No. 12 Penn State will face No. 7 UConn this afternoon in the Allentown regional final of the NCAA Tournament. After dismantling Maine in the semifinal, the Nittany Lions will meet the Huskies for the first time since 2013 with a spot in the Frozen Four on the line. The winner of this game will make its first appearance in the Frozen Four.
How to Watch
Who: UConn Huskies
When: Sunday, March 30
Where: PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Time: 4:30pm
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Opponent Preview
Led by 12th-year head coach Mike Cavanaugh, UConn (23-11-4) made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance this season in its 27th season since joining Division I hockey. The Huskies finished fourth in the Hockey East in the regular season and lost the final of the conference tournament to Maine. UConn is 9-5-3 this season against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament and defeated Quinnipiac 4-1 in the regional semifinal on Thursday.
Sophomore Joey Muldowney ranks 2nd in the NCAA with 28 goals this season, including 8 goals in the team’s last 5 games. Ryan Tattle has 18 goals, Jake Richard has 15, and Hudson Schandor has 10 to round out UConn’s goal scoring leaders. As a team, the Huskies rank 9th in the NCAA in goals per game (3.4) and 18th in the NCAA in shots on goal per game (31.1).
While the defense is not as strong statistically as Maine’s, UConn has given up more than 2 goals only once in its last 10 games. Callum Tung allowed just 1 goal on 22 shots in Thursday’s win over Quinnipiac. The freshman is 10-3-1 in 14 appearances with a 1.98 GAA and .934 save percentage. Tyler Muszelik is another strong option in net for UConn, with a 2.28 GAA and .914 save percentage in 22 games. UConn ranks 25th in the NCAA in shots allowed per game (28.6) and 16th in goals allowed per game (2.5).
UConn’s power play ranks 17th in the NCAA (23.3%), and the penatly kill ranks 24th (81.3%).
Tournament Update
- Boston University and Western Michigan punched the first two tickets to the Frozen Four with wins over Cornell and UMass respectively.
- Following Penn State-UConn, overall No. 1 seed Boston College and defending national champion Denver will vie for the final spot in the Frozen Four.
Prediction
Penn State was surgical on both ends of the ice in Thursday’s blowout win over Maine, showcasing exactly why no one wants to face this Nittany Lions team in the NCAA Tournament. With its historic breakthrough season, UConn will certainly be no easy out today. In a game where both offenses are in the top 10 in scoring, the spotlight will be on the goaltenders. Arsenii Sergeev was outstanding against Maine, and the team defense in front of him was a welcome surprise without Carter Schade in the lineup. Aiden Fink has been held without a goal in Penn State’s last six games, and while the Lions have flexed their depth in the postseason, Fink is due for a goal in the big game. This is Penn State’s best shot to reach the Frozen Four, and I like the Nittany Lions to get the job done in front of what should be a raucous crowd in Allentown.
Penn State 4, UConn 3
