the game for the Nittany Lions.
• Justin Poirier continues his strong start to the season; he now sits at eight points.

What’s Next?

The Nittany Lions will head on the road and begin Big Ten play with a two-game series against Minnesota. The first contest takes place Friday, October 30, at 3M Arena at Mariucci in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Puck drop is set for 8 p.m.