Losing Streak at 3 as Gophers Swept in State College to Start 2026
State College, PA – Coming off a slow start to the 25-26 season, the Gophers were hoping to turn the season around as the calendar turned the page to 2026.
As it turns out, it ended up being happy valley for the home fans to kick off the start of the Big Ten’s second half.
Looking lethargic in a 3-0 losing effort Friday, the Minnesota Gophers (8-12-1 Overall, 4-6-0 B1G (13 pts)) played a better hockey game Saturday, but ultimately suffered the same fate, dropping the series finale by a 5-2 score to the Penn State Nittany Lions (14-6-0, 6-4-0 (19)).
Friday was barely worth watching, so this writer won’t waste precious internet space breaking down the action. Suffice it to say, the Gophers looked like they were still waking up from the winter break and barely threatened in a 3-0 sleepwalk.
Saturday looked more like the competitive Minnesota team we’ve seen in good battles against good teams throughout the first half, with the road team forechecking hard, generating turnovers and scoring chances, and generally playing a more up tempo style of hockey that is (dare I say) enjoyable to watch.
Brodie Ziemer got Minnesota out to a 1-0 lead with an unassisted half-breakaway goal at 3:27 of the first period. The lead was short-lived, as Braedon Ford’s breakaway chance beat Gopher goalie Nathan Airey five-hole to tie it at 1-1 just over two minutes later.
The Maroon & Gold actually killed off a penalty later in the first, but the good guys allowed two more late-period goals (Matt DiMarsico at 17:15 and Lev Katzin at 19:44) to head into the locker room facing a demoralizing two-goal deficit despite actually playing a good period.
The Gophers were aggressors in the second, firing 16 shots on net in an effort to get back into the game. Minnesota drew within one at 2:28 of the period when Javon Moore laced a cross-ice pass into the upper corner (off a nice pass by linemate Teddy Townsend and a great turnover caused by linemate Mason Moe). Moore’s fifth goal of the season made the game 3-2, which is where it would stay for the rest of the middle frame despite a bevy of chances from each team. Luca Di Pasquo relieved Nathan Airey after the disappointing finish to the first period, and was rock solid between the pipes, making 27 saves on 28 total shots in the final two periods of action.
The two teams battled through a rough-and-tumble third period, but the dam finally broke late in the period when Jackson Smith beat Di Pasquo at 17:35 to give PSU a late two-goal lead. The Nittany Lions tacked on an empty netter with 11 seconds left in the game to end the scoring at 5-2 overall.
Despite the strong effort Saturday, it’s clear that this Gopher hockey team simply does not have the top-end talent necessary to win consistently in the juggernaut that is the Big Ten this season. The good news is that the team has all the opportunity in the world to turn the season around with some shocking high-quality wins. The Gophers still have games left against #1 Michigan (x4), #2 Michigan State (x4), #3 Wisconsin (x2), along with a series each against Ohio State and Notre Dame. 10 more games against top 3 opponents means that a winning streak stands the chance to improve the Gophers’ NPI standings tremendously. The next chance begins next weekend as Minnesota travels to Ann Arbor to take on the #1 Wolverines. The Friday (7PM) and Saturday (6PM) series can be seen on Fox 9 TV, streamed on BTN+, and heard on AM1130 / FM 103.5.