The Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s hockey team will look to extend their season at least a few more days when they face Penn State in the Big Ten Quarterfinals in Happy Valley on Wednesday night. Minnesota will need to win the Big Ten Tournament to make the NCAA Tournament, so their next loss will be the end of the 2025-26 season for the maroon and gold.
Minnesota finished in sixth place in the Big Ten this season and will face the third seeded Nittany Lions. The Gophers showed some life at the end
of the regular season picking up a win over Michigan in Ann Arbor and finishing off the regular season with a 3-3 tie and shootout win over Big Ten Regular Season Champion Michigan State last Friday. But the Gophers also got absolutely demolished by the Spartans 7-1 on Thursday. Which Minnesota team shows up on Wednesday night may determine if they get one more shot at the Spartans on Saturday, or if the team has tee-times in warmer climes set for the weekend.
The highlight of the season for Minnesota was the sophomore jump that Brodie Ziemer took. Ziemer led the Gophers with 36 points in 35 games. He scored at least one goal in six of the Gophers last seven games and led the nation in power play goals with 11 on the season. His return will be critical to the Gophers chances at a better 2026-27 season.
In goal Luca DiPasquo has has some great games down the stretch. If the Gophers want to have any chance of extending their season, his play will be critical. But Minnesota will need to support him. DiPasquo did not play in either game of the Penn State series in Minneapolis in November with Nathan Airley backstopping the Gophers to a split. In Happy Valley in January the Nittany Lions swept the Gophers. Di Pasquo started Friday night and made 37 saves in a 3-0 loss. Saturday night Airey got the start and gave up three goals in the opening period. He was pulled and DiPasquo went the rest of the game giving up just one additional goal on 28 shots, but again the Minnesota offense was non-existent and Minnesota lost 5-2.
Penn State has struggled down the stretch with a 2-5-3 record over their last 10 outings with five of those contests going into overtime. To end the regular season they were swept at home by Wisconsin. But the Nittany Lions are still a dangerous team offensively. They average 3.7 goals per game thanks to a power play that converts 27.3 percent of its chances, both of which rank seventh in the country. With Minnesota’s atrocious penalty kill, staying out of the box will be absolutely critical for Minnesota’s chance at a win. On the other side of that is that the Nittany Lions lead the nation in penalty minutes per game, so the Gophers MUST take advantage with the extra man.
Penn State has been alternating their goalies down the stretch with neither wanting to prove they are the #1 guy. Joshua Fleming has the statistical edge between the two behind a 2.59 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage and picked up the 3-0 shutout win over the Gophers in January. Kevin Reidler leads the Nittany Lions with 11 victories but has a 3.3 goals-against average and a .901 save percentage.
This will be the 5th overall matchup between the Gophers and Nittany Lions in the Big Ten Tournament and the third time in the quarterfinals. Each team is 2-0 on their home ice sweeping a quarterfinal series, and the teams each have one semifinal victory against each other on neutral ice.
While Minnesota needs to win to keep their season alive, Penn State is likely headed for the NCAA Tournament no matter the result of Wednesday’s game. A Gopher loss could drop the Nittany Lions closer to the bubble, but barring mass chaos in other conferences, they should feel comfortable to be in the field. The margin for error is less this season with the Big Ten moving to a single-elimination quarterfinal game rather than the previous best-of-three series.
Wednesday’s game is slated for a 6 PM faceoff and will stream on B1G+. Wally Shaver and Pat Micheletti will have the radio call on 1130AM. If Minnesota wins, they will advance to play at Michigan State on Saturday. A Penn State win likely sends them to #2 seeded Michigan on Saturday.
