No. 12 Penn State will be in Allentown tonight for its NCAA Tournament first round game against No. 4 Maine. After a wild Thursday filled with upsets and comebacks, the Nittany Lions are the only Big Ten team remaining in the tournament. Maine enters tonight’s contest fresh off a Hockey East Tournament championship. This will be the first ever meeting between the two teams. The winner of tonight’s game will face the winner of the other regional semifinal between in-state rivals UConn and Quinnipiac.
How to Watch
Who: Maine Black Bears
When: Friday, March 28
Where: PPL Center, Allentown, PA
Time: 8:30pm
TV: ESPN2
Radio: Penn State Sports Network
Opponent Preview
The Black Bears (24-7-6) finished 2nd in a stacked Hockey East behind Boston College. Maine is 10-6-2 this season against teams that qualified for the NCAA Tournament, including a sweep of Quinnipiac.
Maine has five double-digit goal scorers on the season, led by 18 goals each from Harrison Scott and Taylor Makar (brother of Colorado Avalanche defenseman Cale Makar). Thomas Freel (11 goals), Josh Nadeau (10), and Owen Fowler (10) are all dangerous attackers for the Black Bears’ offense as well. Frank Djurasevic is 12th in the NCAA among defensemen with 28 points this season. As a team, Maine averages 34.9 shots on goal per game, good for 4th in the NCAA.
While the Black Bears’ offense is certainly lethal, Maine boasts the toughest defense Penn State will see this season. Maine gives up only 25.5 shots on goal per game (8th in NCAA) and 1.9 goals per game (3rd). Albin Boija has been one of the best goalies in the country all season, posting a 1.76 GAA and .930 save percentage in 36 games this season. Boija has given up more than 3 goals only twice this season. He stopped 81 of the 87 shots he faced in the Hockey East Tournament, so he has shown no signs of slowing down as the season has worn on.
Maine’s power play ranks 25th in the NCAA at 21.5%, and the penalty kill is tied for 9th at 83.9%.
Tournament Summary
- Big Ten champion Michigan State was stunned by Cornell last night, with the Big Red scoring the winning goal on a power play with 10 seconds left in regulation.
- Minnesota blew a 3-1 lead in the third period and, despite a late tying goal from Jimmy Snuggerud, lost 5-4 in overtime to UMass.
- Ohio State entered the third period tied at 3 with Boston University, but Logan Terness gave up 4 goals in the final frame to ease the Terriers to an 8-3 win over the Buckeyes.
- Western Michigan finished off Minnesota State in the second overtime to advance to the regional final.
Prediction
Penn State is the hottest team in the country since the calendar flipped to 2025. While Maine is the favorite here, the Lions will certainly not make it easy for the Hockey East champions to advance. Anything can happen in a single-elimination tournament, but Maine’s stout team defense will be the difference in a contest between two explosive offenses. The loss of Carter Schade is hard to ignore for Penn State’s blue line. The Nittany Lions will fight hard but come up just short of pulling the upset.
Maine 4, Penn State 2
