The UConn men’s hockey season came to a close following a 3-2 overtime loss to Penn State in the Allentown Regional Final. Sophomore Joey Muldowney and junior Tabor Heaslip scored the Huskies two goals of the night.
UConn got on the board first at the start of the game. The Huskies forecheck was troubling for the Nittany Lions as UConn collected the puck in the offensive zone, then sophomore Jake Richard found Muldowney in the slot and he launched it past the goaltender for the Huskies first goal of the afternoon. Penn State looked to tie the game right away, but freshman goaltender Callum Tung denied all of their attempts while on a power play to keep UConn in front. The Nittany Lions’ best chance of the period came when they were on a break and fired a puck to Tung that rang off the crossbar and away from the net. However, Penn State did find the equalizer goal with 6:33 left in the first period. Neither UConn nor Penn State was able to regain the lead, and they entered the period break tied at one.
The second period was a defensive battle. Penn State generated multiple scoring chances and put pressure on the Huskies on defense, but they were eventually able to turn the tides. Heaslip fired a puck from the point and after two redirections, got the puck past Penn State’s goaltender Aresenii Sergeev. The Huskies one-goal lead did not last long as the Nittany Lions bounced right back to tie the game at two. Both teams continued to go back and forth on the ice but were not able to take the lead. UConn and Penn State went into the second period break tied at two goals.
The game got intense in the third period as both teams were generating scoring chances, but Tung and Sergeev weathered the storm and prevented either team from scoring. The time in regulation ran out with the score tied at two. Both teams headed into the locker room to prepare for a sudden death overtime period that would determine who took a trip to the Frozen Four in St. Louis, Missouri next week.
The Huskies came out firing in the overtime period and had the best chances to get the win, but their shots kept getting denied at the net whether it was Sergeev or the pucks just ringing off the goal posts. Muldowney had one of the best chances of the overtime period, but the puck rang off the inside of the post and out. The Huskies were dominating, but UConn and Penn State both traded chances until late in the overtime period. However, UConn got in trouble after Penn State collected the puck near center ice and skated down to fire it past Tung for the game winner, sending them to their first-ever Frozen Four and ending the Huskies run.
This marks the end of the 2024-25 season for the Ice Bus in Allentown, PA in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Huskies finished the season with a 23-12-4 overall record and a No. 7 rank in the country. Even though they did not finish their end goal, UConn reached new heights this season after getting their first-ever bid in the NCAA Tournament and earning their first NCAA Tournament win over Quinnipiac in the first round.
“I’m very proud of them. How can you not be? It wasn’t just making it to the tournament, it was the way they competed all year long,” said Head Coach Mike Cavanaugh following the overtime loss. “I’m really grateful to the University of Connecticut for this opportunity. It’s been everything and more than I expected. The support that I have from the university…is unparalleled. I’m very, very grateful to be working at the University of Connecticut.”