Wisconsin Hockey Clinches Home Ice, Defeats Penn State 7-3

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – The No. 11 Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey team secured home ice for the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals with a dominant 7-3 victory over the No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions on Thursday evening at Pegula Ice Arena. Seven different Badgers scored in the rout.

Wisconsin (20-11-2, 13-10-0 Big Ten) will host Ohio State on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. At the Kohl Center to begin the postseason.

Game Recap

Penn State (20-11-2, 12-9-2 Big Ten) opened the scoring at 6:25 of the first period with a goal from Cade Christenson. Quinn Finley answered for Wisconsin at 9:11, tying the game. The Nittany Lions regained the lead on a power play at 10:56, with Gavin McKenna finding the back of the net.

Early in the second period, Vasily Zelenov tied the game for Wisconsin at 2:29. Grady Deering gave the Badgers their first lead of the night at 4:14. Penn State responded with a goal from Aiden Fink at 18:54, tying the game at three.

Wisconsin exploded in the third period, scoring four unanswered goals. Simon Tassy struck first at 4:00, followed by Ryan Botterill at 6:24 and Adam Pietila at 13:52. Gavin Morrissey capped off the scoring with a power-play goal at 17:32, sealing the 7-3 win.

Key Performances

• Quinn Finley: Scored one goal.
• Vasily Zelenov: Scored one goal.
• Grady Deering: Scored one goal.
• Simon Tassy: Scored one goal.
• Ryan Botterill: Scored one goal.
• Adam Pietila: Scored one goal.
• Gavin Morrissey: Scored one goal and reached 30 points on the season.
• Weston Knox: Recorded a career-high three assists.

Game Statistics

Wisconsin outshot Penn State 41-31. The Badgers went 1-for-5 on the power play, while the Nittany Lions went 1-for-2.

Notable Achievements

• Wisconsin reached 20 wins for the second time in three seasons.
• The Badgers have won six consecutive games at Penn State, dating back to February 25, 2023.
• Gavin Morrissey recorded his second consecutive 30-point season.

Up Next

Wisconsin will host Ohio State in the Big Ten Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday, March 11 at 7 p.m. CT at the Kohl Center. The game will be streamed on B1G+ and broadcast on 1310 WIBA.