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#5 Wisconsin men's hockey allows 7 unanswered; falls to Gavin McKenna #8 Penn State

Despite building an early lead, Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey could not hang on for 60 minutes against the Penn State Nittany Lions
Kedrick Stumbris|
A shot by Michigan State center Charlie Stramel (15) bounces off the crossbar behind Wisconsin goaltender Daniel Hauser (31) in a game Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin.
A shot by Michigan State center Charlie Stramel (15) bounces off the crossbar behind Wisconsin goaltender Daniel Hauser (31) in a game Thursday, January 15, 2026, at the Kohl Center in Madison, Wisconsin. | Dave Kallmann / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

With Penn State being penalized for failing to leave the ice in a timely manner following warmups, and another fluky penalty due to a broken stick, Wisconsin Badgers men's hockey began Friday night with ample opportunity to build a lead. During that three minutes of power play time, UW failed to register a shot on goal, foreshadowing the frustrating fate that was to come for head coach Mike Hastings' team.

Later in the first period, PSU winger Shea Van Olm received a major penalty and a game misconduct for checking from behind, giving the Badgers eight total minutes on the advantage in the opening frame. During that major power play, Wisconsin scored twice and logged 11 of its 18 first period shots on goal.

Those opening twenty minutes were the high point for fans inside the Kohl Center who braved sub-zero temperatures to witness the top-10 matchup. After the first intermission, the #8 Nittany Lions scored seven unanswered goals, upsetting the #5 Badgers 7-2.

"We know what we can do, and I think that comes from the 26 guys in the locker room. Everyone's got to go home tonight and take a look in the mirror and realize how good we can be. And, obviously, like we've done all year, flush it, but also learn from tonight and come back tomorrow and be better."

With the loss, Wisconsin lost its third home game in merely nine days. The Badgers have lost four of their last six contests, surrendering at least four goals in each defeat. All four of those losses have come at the hands of teams ranked in the top-10 of the polls despite UW going 3-1 against top-10 teams before January.

"We've got to answer the bell," Hastings said.

First Star: Penn State forward Gavin McKenna

Perhaps the first-overall pick in the upcoming 2026 NHL Draft, PSU forward Gavin McKenna may have hit his stride at the right time for Nittany Lions fans, and the wrong time for the Badger faithful. Despite coming into the night with 24 points on the season, the freshman had only scored six goals. By the time the final buzzer sounded, however, he had recorded his first collegiate hat trick.

Despite him not having scored as often as expected so far this season, the Medicine Hat Tigers product put his individual scoring talent on full display in Friday's series opener. McKenna's second goal of the night showed his hands, shot, and speed at their full capabilities as he swatted a pass by UW forward Simon Tassy out of the air in the neutral zone and turned around to score on a blocker side wrist shot.

The Wisconsin defense allowing that much time and space to a player of McKenna's caliber is a recipe for disaster.

"There's a combination of quite a few things there," Hastings said of the Nittany Lions' goals as PSU piled on late. "Our entries, out turnovers, outnumbered rushes to a pretty good line — that line ate us up today."

Second Star: Penn State captain Dane Dowiak

Centering that line with McKenna on the wing, Nittany Lions captain Dane Dowiak also scored three goals, completing his first-career hat trick by scoring a shorthanded third-period goal.

When McKenna scored his third of the night six minutes later, he and Dowiak became the first Penn State duo to record hat tricks in the same game since the program transitioned to Division I 13 years ago.

In addition to scoring shorthanded, Dowiak scored a goal on the power play, and another shorthanded.

Badgers captain Ben Dexheimer pointed directly to special teams play as the difference between the fortune of his team and Penn State as the Nittany Lions scored twice with three opportunities on the advantage in the second period.

"They capitalized and we need to have a better response than we did," said Dexheimer.

Third Star: Penn State winger Aiden Fink

With three assists, the third member of PSU's top line helped put away UW for good, providing primary assists on two of the Nittany Lions' four third period goals.

As Penn State entered the third period with a one-goal lead, the Calgary, Alberta native helped to quiet the Kohl Center crowd hoping to will the Badgers to a comeback. Fink intercepted a breakout pass that Wisconsin defenseman Aiden Dubinsky had intended for Quinn Finley. In turn, Fink dropped the puck off at the point for PSU blue-liner Jackson Smith, who scored 15 seconds into the final frame.

The puck appeared to redirect Dubinsky's stick and past UW goaltender Daniel Hauser.

"It hit, I don't know who it hit, but it hit a glove or something," Hauser said. " I don't know if it was our guy, I think it was our guy kind of passing through the shot lane. You know, still probably a save-able puck to be honest with you. But, you know, just a weird bounceand that sometimes happens.

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Kedrick Stumbris
KEDRICK STUMBRIS

Kedrick Stumbris has covered the Wisconsin Badgers since 2022 with a focus on the Badgers football, men's basketball, and women's hockey programs. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Political Science.

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