University of Minnesota Athletics
Wednesday, March 11
University Park, PA
6:00 PM
University of Minnesota
11-22-3
2
at
6
Penn State
21-12-2
1
2
3
F
Minnesota
0
1
1
2
Penn State
2
2
2
6
Team Stats
MIN
PSU
Shots
29
40
PPG
0
0
SHG
0
1
Penalties
0
3
Penalty Mins
0
14
Faceoffs Won
32
30
Game Leaders
+/-
-4
Goals
1
Sh
2
A
0
+/-
0
Goals
1
Sh
1
A
0
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
3
A
1
+/-
1
Goals
0
Sh
1
A
1
Players Mentioned
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Goaltender
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's HockeyDefense
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Defense
/ Men's Hockey
Forward
/ Men's Hockey
Photo by: Brad Rempel
Gophers' Season Ends in B1G Quarterfinals at Penn State
3/11/2026 8:30:00 PM | Men's Hockey
'U' falls in postseason opener Wednesday
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The University of Minnesota saw its season come to an end Wednesday night on the road at No. 10 Penn State, falling 6-2 in the quarterfinals of the 2026 Big Ten Conference Men's Hockey Tournament inside Pegula Ice Arena.
The sixth-seeded Golden Gophers (11-22-3 overall, 7-15-2 B1G) surrendered a pair of goals in each of the three periods versus the third-seed Nittany Lions (21-12-2 overall, 12-10-2 B1G). Javon Moore broke the shutout bid, scoring late in the middle frame, and Jacob Rombach put away the first goal of his college career with 4:54 left in regulation.
The home side generated the first quality look that was pushed away from the goal line by netminder Luca Di Pasquo after the initial shot hit the inside of the post two minutes into the action. PSU stayed on the attack and struck for the opening goal at 3:10 that was upheld following a challenge for a hand pass. A critical sliding block from senior Luke Mittelstadt stopped a 4-on-2 rush by the Nittany Lions that kept it a one-score game.
It took more than eight minutes before the Gophers finally tested the home goalie as Tanner Ludtke forced a pad save. PSU stretched its margin to 2-0 with 6:42 left in the first period by activating its defense into another odd-man rush for a shot that deflected off a Minnesota stick. Late in the frame, the visitors had a chance to get a goal back as Brodie Ziemer fed LJ Mooney at the left circle. The freshman tried to find the stick of Brody Lamb at the doorstep, only to have it knocked away at the last second. Minnesota earned a power play in the final minutes but could not find the back of the net as it faced a two-goal deficit through 20 minutes.
Offensive opportunities were available to both teams in the beginning of the middle stanza where the goaltenders limited each attempt. PSU took advantage of a poor line change to generate a 5-on-2, but the Gophers used an Axel Begley block to shut down the try. The ice remained tilted in favor of the home side as the forecheck went to work and forced a desperation glove save from Di Pasquo. At 7:56, a PSU drive to the crease found the back of the net making it a three-goal cushion before a rebound off a blocked shot extended it to 4-0 just 1:44 later.
The Maroon and Gold finally created space away from its goal and Cal Thomas, looking for anything positive at the midpoint of the contest, had his bid from the top of the slot robbed with the glove. The bench finally got some life as Moore knocked a clearing pass out of midair before turning and firing an unassisted goal that caught the PSU goalie off guard, closing the gap to 4-1 with 3:26 showing on the clock.
The final frame opened with a surge from the Nittany Lions where they went on the attack and Minnesota needed Di Pasquo to stop point-blank attempts. Teddy Townsend fought back to get a shot on target near the crease and Ludtke followed with a bid on the next shift. Chances continued to pile up for the Gophers as Jimmy Clark was alone at the right post where his shot from close range was stopped, nearly converting a defensive breakdown before John Whipple and Leo Gruba each tested the target.
Despite all the zone time against, PSU went back down the ice and pushed back to a four-goal lead, 5-1, with 12:54 to play in regulation. The Gophers would not stop skating and as the clock reached 4:54 remaining, Rombach's shot from the point found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. With the margin down to three and on its second power play, Minnesota pulled its goalie and PSU scored shorthanded into the empty net, sealing the 6-2 decision.
Minnesota officially closes its 2025-26 season with an 11-22-3 record and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018-19, having reached five-consecutive tournaments.
Noteworthy
Moore put away his eighth tally of the campaign, six of which were scored away from home, and picked up his 21st point overall, tying for fourth among the team's scoring leaders ... The freshman closed his rookie year with points in six of the final seven contests, totaling three goals and four assists in that stretch ... A native of Carver, Minn., Moore had a team-best four points versus Penn State, posting four in five matchups, including goals in back-to-back appearances ... In the final game of the year, Rombach finally broke through with his first NCAA goal, playing in his 36th contest ... It was his fourth point overall and snapped a stretch of 17 games without a point ... Beckett Hendrickson and Erik Påhlsson collected the helpers on the final tally, registering their 13th and ninth assists this season, respectively ... In a career year for Hendrickson, the sophomore became the sixth Gopher to reach the 20-point mark, while Påhlsson ended the campaign with 14 total points ... The unassisted tuck was the Gophers' sixth time recording no assists on a goal this season, two of which came off the stick of Moore ... Di Pasquo turned aside 34 shots Wednesday as Penn State held a wide shot advantage of 40 to 29 ... The junior had his 13th outing of the year with at least 30 saves ... Minnesota dropped to 0-3 all-time in true road games during the B1G Tournament and are now 3-4 when facing the Nittany Lions in the postseason, including a 0-3 record in quarterfinal games at Pegula Ice Arena.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Real quick in the game, we made some mistakes early. And our guys fought. They did until the end. I am proud as heck of what they did all season," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Most important, the five seniors left their hearts in this program. They played in a national championship game, they hung banners, they stuck together and they battled through this. Their heart and care for this program touched all the guys that are coming back."
The sixth-seeded Golden Gophers (11-22-3 overall, 7-15-2 B1G) surrendered a pair of goals in each of the three periods versus the third-seed Nittany Lions (21-12-2 overall, 12-10-2 B1G). Javon Moore broke the shutout bid, scoring late in the middle frame, and Jacob Rombach put away the first goal of his college career with 4:54 left in regulation.
The home side generated the first quality look that was pushed away from the goal line by netminder Luca Di Pasquo after the initial shot hit the inside of the post two minutes into the action. PSU stayed on the attack and struck for the opening goal at 3:10 that was upheld following a challenge for a hand pass. A critical sliding block from senior Luke Mittelstadt stopped a 4-on-2 rush by the Nittany Lions that kept it a one-score game.
It took more than eight minutes before the Gophers finally tested the home goalie as Tanner Ludtke forced a pad save. PSU stretched its margin to 2-0 with 6:42 left in the first period by activating its defense into another odd-man rush for a shot that deflected off a Minnesota stick. Late in the frame, the visitors had a chance to get a goal back as Brodie Ziemer fed LJ Mooney at the left circle. The freshman tried to find the stick of Brody Lamb at the doorstep, only to have it knocked away at the last second. Minnesota earned a power play in the final minutes but could not find the back of the net as it faced a two-goal deficit through 20 minutes.
Offensive opportunities were available to both teams in the beginning of the middle stanza where the goaltenders limited each attempt. PSU took advantage of a poor line change to generate a 5-on-2, but the Gophers used an Axel Begley block to shut down the try. The ice remained tilted in favor of the home side as the forecheck went to work and forced a desperation glove save from Di Pasquo. At 7:56, a PSU drive to the crease found the back of the net making it a three-goal cushion before a rebound off a blocked shot extended it to 4-0 just 1:44 later.
The Maroon and Gold finally created space away from its goal and Cal Thomas, looking for anything positive at the midpoint of the contest, had his bid from the top of the slot robbed with the glove. The bench finally got some life as Moore knocked a clearing pass out of midair before turning and firing an unassisted goal that caught the PSU goalie off guard, closing the gap to 4-1 with 3:26 showing on the clock.
The final frame opened with a surge from the Nittany Lions where they went on the attack and Minnesota needed Di Pasquo to stop point-blank attempts. Teddy Townsend fought back to get a shot on target near the crease and Ludtke followed with a bid on the next shift. Chances continued to pile up for the Gophers as Jimmy Clark was alone at the right post where his shot from close range was stopped, nearly converting a defensive breakdown before John Whipple and Leo Gruba each tested the target.
Despite all the zone time against, PSU went back down the ice and pushed back to a four-goal lead, 5-1, with 12:54 to play in regulation. The Gophers would not stop skating and as the clock reached 4:54 remaining, Rombach's shot from the point found its way through traffic and into the back of the net. With the margin down to three and on its second power play, Minnesota pulled its goalie and PSU scored shorthanded into the empty net, sealing the 6-2 decision.
Minnesota officially closes its 2025-26 season with an 11-22-3 record and failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2018-19, having reached five-consecutive tournaments.
Noteworthy
Moore put away his eighth tally of the campaign, six of which were scored away from home, and picked up his 21st point overall, tying for fourth among the team's scoring leaders ... The freshman closed his rookie year with points in six of the final seven contests, totaling three goals and four assists in that stretch ... A native of Carver, Minn., Moore had a team-best four points versus Penn State, posting four in five matchups, including goals in back-to-back appearances ... In the final game of the year, Rombach finally broke through with his first NCAA goal, playing in his 36th contest ... It was his fourth point overall and snapped a stretch of 17 games without a point ... Beckett Hendrickson and Erik Påhlsson collected the helpers on the final tally, registering their 13th and ninth assists this season, respectively ... In a career year for Hendrickson, the sophomore became the sixth Gopher to reach the 20-point mark, while Påhlsson ended the campaign with 14 total points ... The unassisted tuck was the Gophers' sixth time recording no assists on a goal this season, two of which came off the stick of Moore ... Di Pasquo turned aside 34 shots Wednesday as Penn State held a wide shot advantage of 40 to 29 ... The junior had his 13th outing of the year with at least 30 saves ... Minnesota dropped to 0-3 all-time in true road games during the B1G Tournament and are now 3-4 when facing the Nittany Lions in the postseason, including a 0-3 record in quarterfinal games at Pegula Ice Arena.
Coach Motzko's Comments
"Real quick in the game, we made some mistakes early. And our guys fought. They did until the end. I am proud as heck of what they did all season," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said. "Most important, the five seniors left their hearts in this program. They played in a national championship game, they hung banners, they stuck together and they battled through this. Their heart and care for this program touched all the guys that are coming back."
Highlights: Gophers 2, Penn State 6
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