No. 10 Penn State is set for another NCAA Tournament run after last year’s trip to the Frozen Four. The Nittany Lions will take on No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth in the Albany Regional Semifinal tonight. Penn State has made the regional final in three of its four previous trips to the NCAA Tournament. The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of Michigan vs. Bentley in the regional final.
How to Watch
Who: Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs When: Friday, March 27 Where: MVP Arena, Albany, NY Time: 9pm TV: ESPN2 Radio:
Penn State Sports Network
Projected Lineup
Matt DiMarsico-Charlie Cerrato-JJ Wiebusch
Gavin McKenna-Reese Laubach-Aiden Fink
Shea Van Olm-Luke Misa-Ben Schoen
Lev Katzin-Nic Chin-DeGraves-Braedon Ford
Jackson Smith-Jarod Crespo
Cade Christenson-Nolan Collins
Carter Schade-Mac Gadowsky
Josh Fleming
Kevin Reidler
Opponent Preview
Minnesota-Duluth enters the NCAA Tournament with a record of 23-14-1 (11-12-1 NCHC). The Bulldogs have won three national championships- including back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019- under long-time head coach Scott Sandelin, but they are making their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2022. Minnesota-Duluth lost 4-3 to Denver in overtime in the NCHC Tournament final.
Max and Zam Plante have been by far the team’s two best skaters this season. Max was named one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award and won NCHC Player of the Year. His 24 goals and 49 points are both fifth nationally. Zam is right behind him with 47 points (20 goals and 27 assists), good for ninth in the NCAA. The pair of brothers have been lethal, but there is plenty of depth behind them to bolster Minnesota-Duluth’s scoring. Jayson Shaugabay (11 goals, 31 assists), Scout Truman (13 goals, 7 assists), and Callum Arnott (12 goals, 15 assists) all have double digit goal totals for the Bulldogs. Additionally, sophomore Ty Hanson (8 goals, 25 assists) has established himself as one of the top offensive defensemen in the country this season. As a team, Minnesota-Duluth is 13th in the NCAA in goals per game (3.3) and 15th in shots on goal per game (32.2).
Adam Gajan is tonight’s likely starter in net, with a .908 save percentage and 2.24 GAA in 31 starts. The Bulldogs only give up about 25 shots on goal per game, but Gajan can be beaten if Penn State is able to establish sustained zone time on offense. Penn State likely has the advantage in net, although Josh Fleming struggled down the stretch against the tougher competition in the Big Ten.
Minnesota-Duluth has the No. 2 power play (29.9%) and the No. 2 penalty kill (89.3%) in the NCAA. The longer this game is played at even strength, the more likely Penn State is to win. Yesterday’s NCAA Tournament games saw a bevy of penalties called, and Penn State will need to rein in their penalty issues to have a shot.
Tournament Update
- Michigan State beat UConn 2-1 and survived an onslaught from the Huskies. Trey Augustine made 41 saves to help the Spartans advance to the regional final. They will face Big Ten rival Wisconsin, who shut down Dartmouth’s offense in a 5-1 win. The Badgers scored four goals in the third period to pull away from Dartmouth, who made their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 46 years.
- Quinnipiac nearly blew a 3-0 third period lead, but a pair of empty net goals sealed their 5-2 win over Providence. The Bobcats will face North Dakota in the regional final after the Fighting Hawks shut out Merrimack 3-0.
News & Notes
- This will be the first ever meeting between Penn State and Minnesota-Duluth.
- Penn State is 4-4 all-time in the NCAA Tournament and 0-2 against the NCHC, with both losses coming against Denver.
- Gavin McKenna is one of the 10 finalists for the Hobey Baker Award. McKenna, Jackson Smith, Aiden Fink, Matt DiMarsico, Jarod Crespo, and Josh Fleming all received Big Ten honors.
- Jackson Smith will return to Penn State for his sophomore season, per Hockey Valley Horizons.
Prediction
The momentum around this team entering the NCAA Tournament is completely different now than it was a season ago. Penn State limped toward the finish line in February and March this year. The Nittany Lions also benefited from a quasi-home crowd in Allentown last year that will not be quite as strong 200 miles north in Albany. I expect Penn State to bring their best with Charlie Cerrato healthy. Penn State will need to get the first goal and avoid playing from behind, as has plagued them all season. This should be a good game, but the Lions’ issues on defense are too big to ignore against a talented Minnesota-Duluth attack. For what it’s worth, I predicted a loss to Maine in last year’s NCAA Tournament and Penn State ended up running them out of the building.
Minnesota-Duluth 4, Penn State 3
