Penn State hockey opened its Big Ten portion of the schedule with a shootout victory over No. 18 Minnesota on Friday night in Minneapolis. Dane Dowiak slipped the puck past Gophers goaltender Luca Di Pasquo on a goal that was awarded after being reviewed for possible contact, giving Penn State the edge in the fifth round of a shootout, and Joshua Fleming made the game-saving block on a shot by Christian Humphreys to seal a hard-fought road win on Big Ten ice.
Dowiak's shootout goal was originally waved off as the ref believed Di Pasquo made contact with his stick on the puck as Dowiak came in for the attempt (Di Pasquo seemed confident he made contact as well). However, replay showed Di Pasquo only made contact with Dowiak's stick and not the puck.
Dowiak recovered to net the goal, which was awarded following a replay review.
GOOD GOALLLLLLLL!!! pic.twitter.com/funv2rrjQi
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 31, 2026
Fleming picked up his first win in net this season on a night when he blocked 35 of 36 shots by the Gophers, including 5 saves in overtime before blocking 4 of 5 shots in the shootout. Fleming improved to 2-1 in shootouts in his career.
FLEM SAYS GOODNIGHT!!#WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/3ZVvbhGodb
— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) October 31, 2026
Minnesota scored in the first period for an early 1-0 lead, but Penn State tied the game at 1-1 in the third period on a goal by Justin Poirier midway through the third period. Justin Larose picked up the assist on the goal. Penn State opened the shootout with a goal from Reese Laubach, and Minnesota's LJ Mooney evened the shootout round in the third round.
Penn State and Minnesota will be back in action on Saturday evening for the second game of the weekend series. Here is how to watch Penn State hockey in action on Saturday evening.
What channel is Penn State vs. Minnesota hockey on today?
- Date: Saturday, October 31, 2026
- Start time: 7:00 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: N/A
- Livestream: B1G+
Penn State's road game against Minnesota will not be available to watch on TV. It will be available to watch via the Big Ten's official streaming platform, B1G+.
Watch Penn State vs. Minnesota hockey on B1G+
Updated NCAA ice hockey national championship odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Friday, October 20, 2026.
- Michigan +425
- Michigan State +675
- Denver +875
- North Dakota +1100
- Quinnipiac +1200
- Western Michigan +1300
- Minnesota-Duluth +1500
- Providence +1600
- Wisconsin +1600
- Boston College +2500
- UConn +2800
- Minnesota +2800
- Penn State +5000
Upcoming Penn State hockey schedule
All times are Eastern.
- Nov. 6 vs. Notre Dame, TBA
- Nov. 7 vs. Notre Dame, TBA
- Nov. 13 at Michigan, TBA
- Nov. 14 at Michigan, TBA
- Nov. 20 at Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 21 at Wisconsin, 7 p.m.
Full Penn State hockey schedule
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This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State hockey wins Big Ten opener in shootout vs. Minnesota
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