SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Notre Dame’s disappointing season ended on an emotional high Saturday night as the Fighting Irish delivered a Senior Night thriller, defeating No. 5 Penn State 4–3 in overtime at Compton Family Ice Arena.
Despite struggles throughout the year, Notre Dame showed determination to send its seniors out with a win on home ice and did so in dramatic fashion.
Penn State initially appeared to seize momentum after reversing the previous night’s slow start. Nic Chin-DeGraves and Gavin McKenna combined to set up Casey Aman, who scored his first goal of the season to give the Nittany Lions a 1–0 lead early in the opening period.
Notre Dame responded midway through the first as its seniors fueled the comeback. Michael Mastrodomenico found Maddox Fleming, who buried his second goal of the season to tie the game.
Late in the period, a slashing penalty on defenseman Jackson Smith proved costly. With just six seconds remaining before intermission, Danny Nelson capitalized on the power play to give the Irish a 2–1 lead heading into the break.
Penn State answered in the second period. After serving a slashing penalty, Matt DiMarsico returned to the ice and helped generate the tying sequence. McKenna delivered a precise feed that set up Cade Christenson for his third goal of the year, knotting the game at 2–2.
Later in the period, Mastrodomenico and Aiden Fink took matching holding penalties, leading to four-on-four play, but neither team could convert before the horn.
The third period opened with Penn State controlling possession, firing the first seven shots on goal. However, Notre Dame gradually shifted the momentum and ultimately outshot the Nittany Lions 22–14 during the stretch.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Midway through the period, coincidental penalties with a high stick on Ben Schoen and embellishment on Cole Brown created another four-on-four opportunity. This time the Irish capitalized. Nelson used Aman as a screen and slipped a shot past goaltender Arsenii Sergeev on the stick side, restoring Notre Dame’s lead at 3–2.
Penn State refused to fold. With just over two minutes remaining, the Nittany Lions generated sustained pressure in the Irish zone. Mac Gadowsky and Fink set up Luke Misa, who scored his eighth goal of the season to tie the game at 3–3 and force overtime, Penn State’s second straight comeback to extend the contest.
Unlike the previous night, however, luck did not favor the visitors. Just 47 seconds into overtime, a costly turnover by Lev Katzin allowed Cole Knuble and Sutter Muzzatti to set up Axel Kumlin for the game-winning goal, sealing the Senior Night victory.
Muzzatti played a pivotal role, recording two assists and dominating the faceoff circle by winning 14 of 16 draws. As a team, Notre Dame controlled the dots, winning 42 of 64 faceoffs.
For Penn State, McKenna’s assist pushed his season total to 46 points, moving him closer to the program’s single-season record. Ahead of McKenna is Denis Smirnov (47), Alex Limoges (50), and Aiden Fink (53).
The Nittany Lions will conclude the 2025–26 regular season next week against Wisconsin at Pegula Ice Arena in a Thursday-Friday series.
