No. 6 Penn State men's hockey comes off a disappointing weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich. after No. 2 Michigan swept the Nittany Lions. The Wolverines earned the extra point in the shootout in the first game and had a decisive 6-3 victory in game two.
With only a few more weekends of the regular season left, the blue and white appear to need a six-game win streak to close out the season, going undefeated the rest of the way, in order to potentially secure a top four seed for the NCAA Tournament. While it's not something looming over the squad, finishing out strong before the postseason is still a must given the last four games that ended against its favor.
Adding another hump to get over, the Nittany Lions must face the last three weeks of the regular season and the entire postseason without their captain.
Junior forward Dane Dowiak sustained an upper body injury against Michigan over the weekend and is ruled out for the remainder of the year. He shared a message on social media regarding the matter:
"This past weekend in Ann Arbor, I unfortunately suffered a season-ending upper-body injury. While this is incredibly disappointing, it does not change my belief in this team and what we're building has never been stronger. I'll continue to support my guys every step of the way as a captain off the ice and know the entire team will enhance the leadership on the ice in my absence. Nothing will get in the way of what we're building."
Penn State captain Dane Dowiak announces that he suffered a season-ending upper body injury last weekend against Michigan.
— Basic Blues Nation (@BasicBlues) February 17, 2026
The junior forward had nine goals and 18 points this season.
“While this is incredibly disappointing, it does not change my belief in this team and what… pic.twitter.com/DnRmHcFYDb
Captain Dane Dowiak sustains season-ending injury in back half of Penn State hockey regular season
Aside from being Penn State's solo captain (defenseman Jarod Crespo and forwards Reese Laubach and Ben Schoen serving as alternates for the 2025-26 season), Dowiak is now the second Nittany Lion to go down with injury.
Forward Charlie Cerrato was ruled out for the rest of the regular season at the end of January with hopes of returning for the postseason. There have been no updates on Penn State's leader in points returning since the injury announcement.
Dowiak has 18 points on nine goals and nine assists in 2025-26 over 27 games. He is also plus-16 and registered 24 blocks as a junior.
"I'm ready to attack this recovery with everything I have, come back stronger, and return to the ice next season better than ever," Dowiak concluded his statement.
"This is just a chapter — not the story. I'll be back."