Frozen Four Set To Faceoff

ST. LOUIS – Penn State will play in U.S. college hockey’s Frozen Four for the first time Thursday when the school takes on Boston University in the national semifinals. The other matchup in St. Louis will see defending champions Denver against another first-time entry in Western Michigan. The final goes Saturday.

“When a team sticks together — really sticks together — anything is possible,” said Nittany Lions coach Guy Gadowsky, a 57-year-old from Edmonton in his 12th season at PSU. “The hole (an 0-9 start) was dug regardless, but they stuck together and they pulled it out. 

“That’s a great lesson, not only for sport, but for life.” 

His players were also energized after watching in awe as Penn State’s women’s volleyball team came back from a massive 2-0 deficit, including a 22-16 hole in the third game, to beat Nebraska 3-2 in December’s best-of-five semifinal. Penn State then topped Louisville 3-1 to secure the NCAA crown.

“Our players were really, really intrigued with how a team could do that on the mental side,” Gadowsky said. “They asked a lot of questions of the volleyball players and we had (head coach Katie Schumacher-Cawley) talk to the team. 

“So while our leaders were preaching about being positive, we were seeing it play out in real time.”

Men’s hockey captain Simon Mack said the volleyball team’s performance stuck.

“Their story and their mental toughness was unbelievable,” said the 24-year-old defenceman from Brockville, Ont. “I would like to think we’ve taken some of their lessons and implemented them into our game.” 

Mack and his teammates pulled together, finishing the Big Ten schedule 9-11-4 before eventually getting ousted by Ohio State in the playoffs. PSU, however, made the NCAA regional tournament, upsetting Maine 5-1 and beating Connecticut 3-2 in overtime to book the school’s inaugural Frozen Four berth.

“The first half of the year, it did not go our way,” said leading scorer Aiden Fink. “I’m so proud of the guys.”

The five-foot-10, 160-pound forward from Calgary was a big reason why his team turned things around. A seventh-round pick of the Nashville Predators at the 2023 NHL draft, he has 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points across 39 games in 2024-25 heading into Enterprise Center, home of the St. Louis Blues.

“Extremely talented, obviously,” Gadowsky said of the 20-year-old Fink. “But he also gives more of himself physically to every hockey game than any scorer I’ve ever seen.” 

The Nittany Lions’ leader, meanwhile, has taken a long and winding road to the Frozen Four. After his playing career ended, Gadowsky’s first coaching gig was in roller-hockey before he eventually found his way to the NCAA ranks with Alaska, Princeton and now Penn State.

“I’ve always wanted to be a teacher,” said Gadowsky, who comes from a family of educators. “I consider myself a teacher — just of hockey.”

Fink said the bench boss never wavered during the team’s tough, frustrating times early on this season.

“Not a quitter,” he said. “There was not one time that he was either planning for next year or counting us out. He knew there was upside.”

Mack said Penn State has a checklist in its lounge with all of the program’s accomplishments since becoming a Division 1 hockey school in 2012.

“The final two that hadn’t been checked before this year were the Frozen Four and a national championship,” he said. “We’ve got one more box to check.” 

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SEMIFINAL PREVIEWS

Western Michigan Broncos vs. Denver Pioneers

Denver is 26-13-2 against Western Michigan, including 4-1-1 in neutral-site meetings and 1-0 in tournament play following a 3-2 double-overtime win in a 2011 first-round matchup.

Western Michigan has won eight straight and ranks second in the nation with 158 goals scored. The Broncos are 3-9 overall in tournament play. Of captain Tim Washe’s 16 goals this season, 11 have been winners. Freshman goalie Hampton Slukynsky has allowed 16 goals during the Broncos eight-game run.

Denver features 13 players with NCAA tournament experience and seeks to become the first repeat champs since Minnesota-Duluth won in 2018 and ’19. The Broncos led the nation with 172 goals, and Jack Devine’s had a nation-leading 57 points (13 goals, 44 assists). Defenseman Zeev Buium, selected 12th in the NHL draft by Minnesota last summer, leads college defenseman with 48 points (13 goals, 35 assists).

Boston University Terriers vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

This is the first meeting between the schools.

Boston University is just 12-7-1 since Christmas, including a 5-2 loss to UConn in the Hockey East semifinals. Cole Hutson leads college freshman with 46 points (14 goals, 32 assists). Coach Jay Pandolfo has combined for seven Frozen Four appearances, four as a BU player and three as coach.

Penn State overcame opening its Big Ten schedule 0-8-1, before finishing 9-11-4, and is 15-4-4 overall since Christmas. Charlie Cerrato ranks second among college freshmen with 42 points and has three goals and 14 assists in his past eight outings. Goalie Arsenii Sergeev is 15-4-4 since returning in January after missing six weeks with an injury.

Ice chips

The four teams feature a combined 38 NHL draft picks, with BU having 14, Denver 13, Western Michigan eight and Penn State three. … The most recent time two first-time Frozen Four teams met in the championship was in 2013, when Yale defeated Quinnipiac. … BU’s freshman class leads Frozen Four teams by combining for 134 points this season. Western Michigan leads the four teams with a combined 158 points from its seniors. … St. Louis is hosting the Frozen Four for the third time, with Michigan Tech winning the title in 1975 and Michigan State in 2007.