Penn State men’s hockey didn’t just beat Minnesota, it dominated the Gophers in Wednesday night’s Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal.
By the end of the second period, Penn State had built a 4-0 lead, and although Minnesota did end up scoring twice, Penn State added two more to get a 6-2 win that felt every bit as comfortable as the score showed, if not more so.
It was a night Penn State needed, not just to keep its Big Ten Tournament Championship hopes alive, but simply because the team needed a win.
PSU had gone more than two weeks without a regulation triumph, and got one in a big way Wednesday night.
Here are three takeaways from Penn State’s domination of Minnesota.
THE MAC DAD’LL MAKE YA (JUMP! JUMP!)
It’s unknown how many Penn State men’s hockey players listen to Kris Kross, but Penn State does indeed have a player named Mac.
The son of PSU HC Guy Gadowsky, Mac Gadowsky had already put together a decorated college hockey career before this season, highlighted by last year, when he ended as a Hobey Baker Award Finalist for Army.
Gadowsky had been known as an offensive defenseman, leading the country in goals (16) and points (42) from his position in 2024-25.
He didn’t score a goal during the 2025-26 regular season, but got one early in the Big Ten Tournament, with Gavin McKenna and Aiden Fink assisting.
“It was a pretty spectacular moment,” Mac Gadowsky said in the postgame press conference. “Definitely waited a while for it, but couldn’t be more happy that Gav found me once again. It’s been what, 10? Took him 10 tries to get me one, but finally did. So it’s pretty cool.”
Guy Gadowsky will surely realize what the moment meant later, but acknowledged that it was hard for it to sync in, given the circumstances.
“At the time, it was just a big goal, to be honest with you,” Guy Gadowsky said. “I’m sure I’m going to watch the film. I was just… we needed a goal. It was a good one… honestly, this is playoff hockey, and whether it was him or his sister who scored, I couldn’t care less at that point.”
THE CENTURY MARK
Matt DiMarsico will never be confused with Wilt Chamberlain.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Chamberlin is perhaps best known for scoring 100 points in a single NBA game— a game that took place in Hershey, Pennsylvania, by the way—which is something that isn’t possible to replicate in hockey and will likely never be equalled in “The Association,” either.
But 100 career points is nothing to sneeze at, and the junior left wing from Wexford, Pennsylvania, became the tenth Penn State player to accomplish that feat with his goal in the second period.
“To hit 100 in this program, it’s a program I’ve always wanted to play for my entire life,” DiMarsico said afterward. “It’s really special, and just kind of seeing my development throughout the years, too. Freshman, and now it’s really special to see the changes in my game and the way the staff has helped me, and hitting the milestone is really cool.”
DiMarsico said the biggest change he’s made involved his conditioning, and he credited Performance Enhancement Coach Kristina Jeffries and the Penn State strength staff.
“I mean, I came in at probably (160 pounds), now I’m near (190 pounds). So I think all of the work that I’ve done kind of behind the scenes with KJ and the staff has really helped me out.”
GAVIN MCKENNA
I mean, we weren’t going to write a Penn State hockey article without mentioning McKenna, were we?
All kidding aside, the projected 2026 No. 1 overall NHL draft pick played like it Wednesday night with two assists to reach 50 points on the season (35 games), becoming the third player in Penn State history to reach that milestone (Alex Limoges and McKenna’s current teammate, Aiden Fink, being the others).
For Penn State to make it back to the Frozen Four and exceed what it did during last year’s magical run, McKenna needs to be at his best.
“He is a difference-maker,” Gadowsky said. “I hope you guys saw, he’s played at a really high level. The plays he’s made… but, man, did he play for the team tonight. When he changes, when he backchecks his stick, he does so much more… I think what you’re referring to is that he is a ‘difference maker,’ but I tell you what, that line with Laubach and Aiden Fink and Gavin McKenna did so much tonight without the puck to win for the team that I don’t think will get often noticed by the fans. But you saw, he’s… this kid is world-class. You saw it tonight.”
Gadowsky said McKenna has taught the whole coaching staff about dealing with expectations.
“A lot of what’s learned comes from watching Gavin,” he said. “It really is. He’s the one who’s dealt with a lot of distractions and eyeballs and what’s written and said, and how he does it has been really educational and inspiring. And that’s the truth. For me, personally, and our staff. Because you see how he knows what’s up. He cares about what this team does. Not everybody that writes things on social media has any idea what’s going on in the team, and they don’t. They don’t.
“But they write things, and he has a great way about him of just being very confident in his values, what he stands for, and what he can control. I really do think that, as a program, we have learned a lot, from being put in this situation for really the first time since making the Froen Four and by watching him.”
