Penn State hockey earns NCAA Tournament berth

Penn State hockey is heading back to the NCAA Tournament. The Nittany Lions will travel to the nearby Allentown Regional, where they will take on Maine next Friday.

The Nittany Lions made the field by virtue of Western Michigan knocking off North Dakota in Friday night’s NCHC Semifinal. The tournament appearance will be the program’s second in three years. In 2023, the Lions beat Michigan Tech 8-0 in the first round before falling in overtime to Michigan in the second round. 

This season was a rollercoaster ride for Penn State hockey, one in which the Nittany Lions authored one of the greatest midseason turnarounds in recent history. After falling to Notre Dame on January 3, Penn State was 7-9-1 and winless in conference. However, it went on a 12-2-3 run to end the regular season, knocking off multiple top-five opponents along the way. 

Guy Gadowsky kept his team hot to start the Big Ten Tournament, going on the road and sweeping Michigan. The first sweep of the Wolverines in Penn State hockey history, the sweep eliminated Michigan from tournament competition.

Last week, however, a tough and controversial loss to Ohio State threatened to cloud the Nittany Lions’ tournament hopes. The Blue and White needed upsets from Cornell over Quinnipiac and Western Michigan over North Dakota to make the field. 

#WeAre DANCIN’ 🕺 pic.twitter.com/vz0e0THtxF

— Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 23, 2025

As the designated host of the Allentown Regional, Penn State will once again return to the PPL Center. The venue has become a second home of sorts for the Nittany Lions, with three of the program’s five NCAA Tournament appearances coming at the site.

Puck drop will be at 8:30 p.m. on Friday night.

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