University Park, PA – Penn State and Notre Dame entered Friday night’s matchup at Pegula Ice Arena in very different places than they had a year ago, but the outcome once again proved pivotal.
Last season, the Nittany Lions earned their first Big Ten win in South Bend, a result that ignited a historic 23-game run.
This time, with Notre Dame winless in conference play and Penn State defending home ice, the roles were reversed and the Nittany Lions made sure history didn’t repeat itself for the visitors.
Penn State delivered a complete performance, defeating Notre Dame 4–1 to extend its winning streak to four games and continue its climb in the Big Ten standings.
The Nittany Lions set the tone early in the first period, controlling possession and generating chances at will. Penn State fired 10 shots on goal through the midway point of the opening frame, continuing a trend since the break of crashing the net that is driven by an active forecheck and the pace was set by forward Gavin McKenna.
That pressure paid off with just under eight minutes remaining when Notre Dame forward Jayden Davis was called for interference. The Penn State power play responded with its sharpest execution of the season, as McKenna, along with forwards Luke Misa and Matt DiMarsico connected on a crisp tic-tac-toe sequence. Misa slid the puck across the slot, and DiMarsico buried it into an open net to give Penn State a 1–0 lead.
The second period was defined by special teams and momentum swings.
Penn State briefly opened the frame on a power play, then earned an extended man advantage after Notre Dame forward Cole Brown received a major penalty and game misconduct for a hit along the boards on captain Dane Dowiak. Despite struggling to generate sustained offense, the Nittany Lions doubled their lead late in the major when DiMarsico’s low shot deflected off a skate and into the net to go up 2-0.
Notre Dame answered on a 4-on-3 power play, as forward Evan Werner’s was able to capitalize on the Jared Crespo minor penalty to cut the deficit to 2–1.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Penn State responded again before intermission, with Misa one-timing a feed from Ben Schoen to restore a two-goal cushion.
The third period featured end-to-end action but no early scoring, as Notre Dame pressed and Penn State looked to protect its lead. Reese Laubach nearly put the game away on a rebound chance, but goaltender Nicholas Kempf kept the Irish within reach.
Josh Fleming ensured it wouldn’t matter. The freshman netminder, who earlier this week was named to the Mike Richter Award watch list, turned aside 41 of 42 shots, including several key saves during a chaotic stretch of late penalties. Fleming’s performance raised his save percentage to .943 on the season, tops in the nation.
DiMarsico sealed the win with an empty-net goal, completing his third hat trick of the season and sending hats raining onto the ice. Overall, it is the fifth hat trick for Penn State in 2025-26 and 20th overall in program history.
Freshman Luke Misa finished with a goal and two assists, extending his point streak to four games, while McKenna and JJ Wiebusch each recorded two assists.
Penn State was once again with forward Charlie Cerrato, who head coach Guy Gadowsky said was day-to-day earlier this week. The Nittany Lions will also be without defenseman Mac Gadowsky who took a big hit during the second period. Gadowsky said post game that Penn State will be without the transfer defenseman’s services in the series finale.
Penn State improved to 15–6 overall and 7–4 in Big Ten play, once again proving its resilience even as injuries continue to test its depth, heading into Saturday night’s series finale against Notre Dame. Puck scheduled to drop at 8 PM on Big Ten Network.
