No. 10/9 Penn State lost to No. 6/6 Minnesota-Duluth, 3-1, in the opening round of the 2026 NCAA Men’s Hockey Tournament at MVP Arena in Albany on March 28. The defeat ends Penn State’s season with a record of 21-14-2, while Minnesota-Duluth advances to face top-seeded Michigan in the Albany Regional Final.
The game began with Penn State taking an early lead when junior Casey Aman passed from behind the goal line to freshman Shea Van Olm, who scored at the 8:37 mark of the first period. Minnesota-Duluth tied it later in the period as Zam Plante assisted his brother Max for a goal against Penn State freshman goaltender Josh Fleming.
Minnesota-Duluth took control late in the third period after capitalizing on a defensive turnover by Penn State, with Hunter Anderson scoring to make it 2-1. Ty Hanson sealed the victory for Duluth with an empty-net goal just before time expired.
Penn State’s Fleming made 36 saves but fell to a season record of 10-7-2. Adam Gajan stopped 29 shots for Duluth and improved his record to 19-12-1. Both teams had one powerplay opportunity each but were unable to convert.
With this loss, Penn State’s all-time record in NCAA Tournament games drops to four wins and five losses.
