No. 10/10 Penn State men's hockey lost 5-2 to No. 1/1 Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinal game on Saturday evening.
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The Nittany Lions seek another NCAA Tournament appearance, this time hoping to make it past the Frozen Four semifinals which is where their season ultimately ended in 2024-25. That year, Penn State had a historic, defining season. Fast forward a season later, the blue and white are getting exposed at the wrong time.
Penn State is the third-seeded team in the Big Ten. While that's an impressive spot to be in a competitive conference, there's a big gap between No. 2 (the Wolverines) and No. 3. That gap consistently burned the Nittany Lions throughout the regular season, and Saturday proved yet again that they can't hang with the best in the country.
They aren't in a "championship or bust" scenario, but a tournament appearance is the bare minimum for this team. As the 10th-ranked team in NPI rankings, they're toeing a dangerous line and can't do anything about it. Their fate rests in the hands of teams still alive in their conference tournaments around the country.
Still, if Penn State make it into the tournament, it won't be long until its booted out. A second consecutive Frozen Four appearance calls for a light regional quadrant. The Nittany Lions must avoid Michigan State and the Michigan in regionals, no questions about it, if they want a fighting chance at being one of the last four teams standing. From there, they have to hope a major upset happens against their Big Ten foes, and ideally, have another team do it for them. The Spartans and Wolverines are too familiar with Penn State and will only dominate once more.
Penn State hockey isn't embodying a title-worthy team and it can't solely rely on Gavin McKenna
Especially when it comes to the postseason, hockey is a team sport more than ever. It's never about just one player or one line or one pair or one goaltender. The entire team has to be in it to win it, and forward Reese Laubach already admitted that the Nittany Lions weren't all there at the end of the regular season.
Laubach said it felt like the team was comfortable and complacent. Not only was that clear against Michigan in the tournament with forwards Gavin McKenna and Lev Katzin netting the only two goals from Penn State and the Nittany Lions going scoreless on each of their six power play opportunities, but it was evident that they're simply not built to be a title-contending team this season.
McKenna's second-half sparked his potential. The future first-rounder of the 2026 NHL Draft has incredible talent and set single-game records for Penn State since January.
However, he can't carry the entire team on his back in the tournament. Based on the Nittany Lions' most recent performances, it's becoming evident that the rest of the team isn't taking that step forward to meet McKenna.
It's the same reason why Boston College fell to Denver in the 2023-24 national title game. The No. 1 team by far in the country got stood up by the Pioneers when it mattered most. It didn't matter what kind of talent the Eagles had on the roster. Denver showed up to play as a team. Boston College showed up to play as individuals on a team.