Balanced Attack Leads No. 5 Men's Hockey Past No. 2 Michigan, 4-2Balanced Attack Leads No. 5 Men's Hockey Past No. 2 Michigan, 4-2
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Balanced Attack Leads No. 5 Men's Hockey Past No. 2 Michigan, 4-2

The Nittany Lions had four different goal scorers, with 12 separate players registering a point in the victory.

Box Score

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Freshman goaltender Josh Fleming (Montreal, Quebec) stopped 32 shots and carried a shutout late into the third period as No. 5 Penn State bounced back from a rough game Friday night to defeat No. 2 Michigan, 4-2, in Big Ten Conference action at Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday evening.

The Nittany Lions move to 10-4-0 overall and 3-3-0 in conference action with the victory while Michigan drops to 11-3-0 on the year and 4-2-0 in the Big Ten with the loss.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • After a scoreless first period, the Nittany Lions opened the scoring midway through the second period as freshman Luke Misa (Oakville, Ontario) ripped a shot from the far halfwall into a yawning net after a shot from classmate Shea Van Olm (Calgary, Alberta) went wide for the 1-0 edge at the 9:00 mark.
  • Penn State extended the lead late in the period as sophomore Nick Fascia (Blackwood, N.J.) received a drop pass from classmate Charlie Cerrato (Fallston, Md.) and he laced a wicked wrister far side over the glove of Wolverine net-minder Jack Ivankovic for the 2-0 advantage at the 18:54 mark.
  • The hosts extended the lead in the third period off the rush as junior Dane Dowiak (Pittsburgh, Pa.) found his classmate Reese Laubach (San Jose, Calif.) streaking down the slot and put it right on his tape and Laubach went bar down for the 3-0 advantage at 8:27 of the third period.
  • Michigan cut into deficit midway through the final frame as Will Horcoff redirected a point shot by Luca Fantilli past Fleming for the 3-1 score at the 10:01 mark.
  • The Wolverines kept pressing and immediately after Penn State clanked the iron, they turned it around and Jayden Perron went far side past the glove of Fleming for the 3-2 deficit at 16:12 of the third period.
  • Sophomore Nic Chin-DeGraves (Edmonton, Alberta) hit the empty net with just a few ticks left to seal the deal and account for the 4-2 final.

GOALTENDING

Fleming improves to 5-1-0 on the year after his 32-save performance while Ivankovic falls to 11-3-0 after stopping 27 shots in the loss.

NOTES

  • Michigan held the slim 34-31 edge in shots on goal while neither team was able to convert on seven combined powerplay chances. Penn State went 0-for-3 with the man-advantage but a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill including an extended 1:03 of 5-on-3 time against the nation’s top powerplay.
  • Saturday night’s attendance of 6,584 marks the fourth-largest crowd in Pegula Ice Arena history.
  • The Nittany Lions had four different goal scorers, with 12 separate players registering a point in the victory.
  • Penn State controlled the dot winning 31-of-58 faceoffs (53.4 percent) paced by Cerrato who went 8-for-12 (66.7 percent).
  • Van Olm and Cerrato each had points in both games over the weekend.
  • Penn State is now 5-1-0 this season when leading entering the third period and 7-2-0 when a freshman scores.

NEXT UP

Penn State closes out its first semester of competition on the road next weekend in Minneapolis with a two game Big Ten series against Minnesota.

For more information on the 2025-26 season, visit the men's hockey page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m.