No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth 3, No. 10 Penn State 1: Goalied

ALBANY, NY - MARCH 27: Penn State Nittany Lions Forward Matt DiMarsico (14) and Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs Defenseman Joey Pierce (18) battle for the puck during the first period of the NCAA Men's Hockey Regional Tournament game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs on March 27, 2026, at MVP Arena in Albany, NY. (Photo by Gregory Fisher/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) | Icon Sportswire via Getty Images After a heroic goaltending performance lifted Penn State to the Frozen Four last year, the Nittany Lions were on the receiving end of a strong goaltending night in Friday’s 3-1 NCAA Tournament loss to Minnesota-Duluth. Adam Gajan made 29 saves, many of them high-danger, to lift the Bulldogs past Penn State.

Shea Van Olm scored Penn State’s only goal of the night in the first period. Josh Fleming made 36 saves in defeat for the Nittany Lions. First Period Penn State’s attack was relentless in the first period.

Midway through the period, Casey Aman made a perfect cross-ice pass to Shea Van Olm. The freshman laced a beautiful shot past Adam Gajan to put Penn State on top 1-0: An SVO Snipe gets us going!! #WeAre #HockeyValley pic.

twitter. com/hCS0c2doUI — Penn State Men’s Hockey (@PennStateMHKY) March 28, 2026 Max Plante tied the game for Minnesota-Duluth late in the first period when his brother Zam found him open near the front of the net. Max fired it through Josh Fleming’s five hole to even the game at 1.