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STATE COLLEGE, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 31: Reese Laubach #29 of the Penn State Nittany Lions walks off the ice after the second period during a game against the Michigan State Spartans during NCAA men's hockey at the West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium on January 31, 2026 in State College, Pennsylvania. The Spartans won 5-4 in overtime. (Photo by Richard T Gagnon/Getty Images) | Getty Images
No. 2 Michigan secured the regular season series against No. 5 Penn State with a 6-3 win on Saturday night. The Nittany Lions were down to 10 healthy forwards after Dane Dowiak exited last night’s game with an injury. Penn State’s effort was solid for most of the game, but the Wolverines’ superior talent and depth eventually wore down the visiting Nittany Lions. Reese Laubach scored twice, but the rest of the offense could not find its finishing touch for most of the night.
First Period
Penn State again brought heavy pressure early in the first period, and Shea Van Olm hit the crossbar while wide open in the low slot. The Nittany Lions put up the first four shots of the game, but Michigan quickly settled in. The Wolverines drew first blood when Cole McKinney redirected Luca Fantilli’s point shot into the net. Michigan immediately went back to work and sustained about two minutes of offensive zone time before Nick Moldenhauer finished it off with his 11th goal of the season to put the home team up 2-0.
Shortly after the second Michigan goal, Matt DiMarsico won a huge puck battle on the forecheck and fed the puck to Casey Aman from his knees. Aman’s drop pass reached Reese Laubach’s stick, and Laubach wristed home his second goal of the weekend to cut the Michigan lead to 2-1:
Penn State turned the tide of the game a bit after Laubach’s goal. Gavin McKenna had a couple good chances later in the period, and Aiden Fink nearly tied the game in the dying seconds. Michigan led 2-1 after the first period, but the Lions took some confidence into the locker room.
Second Period
Kevin Reidler made a huge save on Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen two minutes into the period to keep the deficit at just one goal. The McKenna-Misa-Fink line sustained good zone time, and Mac Gadowsky had a great chance to score his first of the season, but Jack Ivankovic made a shoulder save.
Reese Laubach took the first penalty of the game with seven minutes left to give Michigan its first power play of the night. Ben Schoen forechecked well to delay Michigan’s breakout, but once the Wolverines set up their attack, Jayden Perron was wide open in front of the net and slipped one past Reidler to extend the Michigan lead to 3-1.
After Kevin Reidler made a huge save on Cole McKinney, Adam Valentini was called for holding Jarod Crespo, and Penn State got its first man advantage of the game. Penn State got a couple good looks but could not score before the period expired. The Nittany Lions trailed 3-1 entering the third period.
Third Period
Penn State’s power play eventually fizzled out, and the game went back to full strength with the visitors still needing two goals. Jack Ivankovic made a sprawling glove save on Carter Schade, who was still looking for his first goal of the season.
JJ Wiebusch took a slashing penalty to cancel out a Penn State power play, and Will Horcoff scored his 21st goal of the season when his shot deflected in net off Nolan Collins’ skate to extend the Michigan lead to 4-1. Adam Valentini poured it on minutes later with a wrist shot from the left faceoff circle to make it 5-1.
Reese Laubach scored his second of the night when he wrapped home the puck past Jack Ivankovic on the power play:
With just under two minutes left, Luke Misa deflected in a shot by Gavin McKenna to cut the deficit to 5-3:
Nick Moldenhauer iced the game with an empty-netter with one minute left. Another last-minute scuffle resulted in roughing penalties on four players and a game misconduct against Jackson Smith. Michigan skated away with a 6-3 win to take the season series.
Scoring Summary
| 1 | 2 | 3 | Final | |
| Penn State | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Michigan | 2 | 1 | 3 | 6 |
First Period
- MICH: Cole McKinney (6)- Luca Fantilli (9), Aidan Park (7)- 5v5- 7:34
- MICH: Nick Moldenhauer (11)- Ben Robertson (17), TJ Hughes (28)- 5v5- 11:29
- PSU: Reese Laubach (8)- Casey Aman (4), Matt DiMarsico (19)- 5v5- 12:27
Second Period
- MICH: Jayden Perron (13)- Nick Moldenhauer (13), TJ Hughes (29)- PP- 13:27
Third Period
- MICH: Will Horcoff (21)- Dakoda Rheaume-Mullen (10), Michael Hage (29)- PP- 10:28
- MICH: Adam Valentini (9)- Malcolm Spence (8), Michael Hage (30)- 5v5- 13:27
- PSU: Reese Laubach (9)- Luke Misa (8), Ben Schoen (8)- PP- 16:20
- PSU: Luke Misa (5)- Gavin McKenna (22), Cade Christenson (1)- 5v5- 18:09
- MICH: Nick Moldenhauer (12)- Unassisted- EN- 18:59
Shots By Period
- PSU: 11-11-11-33
- MICH: 6-11-9-26
Takeaways
- A Good Effort- Shorthanded at forward, Penn State’s effort was much more focused tonight than last night. There’s only so much you can do against the No. 2 team on the road with this many injuries, but the Nittany Lions looked dangerous on offense for stretches of this game.
- Matt DiMarsico- DD has been one of my favorite players to watch since he arrived in State College three years ago. That man fights for every puck and never takes a shift off. He was rewarded in the first period when he won a puck battle from his knees and Reese Laubach scored seconds later.
- Regression to the Mean- Kevin Reidler had a rough night in net, although he did make several big saves in this one. Michigan and Michigan State are two of the best offensive teams in the country, but Penn State’s goaltending has come back to earth a bit in the last four games.
- Regroup- The most difficult part of the regular season is done. Penn State will still need to bring their best in the final six games, but this final stretch is far more manageable.
Standings & Such
Penn State remains in third place in the Big Ten. Even if Wisconsin beats Ohio State in regulation, Penn State still has two games in hand on the Badgers. The Nittany Lions are still well on pace to host a first round game in the conference tournament.
At the time of posting, Penn State is still No. 5 in the NPI. The Nittany Lions are essentially a lock to make the NCAA Tournament, and a one seed is a realistic possibility if Penn State avoids any major slipups in the next few weeks.
What’s Next
Penn State will host Ohio State next weekend at Pegula Ice Arena. Puck drop is at 8:30pm on Friday and 8pm on Saturday. Both games will be televised on Big Ten Network.
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