After a dominant victory in round one of the NCAA Hockey Tournament in Allentown on Friday, Penn State looks to advance to its first Frozen Four on Sunday. To do that, Penn State will have to top the region’s top seed and Big Ten champion Michigan.
Michigan leads the all-time series with Penn State by a 25-15-1 margin. That includes a 3-1 record against the Nittany Lions this season, but the games played this year have generally been close decisions. So Penn State knows it can play with one of the top hockey programs in the country this season, and it hopes to have enough of a home-ice advantage in the PPL Center in Allentown to fuel a major upset for the biggest win in the history of the program.
Both Big Ten programs are coming off blowout victories in the first round. Penn State scored the NCAA’s most lopsided victory in tournament history with an 8-0 victory over Michigan Tech. But that record stood for just a few hours as Michigan followed with an 11-1 victory over Colgate. So it may be safe to say the offenses are clicking and the goalies will be challenged with a trip to the Frozen Four on the line.
Penn State and Michigan are playing for one spot in the Frozen Four, but as many as three Big Ten teams could fill the Frozen Four in Tampa. Ohio State dominated Harvard in their first-round matchup, 8-1, and faces Quinnipiac on Sunday afternoon in Bridgeport, CT. Minnesota, the top seed in the tournament, has already clinched a spot in the Frozen Four with a second-round victory over St. Cloud State. The Gophers are set to face Boston in a Frozen Four matchup on Monday, April 6.
If you want to watch Penn State hockey go for a historic win, here’s how to catch all of the action with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line.
- Date: Sunday, March 26, 2023
- Time: 6:30 p.m. ET
- TV Channel: ESPN2
- Live Stream: fuboTV (watch here)