Penn State men’s hockey faces traditional powerhouse to start NCAA tournament

At the end of Penn State men’s hockey practices, Gavin McKenna lingers, flipping another shot toward the goal, honing his passing and puck handling skills or just cutting and gliding on the ice.

The Big Ten Freshman of the Year, conference scoring champion and presumptive No. 1 overall pick in this summer’s NHL Draft is always seeking a little more ice time, and some small advantage that might make a big difference during a game.

As the NCAA Division I men’s ice hockey championship begins this weekend, McKenna and his teammates are seeking as much ice time as possible, and any advantage they can get.

They specifically want game time as Penn State faces Minnesota-Duluth in Albany, N.Y. They’ll get more time on the ice if they keep winning in the single-elimination tournament — although it’s not an easy assignment.

Penn State has qualified for the national tournament three times in the past four years, while Duluth is making its first tournament appearance since 2022. Still, Duluth has a rich history, with three national championships to its credit and consecutive titles in 2018 and 2019.

While Penn State has McKenna, its Hobey Baker Award finalist, Duluth has its own with forward Max Plante.

Penn State boasts a top-10 scoring offense (3.75 goals per game), and Duluth has goalie Adam Gajan, who has a 2.24 goals-against average with two shutouts and a .908 save percentage. Gajan also backstopped the U.S. Collegiate Selects team that participated in the Spengler Cup in December, a group that included five Penn State players and was led by Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky.

Penn State reached its first Frozen Four last season, but the path to similar success seems a bit more difficult this time.

Unlike last season, when Penn State played its regional games in Allentown, the home-ice advantage might not be as clear in upstate New York. Additionally, if Penn State gets past traditional powerhouse Duluth, the regional final opponent seems likely to be No. 1 Michigan (if the Wolverines dump No. 20 Bentley, as expected), and Penn State was 1-2-1 against UM this season.

Gadowsky and his team are not looking beyond the first game, and they’re not interested in comparisons between seasons. The coach said he’s comfortable and excited to have reached the tournament because many talented teams did not.

He said the influx of Canadian junior hockey players, like McKenna, made college hockey as competitive and strong as ever this season. He also believes McKenna is the best of that bunch — and the freshman’s 51 points and 1.5 points-per-game average make a strong case for that assessment.

Penn State has been more than just McKenna, though. Juniors Matt DiMarsico and Aiden Fink are both 100-plus point scorers, and Penn State is the only team still playing that has two players with that kind of productivity on its roster.

All that output fits the DNA of Penn State hockey.

“This is a team that loves to play offense,” Gadowsky said. “You can’t do everything but if you’re going to be very good at one thing, I’d like it to be offense.”

Some lingering injuries could hamper Penn State a bit. At the same time, the team’s loss in the semifinals of the conference tournament probably gave it important time to heal and rest.

Goalie Josh Fleming seems likely as the team’s starter after splitting duties with Kevin Reidler during the season. Fleming is 10-6-2 with a 2.60 goals-against average and .922 save percentage.

The biggest key for Penn State might be discipline because it continues to comfortably lead the nation in penalty minutes (680, Michigan is second with 599) while Duluth has the second-most-efficient power-play unit in the country.

No. 10 Penn State (21-13-2) vs. No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth (23-14-1)

Game: 9 p.m. Friday

Audio/Radio: GoPSusports.com, 103.7 FM, 104.3 FM

Streaming/TV: ESPN2

Notable: It’s the first meeting for the two programs. … Minnesota-Duluth boasts the nation’s second-best power play percentage, converting on 29.9% of its opportunities. … Penn State is ninth nationally (26.2%). … Penn State averages 18.9 penalty minutes per game, the highest average in the nation. … Dululth allows 2.5 goals per game, and Penn State 3.2. … Sophomore forwards Max and Zam Plante, lead Duluth with 24 and 20 goals, respectively.