Penn State men’s hockey in the NCAA tournament after strong end to season. What to know
Penn State men’s hockey is going dancing in the NCAA tournament.
Sixteen teams were slated in the bracket during the selection show on ESPNU Sunday afternoon. Six conference champions received automatic bids and the remaining teams were selected by the Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Committee.
Penn State is the No. 4 seed in the Allentown Region and will face No. 1 Maine in the first round on Friday at 8:30 p.m. The road to the national championship title is single elimination with the Frozen Four being held at Enterprise Center in St. Louis, MO. The championship game is April 12.
The Nittany Lions’ last NCAA tournament appearance was during the 2022-2023 season where they suffered an overtime loss to Michigan in the regional final.
Penn State’s record last season was below .500 but with a roster with hardly any turnover and new freshmen making immediate impacts, it turned things around in 2024.
Despite starting the season 8-10-1, the Nittany Lions roared in the final weeks of the regular season, going 10-2-3 including two shootout victories.
With five out of the seven teams in the Big Ten ranked in the USCHO poll, it’s not an easy conference to play in. Penn State made it to the second round of the Big Ten tournament after defeating Michigan in both games but fell in overtime at Ohio State.
Aiden Fink is in the top-3 for points scored with 52 but has the highest average with 1.4 per game. The sophomore was nominated for the Hobey Baker Award, which is the most prestigious award a collegiate hockey player can win.
Fink is the first Nittany Lion selected as a finalist and the winner will be announced on April 11, one day before the National Championship. The forward was the only unanimous player selected First-Team All-Big Ten.
Bursting on the scene in 2024 are freshman Charlie Cerrato and JJ Wiebush. The young Nittany Lions have been pivotal pieces all season long.
Cerrato ranks top-10 in the conference in scoring — first among freshmen — and was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team along with defender Cade Christenson.
Wiebush came alive in postseason play and scored a hat trick in the first round of the Big Ten Tournament at Yost Ice Arena against Michigan.
Captain Simon Mack and Dylan Lugris have provided reliable leadership. Mack earned Second-Team All-Big Ten for his defensive efforts and Lugris scored the shootout winning goals against Michigan State and Ohio State.
With a win on Friday, Penn State would play the winner of UConn and Quinnipiac in the regional final.