Penn State Hockey Effectively Punches Return Ticket to the NCAA Tournament

The Penn State men's hockey team likely punched its return ticket to the NCAA Tournament on Wednesday. The Nittany Lions reset following a clunky finish to the regular season, defeating Minnesota 6-2 in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals.

Penn State returns to the Big Ten semifinals for the second straight year to face top-ranked Michigan. The game is scheduled for 5 p.m. ET Saturday at Yost Arena in Ann Arbor. Michigan, the tournament's second seed despite being ranked No. 1 in the USCHO.com poll, opened with a 6-1 win over Notre Dame.

According to College Hockey News' NPI probability matrix, Penn State's semifinal win over Minnesota essentially locked the Nittany Lions into a NCAA tournament bid. Penn State has an 83 percent chance to make the NCAA field as an at-large team and a 17-percent chance as an automatic qualifier by winning the Big Ten Tournament.

That's welcome news for Penn State, which stumbled into the postseason with a 2-6-2 record over its final 10 games of the regular season. The finish prompted questions from Nittany Lions center Reese Laubach about the team's effort and focus.

“I feel like guys are starting to check out.” Laubach said after Penn State fell to Wisconsin last week.

Penn State (21-12-2) will face a familiar opponent in the Big Ten semifinals. The Nittany Lions swept Michigan in last year's quarterfinal series in Ann Arbor, a turning-point series on their road to the Frozen Four. Penn State is playing in the Big Ten semifinals for the 10th time in 13 years.

How Penn State reached the Big Ten semifinals

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Aiden Fink shoots the puck against the Clarkson Golden Knights. — Penn State Nittany Lions forward Aiden Fink shoots the puck against the Clarkson Golden Knights during the third period at Pegula Ice Arena. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Aiden Fink had a goal and two assists in leading 10th-ranked Penn State over the Gophers at Pegula Ice Arena. The Nittany Lions jumped to a quick 2-0 lead with first-period goals from Charlie Cerrato and Mac Gadowsky.

Cerrato scored for the first time since Penn State's Jan. 9 game against Minnesota. He missed 14 games with an injury, returning in the regular-season series finale vs. Wisconsin.

Penn State increased its lead to 4-0 in the second period on goals from Matt DiMarsico and Reese Laubach. Minnesota got one back late in the second period.

Fink gave Penn State a 5-1 lead in the third with his 10th goal of the season. The Nittany Lions capped their scoring with an empty-net goal from Cade Christenson.

Penn State outshot Minnesota 40-29 and was 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. Josh Fleming stopped 27 shots in goal to improve his season record to 10-5-2.

With a goal and an assist, DiMarsico became the 10th Penn State player to reach 100 career points. He registered his 10th multi-point game of the season and 22nd of his career.

Gadowsky, the Penn State defenseman and son of head coach Guy Gadowsky, scored his first goal as a Nittany Lion. Gadowsky, a Hobey Baker Award finalist last season at Army West Point, played in his 100th career game.

Forward Gavin McKenna had two assists, extending his season-best points streak to eight games. He became the 14th Penn State player to top the 50-point threshold in a single season.

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