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Penn State men's hockey is back in the NCAA men's hockey tournament and ready to compete for a return trip to the Frozen Four. Getting there will be incredibly challenging as Penn State drew quite a challenging path to Las Vegas.
Penn State will play in the Albany region and will face Minnesota Duluth in the first round on Friday, March 27. Minnesota Duluth went 24-9-13 this season and finished as the runner-up in the NCHC after losing in double overtime to Denver this weekend.
Penn State and Minnesota Duluth are scheduled for Friday, March 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The start time depends on the conclusion of the first game of the evening in the Albany region.
This will be the first all-time meeting between Penn State and Minnesota Duluth, one of the regular powers in the sport. Minnesota Duluth has won three national championships in program history, doing so in 2011, 2018, and 2019. This marks the 16th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament for the Bulldogs, and the program has reached the Frozen Four eight times.
Penn State is playing in its fifth NCAA tournament in program history. Last season saw the Nittany Lions earn their first trip to the Frozen Four. The path was a bit more friendly for Penn State a season ago while playing on relative home ice in Allentown, Pennsylvania, against Maine and UConn. This year figures to be significantly tougher.
Penn State lands in the same region as the No. 1 overall seed and Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines. Should Penn State manage to get past Minnesota Duluth, a meeting with the Wolverines is a real possibility. Penn State went 1-3 against the Wolverines during the regular season and lost each of the last two meetings late in the regular season. Penn State then lost to the Wolverines in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
The fourth team in the Albany region will be Bentley, which clinched an automatic spot in the tournament as the Atlantic Hockey champions.
In addition to Penn State and Michigan in the Albany region, two more Big Ten teams were placed in the tournament. And they are also lumped in the same region.
Michigan State is the top seed in the Worcester region. Wisconsin joins the Spartans in the region, setting the stage for all four Big Ten participants to play in all-Big Ten regional finals. As a result, the maximum number of Big Ten teams in this year's Frozen Four will be two. An all-Big Ten national championship is possible, however, as the Albany and Worcester regions are on opposite sides of the bracket.
Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State hockey faces Minnesota Duluth in Albany in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
Penn State will play in the Albany region and will face Minnesota Duluth in the first round on Friday, March 27. Minnesota Duluth went 24-9-13 this season and finished as the runner-up in the NCHC after losing in double overtime to Denver this weekend.
Penn State and Minnesota Duluth are scheduled for Friday, March 27 at 9:00 p.m. ET. The start time depends on the conclusion of the first game of the evening in the Albany region.
This will be the first all-time meeting between Penn State and Minnesota Duluth, one of the regular powers in the sport. Minnesota Duluth has won three national championships in program history, doing so in 2011, 2018, and 2019. This marks the 16th all-time appearance in the NCAA tournament for the Bulldogs, and the program has reached the Frozen Four eight times.
Penn State is playing in its fifth NCAA tournament in program history. Last season saw the Nittany Lions earn their first trip to the Frozen Four. The path was a bit more friendly for Penn State a season ago while playing on relative home ice in Allentown, Pennsylvania, against Maine and UConn. This year figures to be significantly tougher.
Quick look at the Albany Region
Penn State lands in the same region as the No. 1 overall seed and Big Ten champion Michigan Wolverines. Should Penn State manage to get past Minnesota Duluth, a meeting with the Wolverines is a real possibility. Penn State went 1-3 against the Wolverines during the regular season and lost each of the last two meetings late in the regular season. Penn State then lost to the Wolverines in the second round of the Big Ten tournament.
The fourth team in the Albany region will be Bentley, which clinched an automatic spot in the tournament as the Atlantic Hockey champions.
Big Ten lands four teams in NCAA tournament
In addition to Penn State and Michigan in the Albany region, two more Big Ten teams were placed in the tournament. And they are also lumped in the same region.
Michigan State is the top seed in the Worcester region. Wisconsin joins the Spartans in the region, setting the stage for all four Big Ten participants to play in all-Big Ten regional finals. As a result, the maximum number of Big Ten teams in this year's Frozen Four will be two. An all-Big Ten national championship is possible, however, as the Albany and Worcester regions are on opposite sides of the bracket.
Kevin McGuire is the lead writer for Nittany Lions Wire. Follow him on BlueSky, Threads or any of these other platforms.
Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Penn State hockey faces Minnesota Duluth in Albany in NCAA Tournament
Continue reading...
