How Penn State men’s hockey is staying focused ahead of the Big Ten tournament semifinal
With all the accomplishments and success for the Penn State men’s ice hockey team the past couple of months, there seems to be a lot to talk about, maybe even to shout about.
No over-the-top praise or rousing look-at-us messages are on their way from coach Guy Gadowsky, though. He’s happy with his team’s success, excited about what lies ahead and working hard to remain focused.
Penn State is 13-3-4 since the season moved into 2025. The team has risen to No. 11 in the national polls and No. 12 in the Pairwise Rankings, which largely determine the 16-team NCAA tournament.
The team’s 0-8 start to conference play seems like a distant memory — but not to Gadowsky, whose approach and message have been consistent from the start.
“Even when we were going through our rough patch, we thought things were clicking but we were just not winning. It’s not like there’s some single moment you can point to when things changed,” he said. “It’s just so fragile.
“The most romanticized thing for me about hockey is when guys play together and play for each other. It’s hard to explain. It’s just a feeling of team.”
That’s clearly been the feeling for Penn State since January. The team’s 13 victories are the most in the second half of the season in program history. Forward Aiden Fink leads the nation in scoring, and the team has advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten tournament, with a game against No. 10 Ohio State set for Saturday night in Columbus.
After sweeping Michigan in the best-of-three quarterfinal round last weekend, one of the first road sweeps in conference history, Penn State also seems secure as a participant in the NCAA tournament.
According to tournament predictors, Penn State has a 98% chance of making the 16-team field. Gadowsky remains pragmatic regarding that, though, and focused on this week’s game.
He remembers a few seasons ago when Penn State swept Minnesota to end the regular season and then did so again in the conference playoffs. Before those four games, the Gophers were predicted to be safely in the tournament. Afterward, they were left at home watching others play.
Plus, upsets in other conference tournaments could impact Penn State’s potential position.
So, as always, it’s a control-what-we-can-control, focus-on-us mindset for Penn State. It’s worked well since January, and the team hopes it keeps working this Saturday and beyond.
The winner of Saturday’s single-game semifinal will advance to meet the winner of the other semifinal — Notre Dame (12-24-1) vs. Michigan State (24-8-4) — in the conference championship game on March 22.
No. 11 Penn State (20-12-4) at No. 10 Ohio State (23-12-2)
B1G Semifinal: 8:30 p.m. Saturday
Audio/Radio: GoPSUsports.com
Streaming/TV: BTN
Notable: Ohio State leads the all-time series, 27-22-5, with a 16-12-2 advantage on its home ice. Ohio State went 2-1-1 against Penn State this season. … Ohio State’s three most productive scorers are forwards Gunnarwolfe Fontaine (37 points: 14 goals, 23 assists), Davis Burnside (32: 14, 18) and Riley Thompson (31: 17, 14). … OSU’s power play has been the least productive in the conference this season, converting on just 18.1% of its opportunities. … Penn State is 18-0-1 when leading after two periods this season.
B1G Teams in NCAA tournament
Here’s a look at Big Ten Conference men’s hockey qualifiers for the NCAA tournament for the past decade.
2024: Four (Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Wisconsin)
2023: Four (Minnesota, Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State)
2022: Three (Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame)
2021: Four (Michigan, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Wisconsin)
2020: No Tournament
2019: Two (Notre Dame, Ohio State)
2018: Four (Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State)
2017: Four (Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State)
2016: Two (Michigan, Notre Dame)
2015: One (Minnesota)