How Penn State Women's Volleyball Inspired Penn State Hockey to the Frozen Four

Penn State volleyball's remarkable NCAA turnaround in December helped recalibrate a slumping Nittany Lions hockey team and fuel their run to the Frozen Four.

The Penn State men's hockey team celebrates a 3-2 victory over UConn in the Allentown regional final of the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament. | Mark Wogenrich/Penn State on SI

ALLENTOWN, Pa. | Just before Christmas, Penn State men's hockey coach Guy Gadowsky arrived at practice to find a locker room captivated by volleyball. The night before, the Penn State women's volleyball had won its eighth NCAA title, defeating Louisville 3-1 to punctuate a marvelous postseason run. But the hockey team was even more fascinated with what preceded that championship victory.

Three nights earlier, the Nittany Lions volleyball team had lost the first two sets of its best-of-five NCAA semifinal match against Nebraska and trailed 20-16 in the fourth set. The Cornhuskers were five points from ending the Nittany Lions' season, so Penn State coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley called a timeout. What happened during that timeout seeded not only the volleyball's team comeback but also Penn State hockey's run to its first Frozen Four.

On Sunday night, the Nittany Lions rallied twice from one-goal deficits to beat UConn 3-2 in overtime and win the Allentown regional of the NCAA Men's Hockey Tournament. Penn State advanced to the Frozen Four for the first time in its 13-year history playing Division I hockey and sent coach Guy Gadowsky there for the first time in his 25-year career.

Penn State's rally vs. UConn underscored how the team has played over the past three months. In mid-December, the Nittany Lions were 0-8 in the Big Ten, last in the conference standings and squinting distantly at a potential NCAA Tournament bid. Then on Dec. 19, the Penn State women's volleyball team somehow beat Nebraska, winning three straight sets in what's known as the reverse sweep. And the Penn State men's hockey team wanted to know how.

"They were down two sets to nothing, and they're down [20]-16 and and they had a timeout, and they talked and they were really calm," Gadowsky said Sunday night at Allentown's PPL Center. "And I remember we walked in the locker room Monday morning, and a bunch of the guys were talking about it: 'How does that happen? How can you actually do that?' They were really intrigued by it."

So Penn State's men's hockey players asked Penn State's women's volleyball players what they discussed during that timeout and how they won that set and match. Katie Schumacher-Cawley, the first female head coach to lead a women's volleyball team to the NCAA title, visited the hockey team. She answered every question about her approach and the team's response.

"I think we learned a really valuable lesson about just staying true to yourself and staying positive," Gadowsky said. "So as much as [alternate captain] Carson Dyck and the leadership group were talking about that, we at the same time got to see it play out in real time. And I think that was really impactful."

Penn State women's volleyball coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley watches the action against Louisville during the NCAA Championship match. | Sam Upshaw Jr./Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Yet like the women's volleyball team in that semifinal, Penn State hockey didn't rally immediately. The volleyball team gave up two more points, falling behind Nebraska 22-16, and withstood two match points before winning the fourth set 28-26. And Penn State hockey opened 2025 with a shootout loss to Notre Dame, its ninth straight negative Big Ten result.

But from there, the Penn State hockey team began recalibrating its season with small steps. The Nittany Lions beat Notre Dame 3-0 on Jan. 5 for their first Big Ten win. They swept a non-conference series vs. Canisius, earned shootout and overtime wins over Ohio State and won the first game of a series at Michigan.

After a 7-3 loss to the Wolverines on Feb. 1, the Nittany Lions launched their NCAA Tournament candidacy with a seven-game points streak that included sweeps at Wisconsin and then top-ranked Michigan State. Penn State qualified for the Big Ten Tournament, swept Michigan on the road by scoring 11 goals in two games and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament.

"In the first half [of the season], we had bits and pieces of our game," Penn State senior captain Simon Mack said. "We felt there were some times where we should have won games, but I think in January we just kind of put everything together. And we have learned a lot lessons, one being staying positive. That's been one of the biggest reasons why we've had a lot of success in the second half."

Penn State women's volleyball, particularly Shumacher-Cawley's timeout strategy vs. Nebraska, had a lot to do with that.

"It was just absolutely phenomenal, and I think all Penn Staters are very proud of it, but also very intrigued," Gadowsky said of the volleyball team. "It’s very easy to say, 'Oh, just stay positive, good things to happen.' It's very difficult to do that in the moment. And I was very curious about [the volleyball team], very curious as to what specifically was said in the timeout.

"But independent of me, so were the guys. When I walked in the locker room, I remember that corner of guys. I know Dane Dowiak was there, I know Tyler Paquette was talking, I believe Reese [Laubach] was giving his two cents. And other guys were talking about how they did it, so it was very natural for us to to a little more talking about it."

The other positive voice belonged to Penn State Athletic Director Pat Kraft, who visited the hockey locker room before Christmas break. Kraft is Penn State's head cheerleader and was on the ice for Sunday's celebration. In December, he delivered a pep talk when the Nittany Lions had not yet won a Big Ten game.

"He's sort of a secret weapon," Gadowsky said. "... He is a very, very inspirational guy. I know he's a football player, but he should have been a hockey player with his attitude. He fits this locker room perfectly. And the guys, I think they really get motivated by him. So whenever we need a little pick-me-up, he'll take a run in the locker room before games and he's done a great job this weekend."

Penn State heads to St. Louis for its first Frozen Four, where it will face Boston University in the April 10 semifinals. The game is scheduled for an 8:30 p.m. ET start at Enterprise Center. Denver will face Western Michigan in the first semifinal. The NCAA championship game is set for April 12.

Penn State to its first Frozen Four pic.twitter.com/gHZg35lmbc

— Mark Wogenrich (@MarkWogenrich) March 31, 2025