Michigan
18-15-3, 12-11-2
Penn State
20-12-4, 10-11-4
Michigan Eliminated From Big Ten Tournament by No. 15 Penn State
3/8/2025 10:30:00 PM | Ice Hockey
» Nick Moldenhauer opened the scoring 1:22 into the contest with his third goal of the year.
» William Whitelaw notched a power-play goal in the second period.
» Michigan faced its first penalty shot since 2021.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The fourth-seeded and No. 11-ranked University of Michigan ice hockey team was eliminated from the Big Ten Tournament after taking a 5-2 loss to fifth-seeded and No. 15-ranked Penn State. The Nittany Lions won the best-of-three series 2-0.
U-M now awaits its fate for the NCAA Tournament in hopes of earning an at-large bid.
U-M (18-15-3) opened the scoring at 1:22 when Nick Moldenhauer picked off a lackadaisical breakout pass at the PSU blue line to walk back in and pick a corner for an unassisted goal. The tally, his second in as many nights, was Moldenhauer's third of the year.
Fifteen seconds later, Penn State (20-12-4) stormed down the ice and responded with an immediate goal of its own to tie it up at one on their first shot of the game off a centering pass from the half wall.
Penn State received the first power play of the night at 16:08 when Philippe Lapointe was whistled for interference. With just one second left on the advantage, the Nittany Lions cashed in to spoil the efforts of Michigan's penalty kill unit and take a 2-1 lead with 1:54 left in the period.
Through one period of playoff action, Michigan trailed 2-1 in addition to lagging in shots on goal, 16-9. PSU also finished the frame with a 15-10 lead in the faceoff dot.
Penn State doubled its lead at 10:45 of the second period with a goal off the rush to make it 3-1.
A bit more than one minute later, Michigan received its first power play of the evening when Thomas Daskas was taken down on an odd-man rush by a backchecking PSU defender.
It took just 14 seconds for U-M's power-play unit to generate a goal and cut the deficit to 3-2. The team's leading active scorer, T.J. Hughes, gained control of the puck in the slot and weighed his options amidst chaos in front of the net after Michael Hage won the draw. Hughes looked off the goaltender before passing to William Whitelaw in the bottom of the circle on the left flank, and Whitelaw wasted no time hammering home his 11th goal of the season.
PSU upped its lead to 4-2 with 2:27 left in the second period after a backdoor goal.
Michigan's power-play group was reactivated with 56 seconds left in the middle period, but it could not produce another tally before the period expired. PSU led 31-19 in shots on goal, but the Wolverines did make a strong push to overtake the Nittany Lions in faceoffs, 25-23.
The home team stormed out for the third period, applying pressure on the power play and at even strength. U-M put the first five shots on goal before drawing a penalty at 5:07 to earn another run on the power play, but nothing came of the advantage.
Penn State earned a penalty shot with just under three minutes left to play, and the visitors converted the chance to break it open as a 5-2 game with 2:53 left in the quarterfinal matchup. It was the first penalty shot a Michigan goaltender has faced since 2021 and the first penalty shot goal allowed since Jan. 14, 2017. Logan Stein made 32 saves in the loss.
The Nittany Lions put the finishing touches on a three-goal win to secure the quarterfinal series and advance to the Big Ten Tournament semifinal next weekend. PSU ended the night with a 37-33 edge in shots on goal. Michigan finished ahead in faceoffs by a 36-30 margin.
The Wolverines will await their fate when the NCAA Tournament field is selected on Sunday, March 23.
