UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Behind a historic performance from freshman star Gavin McKenna, No. 6 USCHO/No. 5 NPI Penn State Nittany Lions snapped a four-game winless streak in emphatic fashion, overwhelming the Ohio State Buckeyes 11–4 Friday night at Pegula Ice Arena.
McKenna delivered one of the greatest individual performances in program history, recording a Penn State single-game record eight points on one goal and seven assists.
His seven assists set a new school mark, surpassing the previous record of four, while his eight points broke the prior program record held by Andrew Sturtz (2017) and Connor McMenamin (2021) who each had five.
The Nittany Lions’ 11 goals matched a program record for goals in a game, last accomplished in an 11–6 victory over Robert Morris in 2018.
Penn State wasted little time exploiting an Ohio State defense and goaltending unit that entered the night with an .883 save percentage near the bottom of the Big Ten.
Aiden Fink opened the scoring on a power play midway through the first period, finishing a setup from McKenna and defenseman Jackson Smith.
Just over a minute later, McKenna buried a power-play goal of his own to give the Nittany Lions a 2–0 lead.
Ohio State briefly answered with a power-play tally from Felix Caron, but Penn State seized complete control in a chaotic second period that featured nine combined goals.
Matt DiMarsico restored a two-goal advantage early in the frame, sparking a stretch where the Nittany Lions scored five times in less than seven minutes.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Goals from JJ Wiebusch, Shea Van Olm, and Luke Misa stretched the lead to 6–2, with McKenna factoring into nearly every scoring sequence. Even when Ohio State managed to push back, Penn State responded immediately. Van Olm’s second goal and DiMarsico’s tally late in the period sent the Nittany Lions into the second intermission ahead 8–3.
Misa added his second goal early in the third period to push the margin to six, continuing the onslaught. Ohio State’s Adam Eisele provided a brief interruption, but Penn State closed the game with a pair of power-play goals, one from Smith and another from Reese Laubach, to cap the scoring at 11–4.
McKenna assisted on both late goals, putting the finishing touches on his record-breaking night.
With the performance, McKenna now leads Penn State with 41 points on the season, including 28 assists. He sits just two helpers shy of breaking Fink’s program single-season record of 30 assists set last year, and his 41 points already rank seventh in school history for a single season.
Smith also continued his remarkable freshman campaign, scoring his program-record 11th goal of the season as a defenseman. DiMarsico finished with two goals and two assists, while Misa and Van Olm each recorded multi-goal efforts in a balanced offensive explosion.
The victory not only halted Penn State’s recent skid but also showcased the offensive ceiling of a team that has remained among the nation’s elite despite recent adversity.
Penn State will look to complete the weekend sweep against Ohio State Saturday night in Hockey Valley, carrying renewed momentum and confidence after one of the most dominant offensive displays in program history
