Penn State keeps postseason dreams alive with strong weekend vs. 9/8 Ohio State

Penn State hockey came into last weekend’s series against No. 9/8 Ohio State, playing for its postseason lives. The Nittany Lions have often played their best with their backs against the wall, and they would need it against a Buckeyes team that has surged back into the national spotlight after a retooling year a season ago. A heavyweight bout-type of series, the Nittany Lions emerged from the weekend with the belt. 

Game 1: Penn State hockey uses shootout to down Buckeyes

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.

Friday night’s game will certainly find its way onto the list, perhaps at the top, of craziest games ever played at Pegula Ice Arena.

Ironically, it started with a mundane first period. The Buckeyes did a good job of stymying the Penn State attack and controlling much of the puck possession. Ohio State got on the board first after a Nittany Lion defensive lapse near the end of the frame, resulting in a 1-0 Buckeyes lead into the first intermission. 

Things didn’t get better for the Nittany Lions to start the second. Ohio State continued clogging the neutral zone and getting most of the chances. The Buckeyes doubled their lead just over five minutes into the period and then tacked on a third about halfway into the middle frame. 

Down 3-0, Penn State hockey seemed headed towards a rare blowout loss on home ice, one that would effectively end any faint tournament chances the program may have had.

Lions rally back from 3-0 hole

But if there is one thing that this iteration of the Nittany Lions has shown, it’s that they never quit.

In the latter part of the second period, star forward Aiden Fink followed up on his own shot, banking the puck off the back of the Ohio State goaltender to get Penn State hockey on the board. Fink, who had a sensational freshman season, is outdoing himself in his second year on campus. He is quickly climbing up the program leaderboards for goal-scoring statistics. His NHL rights are with the Nashville Predators, but as a late-round pick, it remains to be seen whether he can be the first Nittany Lion to break through in the NHL.

Moments later, sophomore forward Matt DiMarsico added the Nittany Lion’s second highlight reel goal of the evening with a 360-degree putback shot that found the top shelf. 

Suddenly, Penn State had all the momentum heading back to the locker room for the second intermission. 

The break didn’t stifle the momentum. Less than two minutes into the period, a beautiful pass from forward Dylan Lugris found forward Dane Dowiak with the goalie out of position to net an easy goal and tie the game at three, blowing the roof of the packed Pegula Ice Arena.

But the excitement didn’t last long. About a minute later, Ohio State took the air out of the building with what seemed like a backbreaking go-ahead goal. 

Heart-stopping contest gets its wild finish

This is when the game started to really go off the rails. Exactly one minute after the Buckeyes’ fourth goal, forward JJ Wiebusch fired a shot, then crashed into the Ohio State net after getting tripped by a Buckeye player. The puck trickled across the line, and after a lengthy review, the goal stood, tying the game again at four. 

Penn State hockey would grab its first lead when Aiden Fink added his second goal of the night, this time on the powerplay. 

The rollercoaster ride would continue, this time favoring Ohio State. The Buckeyes netted two quick goals late in the period to take the lead, appearing to be enough to pull out the regulation victory. 

And it almost was enough. Going for broke with the goalie pulled, Danny Dzhaniyev dove to knock the puck into the net with 12 seconds left in regulation to the tie game. 

A game like this didn’t deserve to be decided in 60 minutes, so the ride continued with a 3-on-3 overtime period. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the five minutes of overtime went by without a goal despite a couple of posts and good saves on both ends.

Officially, the game ended in a tie, but the teams would go to a shootout to earn an extra point in the Big Ten standings. The tie is unfortunate for Penn State’s NCAA Tournament hopes but certainly much better than the regulation loss.

Dylan Lugris would score the lone goal in the shootout on either side with a top-shelf backhander, earning Penn State hockey the extra point in conference play.

Game 2: Defense comes to play as Penn State hockey secures upset win

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.

Fans took notice of the entertainment Friday’s game provided and showed up to Pegula in droves on Saturday – a new record 6,604 of them, to be exact. This marks the third year in a row that the attendance record has been broken, marking a continued growth in fan investment in the young Penn State hockey program.

The fans would be treated to a very different type of game on Saturday night, one more typical of the many prior meetings of these two rivals. 

The first period played out fairly similarly to Friday night’s game: a low-event period primarily controlled by the visitors. The lone difference was the score remained 0-0 this time around. 

Elite second period gives Nittany Lions the lead

In the second, however, it would not be a stretch to say it was the Nittany Lions’ best period of the year, even if it only resulted in one goal. Penn State hockey dominated the Buckeyes in the middle frame, outshooting them 13-5 and carrying the pace of play the entire period. The lone goal was scored by Friday’s late-game hero, Danny Dzhaniyev, on the powerplay early in the period. 

Headed into the third, it seemed as if Penn State was going to need more than one goal if it was going to win. That proved true after an ill-advised penalty gave the Buckeyes a powerplay, resulting in a man-advantage score of their own. 

Ohio State rallies, Laubauch ends it in OT

But with just about three minutes left in the game, freshman Nic DeGraves made his name known to Hockey Valley fans. DeGraves, filling in for injured star Charlie Cerrato, potted a loose puck off a rebound to give Penn State hockey a 2-1 lead in the dying minutes. 

Just as Penn State found a heroic moment with the extra attacker the night prior, Ohio State would get its moment on Saturday. With 21 seconds left, the Buckeyes tied the game, sending us to overtime again. 

This time, the Nittany Lions didn’t want to wait for a shootout. With a turnover set up a 2-on-0 breakaway, Ben Schoen found Reese Laubauch, who fired a shot into the back of the net. The goal gave Penn State hockey the sudden death upset victory.

Penn State upsets #9 Ohio State 3-2 in overtime! 🚨 #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.twitter.com/NxRw3zVGqf

— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) January 26, 2025

Where are Penn State’s postseason hopes coming out of the weekend?

© Chris Eutsler / Basic Blues Nation, 2025.

While this victory certainly helps Penn State’s postseason cause, the Nittany Lions were 21 seconds away from it being so much more. In college hockey, overtime wins count as 66% of a win and 33% of a loss. The latter will weigh heavily on the Nittany Lions’ postseason resume. 

Still, Penn State hockey is at No. 24 in PairWise, the ranking system used to determine and seed the field for the NCAA Tournament. Considering bid stealers, the Nittany Lions are about 10 spots away from feeling comfortable on Selection Sunday. That is the same number of spots the team jumped in January, starting the month at No. 34. 

Next up is a daunting trip to Yost Ice Arena to face the Michigan Wolverines. Penn State will need to find a way to eke out a win in a place that has given the program well-documented troubles. Get a win, and the bubble talk will continue to grow.

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