logo
Penn State Men's Ice Hockey Team heads to first Frozen Four in program history

Penn State Men's Ice Hockey Team heads to first Frozen Four in program history

CBS News31-03-2025

For the first time since joining the NCAA Division I ranks, the Penn State Nittany Lions Men's Ice Hockey team will head to the hockey version of the Final Four, the Frozen Four.
On Sunday night, the Nittany Lions advanced to the Frozen Four thanks to an overtime winner from Matt DiMarsico, who gave them a 3-2 victory over the UConn Huskies.
Since being designated a Division I program in the 2012-13 season, Penn State has made four appearances in the NCAA Tournament: 2017, 2018, 2023, and this year, 2025. They've won the Big Ten tournament just once in 2018 and took home the Big Ten regular season crown in 2020.
In the 2022-23 season, the Nittany Lions came close to finding their way to the Frozen Four, but ultimately lost to Michigan 2-1 in overtime.
Now, for Penn State, it's been an underdog story in the NCAA Tournament thus far.
Unlike basketball, instead of 64 teams making the tournament, 16 teams made the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Tournament, and Penn State started in their region as a four seed, the lowest possible seed.
In the first round, they took on top-seeded Maine, one of the best teams in the country, compiling a 24-7-6 record throughout the season. Despite Maine jumping out to an early 1-0 lead, Penn State took control just minutes later and never looked back.
They would score four unanswered goals and snag a 5-1 victory over Maine, giving them a date with second-seeded UConn Huskies.
The Huskies had a similar record to the Nittany Lions this past season, going 22-11-4, while Penn State posted a 20-13-4 record.
Just like their first-round matchup against Maine, Penn State would fall behind early, but answer back in the first period, tying the game 1-1. UConn would once again take the lead in the second, but less than a minute later, Penn State responded.
No team would get on the board in the third period, but then, Pittsburgh native Matt DiMarsico caught a slick behind-the-back pass from Charlie Cerrato and buried it to put the program in the Frozen Four.
They'll face off against a formidable Boston University team on April 10 at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis, Missouri, at 8:30 p.m. in the semifinals with a chance to go to the 2025 NCAA Division I National Championship.
As the program prepares for its first appearance in the Frozen Four, they've received a lot of help from Pittsburgh natives.
According to their NCAA roster, they have six Pittsburgh natives as well as one player from Johnstown.
From Pittsburgh are defenseman Carter Schade (Jr.); forwards Alex Servagno (Jr.), Matt DiMarsico (Soph.), Dane Dowiak (Soph.), Braedon Ford (Fr.); and goaltender John Seifarth (Jr.).
DiMarsico, the sophomore forward from Pittsburgh and overtime hero, is fourth in the team in overall points with 32 in 38 games and is second on the club in goals with 17. He's also tied for the team lead in game-winning goals with four.
The sophomore forward Dowiak recorded 20 points in 39 games, scoring 12 goals.
While the lion's share of starts in net has gone to Arsenii Sergeev, junior goaltender Seifarth appeared in six games, recording a 3-2 record and a .918 save-percentage.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Former Wisconsin basketball star agrees to one-year deal with Phoenix Suns
Former Wisconsin basketball star agrees to one-year deal with Phoenix Suns

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Former Wisconsin basketball star agrees to one-year deal with Phoenix Suns

Former Wisconsin Badgers basketball star Nigel Hayes-Davis has agreed to a one-year contract with the Phoenix Suns, according to ESPN's Shams Charania. The deal is fully guaranteed. It marks Hayes-Davis' first taste of NBA action since he played five games with the Sacramento Kings during the 2017-18 slate. The news arrives roughly one month after the Badger alumnus wrapped up a spectacular season with Fenerbahce Beko Istanbul in Turkey. Hayes-Davis capped off the 2024-25 EuroLeague campaign with an 81-70 victory over Monaco, securing him EuroLeague Final Four MVP honors and the club's first championship since 2017. Hayes-Davis' recent title followed another championship run last summer, when he pocketed a Turkish League Championship and MVP honor in Turkey's Basketbol Süper Ligi Finals. The Ohio native averaged over 17 points per game to snag finals MVP honors throughout the series, which ignited his return to professional basketball in the United States. Between his time in Europe, the former Badger suited up alongside the USA Men's National Team during its exhibition schedule before the Olympic crew won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Outside of practice, he played exhibitions in Las Vegas, London and Abu Dhabi alongside a bevy of NBA Hall of Famers, including now-teammate Devin Booker. Hayes-Davis reportedly drew interest from the Boston Celtics' head coach Joe Mazulla, who was spotted in Istanbul for the Bachesehir - Fenerbahçe game in early June. While the Celtics didn't bite, another franchise did. The former Wisconsin standout suited up in nine games for the Kings, Lakers and Raptors during the 2017-18 slate following his career in Madison, but he didn't experience as much success as he did in college. His European basketball journey appears to have rejuvenated his career, and now he will look to compete alongside players like Booker, Jalen Green, Bradley Beal, Dillon Brooks and Mark Williams. During his time in Madison, Hayes-Davis was named Big Ten Sixth Man of the Year (2014), a two-time third-team All-Big Ten (2015, 2017) honoree and an All-Big Ten first team selection in 2016. He, along with Frank Kaminsky and Sam Dekker, wound up in the 2015 NCAA title game against the Duke Blue Devils during one of the most memorable runs in franchise history. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion

Utah Jazz reveal former Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje's jersey number
Utah Jazz reveal former Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje's jersey number

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Utah Jazz reveal former Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje's jersey number

Former Wisconsin basketball star John Tonje will wear #17 for the Utah Jazz throughout the 2025-26 season. Tonje, who was drafted by the Jazz with the No. 53 overall pick of the 2025 NBA draft, will be the team's first #17 in five years. Forward Ed Davis, who enjoyed a 12-year NBA career, last wore the jersey number for the franchise in 2020. Throughout his collegiate career, Tonje wore #1 with Colorado State from 2019-23, #5 with Missouri during the 2022-23 slate and #9 with Wisconsin during the 2024-25 season, the year during which the 6-foot-5 wing rose to stardom. The second-team All-America and first-team All-Big Ten team member burst onto the national scene in several high-profile contests during his final year of college, including during UW's NCAA Tournament defeat at the hands of the BYU Cougars in Denver, Colorado. Tonje dropped a game-best 37 points, the most by any Badger in an NCAA Tournament game ever. Across 37 games, the Nebraska native averaged 19.6 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game off 46.5% shooting from the field, 39% from 3 and 91% from the free-throw line. He dropped 41 points against No. 9 Arizona in November, 32 against No. 7 Purdue on the road in February and another 32 against the Michigan State Spartans in the 2025 Big Ten Tournament. The former Badger will now take his talents to Salt Lake City, the same area where he will begin his NBA Summer League journey. The Jazz kick-start their summer slate with a three-day circuit at the Jon M. Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, Utah, from July 5-7 before making the trek to Las Vegas the following week. There, Tonje will sport #17 against the Philadelphia 76ers, Memphis Grizzlies and Oklahoma City Thunder a week before the Jazz square off against the New Orleans Hornets (July 11), Golden State Warriors (July 13), San Antonio Spurs (July 14) and Washington Wizards (July 16) in Las Vegas. He will look to showcase his ceiling behind guards Jaden Spring, Isaiah Collier and Walter Clayton Jr. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion

Forward Khamil Pierre no longer member of Vanderbilt women's basketball team
Forward Khamil Pierre no longer member of Vanderbilt women's basketball team

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Forward Khamil Pierre no longer member of Vanderbilt women's basketball team

Khamil Pierre is no longer a member of the Vanderbilt women's team, it was announced. The rising junior averaged 20.4 points and 9.6 rebounds this past season. The forward was the team's second-leading scorer. Advertisement Vanderbilt coach Shea Ralph put out a statement on June 30. "Khamil is a great player and I have no doubt she will have success in the future," Ralph stated. "Ultimately, it was determined it would be best for Khamil and our program to go in different directions. We wish her the best of luck." Pierre started and played in 32 games this past season and helped lead the Commodores to back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances. She recorded a career-high 42 points against Evansville on Dec. 14, 2024. In the 2023-24 season, she was a five-time SEC Freshman of the Week and named to the SEC All-Freshmen Team. Advertisement Alaina Morris is the summer sports intern for The Tennessean. Contact her at amorris@ or on X @alainammorris. This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Forward Khamil Pierre no longer on Vanderbilt women's basketball team

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store