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March 8, 2025; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Penn State forward Charlie Cerrato (15) celebrates a penalty goal in the third period at Yost Ice Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images | Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images
Penn State’s Big Ten Tournament run came to an end with a 5-2 loss to Michigan on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions made a bevy of mistakes that directly led to Michigan goals, and it was too much to overcome against the top team in the country on the road. Penn State will now wait until next Sunday to hear their name called in the NCAA Tournament bracket.
First Period
Garrett Schifsky put Michigan on the board first. His backhand shot in front of the net was stopped by Fleming, but the puck got past the Lions’ netminder and Casey Aman accidentally put the puck in the net while trying to clear it out of the crease. Michigan took a 1-0 lead.
A hooking penalty on Jayden Perron sent Penn State to the power play late in the period. The Nittany Lions did not score, but Gavin McKenna continued his torrid scoring pace with a wrist shot that got through traffic created by Luke Misa and JJ Wiebusch:
The game went to the intermission tied at 1.
Second Period
Garrett Schifksy scored his second goal of the night with Michigan shorthanded. Bad decisions by Penn State handling the puck in the neutral zone, a strong forecheck by Michigan, and poor coverage in front of the net allowed Schifsky to get wide open and restore Michigan’s lead at 2-1.
After Michigan won a faceoff in the neutral zone, Nick Moldenhauer got behind the Penn State defense in the offensive zone. He fed a nice pass to Cole McKinney, who fired it home on the 2-on-1 rush to extend Michigan’s lead to 3-1.
Penn State drew a fifth power play chance late in the period and heavily pressured Jack Ivankovic, but the Lions could not capitalize. The game went to the second intermission with Michigan ahead 3-1.
Third Period
Jackson Smith made a brilliant cross-ice pass to an open Lev Katzin near the front of the net. The pass froze Jack Ivankovic, and Katzin finished it off to cut the Michigan lead to 3-2:
Back-to-back penalties on Penn State led to an immediate 5-on-3 goal for Michigan. Michael Hage tipped in Jayden Perron’s shot from the high slot to extend Michigan’s lead to 4-2. TJ Hughes iced it with an empty net goal in the final minute, and Michigan skated away with a 5-2 win.
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Final | |
| Penn State | 1 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Michigan | 1 | 2 | 2 | 5 |
First Period
- MICH: Garrett Schifsky (11)- Josh Eernisse (8)- 5v5- 16:28
- PSU: Gavin McKenna (15)- Luke Misa (11), Mac Gadowsky (16)- 5v5- 18:59
Second Period
- MICH: Garrett Schifsky (12)- Nick Moldenhauer (14)- SH- 6:57
- MICH: Cole McKinney (8)- Nick Moldenhauer (15)- 5v5- 12:14
Third Period
- PSU: Lev Katzin (2)- Jackson Smith (15), Charlie Cerrato (20)- 5v5- 6:09
- MICH: Michael Hage (13)- Jayden Perron (20), TJ Hughes (31)- PP- 12:02
- MICH: TJ Hughes (19)- Cole McKinney (11)- EN- 19:30
Shots By Period
- PSU: 7-16-6-29
- MICH: 10-11-18-39
Takeaways
- Power Play- Penn State went 0-6 on the power play in the game and gave up a shorthanded goal. Michigan’s neutral zone forecheck on the penalty kill gave the Lions nightmares all night.
- Mistakes- Michigan is the No. 1 team in the country and it takes a near-perfect game to beat them. Penn State made too many mistakes, whether it was turning the puck over, committing too many penalties in the third period, or lapsing on defensive zone coverage. Can’t afford those mistakes against the top teams.
- Rest Up- Penn State has been living on the edge with injuries all season, and Michigan’s heavy physicality did them no favors tonight. Casey Aman, Carter Schade and Charlie Cerrato took brutal hits and all returned to the game, but
What’s Next
Penn State will be an at-large team in the NCAA Tournament. The selection show is next Sunday, March 22.
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