Penn State Men’s Hockey Routs Michigan Tech 8-0 to Advance in NCAA Tournament

Three years ago, gathered in a team meeting room trying to digest the news, Penn State men’s hockey knew what it had lost. For a team with unquestionable potential, the cancellation of the NCAA Tournament due to the opening days of the COVID-19 pandemic also meant the end to the Nittany Lions’ very real national title hopes.

In the seasons since, Penn State struggled to find the mojo that fueled the program’s quick transformation from an exciting new attraction in town to one of the best offenses in America. In the wake of that season the Nittany Lions failed to score — their calling card — struggled to defend and struggled to find their way on and off the ice. It was a slog, and a grind that made everyone at Pegula Ice Arena question if they had missed their opportunity and if the opening chapter of Division I hockey at Penn State was about to close.

In what may have felt like the 11th hour, hope began to show its face last season as the Nittany Lions started to look more and more familiar. Scoring, defending and playing the style of hockey fans and onlookers had grown accustom to seeing. Now in 2022-23 a Penn State team led by the remaining players from that COVID-19 season looked to enter Friday afternoon’s NCAA Tournament game against Michigan Tech eager to prove that a late season slump was not what this Penn State team would be remembered for. In a way, they were there to avenge the postseason that never was.

And as the Nittany Lions rolled past Michigan Tech 8-0 on Friday evening in Allentown for the biggest shutout victory in NCAA Tournament history, Penn State made sure to return from a three-week break with fresh legs and a renewed sense of what this team could still accomplish – what the ghosts of Nittany Lions’ past could not.

Tyler Paquette opened the scoring for Penn State just 2:12 into regulation in front of a very pro Penn State crowd in Allentown as the Nittany Lions took the ice faster and harder than their Michigan Tech counterparts. The Huskies would get a single power-play chance in the opening 20 minutes of play but dominance by Penn State in the neutral zone and solid goaltending by Liam Souliere kept the game at a 1-0 margin through 20 minutes. He would stop all 22 shots he faced through the afternoon.

The game was never closer, a three-goal period blew the doors off what was briefly a close game as Penn State scored 4:34 into the middle frame as eight different Nittany Lions found the back of the net over the span of regulation. Jarod Crespo, Ashton Calder and Christian Berger did the work in the second period while Kevin Wall and Chase McLane did their damage in the third period. Wall’s third period tally came with 3:02 gone by in the final frame giving Penn State a goal within the first five minutes of each period on Friday.

Penn State will play Michigan on Sunday. A trip to the Frozen Four on the line, a little bit more revenge to rack up in the process.