Penn State stuns Michigan with NCAA Tournament bid on the line

There are not enough superlatives to describe the run that Penn State hockey has been on since the calendar flipped to 2025. On January 1, the Nittany Lions were sitting at 7-9-0 and hadn’t won a Big Ten game in eight tries. Since then, the Blue and White entered the weekend on an 11-3-4 run.

By far the hottest team in the country, the run catapulted the Nittany Lions back into the NCAA Tournament discussion, an unfathomable thought even just a month ago. Entering Friday, only one obstacle was in the way of nearly guaranteeing Penn State an NCAA Tournament berth: a Big Ten Quarterfinals series at Michigan.

The highest-stakes trip to Ann Arbor in program history, the Nittany Lions needed to claim two games from the Wolverines in the same series, something the school had never accomplished. But as had been the case multiple times in 2025, Penn State hockey defied the odds again, sweeping Michigan in two games to advance to the conference semifinal round.

Roller coaster ride ends in euphoria

Game one followed the same high-scoring script that occurred the four times these two teams faced off during the regular season.

Penn State broke the ice just about five minutes in. Ben Schoen capitalized on an open shot at the net after a sharp cross-ice pass from Danny Dzhaniyev. However, Michigan answered right off the ensuing faceoff after the goal. Only 16 seconds came off the clock between goals. 

The rest of the period was all Nittany Lions. Matt DiMarsico got in on a partial breakaway and jammed the puck through the five-hole into the net to regain the lead for the Blue and White. With Penn State buzzing in the final minute of the period, Dzhaniyev sniped a shot short side from a tough angle to give the Nittany Lions a 3-1 lead headed to the break. 

However, Penn State struggled in the second period. The Wolverines scored the lone goal in the frame, cutting the deficit in half. 

The home team’s momentum carried over into the third period. An early power-play goal tied the game at three. 

Michigan continued to buzz until Penn State was given its own power play opportunity. JJ Wiebusch collected a beautiful feed from Aiden Fink and ripped it into the net for a power play marker. Wiebusch wasn’t done yet, scoring again two minutes later, knocking home a bouncing loose puck in the crease to make it 5-3. 

But the roller coaster was just about to enter its craziest turn. Michigan scored immediately off the faceoff for the second time in the game. This time, only nine seconds elapsed between the goals. Then, with under five minutes left, the Wolverines found an equalizer. Penn State hockey had blown a two-goal lead for the second time.

As you’d expect for a team that rallied twice, Michigan had all the momentum heading into overtime. However, the Nittany Lions carried the play through the first part of the five-on-five, 20-minute overtime period. They were rewarded with a power-play opportunity.

In a moment that went viral, Wiebusch collected the puck down low at the side of the net and used a between-the-legs shot to knock home the game-winning goal. His first career hat trick, the goal gave Penn State hockey a momentum-building 6-5 victory on Friday night.

Penn State hockey dominates Wolverines to complete historic sweep

Despite the improbable victory just 24 hours earlier, there was still a lot of work to be done for the Nittany Lions on Saturday. A series sweep would be the best outcome for Penn State’s tournament hopes, but a feat the program had never accomplished in Ann Arbor.

And the quest to make history started poorly. A terrible defensive zone turnover by Carter Schade set up an easy Michigan goal just a little over a minute into the game, marking the first time the Nittany Lions trailed in the series.

But it didn’t last long. Reversing course from the night before, Nic DeGraves was waiting at the backdoor to tap home a puck just 14 seconds after the faceoff to tie the contest at one.

Penn State’s successful weekend on the power play continued late in the first when Ben Schoen scored his second goal of the series off a rebound to give the Nittany Lions a 2-1 lead. 

Penn State continued to keep its foot on the gas in the second. About midway through the period, a beautiful backhand pass from DeGraves set up a tap-in goal for Carson Dyck. But like the night before, Michigan had an answer. Less than a minute later, the home team struck on a power play one-timer to cut the deficit in half. 

Later in the period, the hero of the weekend struck again. JJ Wiebusch collected a beautiful pass from Schade for an easy wrist-shot goal. And just like the prior night, Penn State hockey found itself up two goals heading into the third period.

But unlike the prior night, Penn State kept Michigan off the score sheet in the final frame. It wasn’t for lack of trying, as a desperate Wolverines squad threw anything and everything at the net, outshooting Penn State 14-5 in the period. 

The only goal in the period was a rare penalty shot after Charlie Cerrato was tripped on a breakaway. Cerrato, the former Michigan commit, went top shelf to extend the lead to three with under three minutes to go. Adding another chapter in this storybook season, the Nittany Lions bled the final few minutes off the clock to complete the 5-2 victory.

What’s next for the Nittany Lions?

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.

This sweep likely locked up an NCAA Tournament bid for Penn State hockey. Per the College Hockey News PairWise Probability Matrix, the Nittany Lions now have a 98% chance of making the big dance. It may be too soon to say the Nittany Lions have clinched their spot, with several bid-stealing scenarios still outstanding. But the Blue and White are incredibly close. 

But before the NCAA Tournament, there is still Big Ten Tournament hockey to be played. Next weekend, Penn State hockey will make its first appearance in the Big Ten Semifinals since 2021. The Nittany Lions’ opponent and game location will be determined based on the results of the remaining Big Ten Quarterfinals, which will be completed on Sunday night.

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