Penn State reaches first Frozen Four
AP Photo/Jason E. Miczek
Matt DiMarsico scored with 2:04 left in overtime to lift Penn State past Connecticut, 3-2, and into the Frozen Four in an NCAA collegiate hockey regional final at the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., Sunday.
It’s the Nittany Lions’ first trip to the Frozen Four.
DiMarsico took a behind-the-back pass from Charlie Cerrato and put a shot over Huskies goaltender Callum Tung’s left shoulder for the game-winner.
Penn State, the fourth seed at the regional, followed up an impressive 5-1 victory over No.1 seed and fourth-ranked Maine on Friday with its thrilling win over No. 2 seed and seventh-ranked Connecticut in front of 6,933 mostly Nittany Lions fans.
Arsenii Sergeev made 42 saves for Penn State, allowing goals to Joey Muldowney and Tabor Heaslip. Sergeev was spectacular at times in overtime.
Dane Dowiak and JJ Wiebusch scored the Nittany Lions’ other two goals. Wiebusch was named the regional’s MVP.
Penn State, coached by Guy Gadowsky, finished fifth in the Big Ten standings but did enough to get an at-large bid into the tournament.
The 12th-ranked Nittany Lions (22-13-4) will meet eighth-ranked Boston University (23-13-2) in the national semifinals at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis on April 10. The puck will drop at 8:30 p.m.
The other semifinal pits sixth-ranked Denver (31-11-1) against third-ranked Western Michigan (32-7-1). The latter also is making its first trip to the Frozen Four.