University Park, PA — Penn State answered Friday night’s disappointment with one of its most resilient efforts of the season, defeating No. 2 Michigan 4–2 on Saturday at Pegula Ice Arena. The win snapped the Nittany Lions’ three-game losing streak, one in which they had been outscored 14–2, and prevented a damaging fourth-straight loss against the Big Ten’s elite.
After Friday’s 7–1 defeat, coach Guy Gadowsky said simply that he was “disappointed,” and it was clear something had to change. Less than 24 hours later, Penn State delivered a performance defined by tighter defense, improved discipline, and timely scoring.
The first period set the tone for a gritty, defensive battle. Neither team found sustained offensive rhythm, though Penn State generated the more dangerous looks. Defenseman Jackson Smith created the highlight chance of the frame when he stripped a Michigan attacker and threaded a backhand pass to forward Shea Van Olm, whose shot was turned aside by Wolverines goaltender Jack Ivankovic.
Michigan nearly stole the lead late in the period when forward Asher Barnett slipped behind the Penn State defense during a 4-on-4, but his attempt clanged off the crossbar. Despite going 0-for-2 on the power play, Penn State controlled possession and outshot Michigan 11–6.
Penn State finally broke through midway through the second. forward Luke Misa entered the zone with speed, fed Van Olm for a one-timer, then collected his own rebound and wristed the puck off a Michigan defender and in to make it 1–0.
Moments later, the Nittany Lions faced their toughest test of the night: a full 5-on-3 penalty kill after consecutive minors. Backed by the Roar Zone and a brilliant save from Josh Fleming, Penn State survived both penalties and kept momentum on its side.
With five minutes left in the period, forward Charlie Cerrato led a rush and dropped the puck to trailing defenseman Nick Fascia, who blasted home his first career goal to extend the lead to 2–0.
Penn State continued to dictate play early in the third, and at 3–0, thanks to a high-glove finish from forward Reese Laubach on an odd-man rush, the game appeared in hand.
But Michigan surged late.
Forward Will Horcoff, who extended his lead in goal scoring acorss the nation, redirected a point shot to spoil Fleming’s shutout bid for his 13th goal of the season, and forward Jayden Perron sliced through the defense for a highlight-reel finish that cut the lead to 3–2.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Michigan pulled Ivankovic in the final minutes, but forward Nic Chin-DeGraves sealed the win with an empty-net goal. Fleming finished with 32 saves on 34 shots.
Despite the win, Penn State’s power-play drought extended to 17 chances.
Nittany Sports Now’s Three Stars
Third Star: Nick Fascia — Defenseman
Fascia’s first goal of the season came at a crucial moment, giving Penn State a 2–0 lead. He was strong at both ends of the ice and added two key blocked shots.
Second Star: Reese Laubach — Forward
Laubach’s high-glove strike stood as the game-winner. He also contributed two important faceoff wins that helped Penn State control the pace.
First Star: Josh Fleming — Goaltender
After a rough stretch in which both Fleming and Kevin Reidler struggled, Fleming steadied Penn State when it needed it most. He tracked the puck well and made several acrobatic stops to preserve the lead.
