Sophomore classmates MattDiMarsico and DaneDowiak each scored twice to lead No. 12 Penn State past No. 4 Maine, 5-1, in the Allentown Regional Semifinal at the PPL Center on Friday evening.
Penn State used five unanswered goals to seal the victory, improving to 21-13-4 in the process. The Nittany Lions advance to their second Regional Final in the past three years and third overall, while securing a date with the UConn Huskies on Sunday evening at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and available for streaming in Canada on TSN+.
Maine opened the scoring on a strange bouncing puck as a shot from the point by BodieNobes hit a Nittany Lion out front and then went off the stick of another before jolting up into the air and over the shoulder of Penn State junior net-minder ArseniiSergeev for the 1-0 advantage at 4:08 of the first period. The Nittany Lions evened the contest just 64 ticks later with a power-play tally as sophomore AidenFink sent a beautiful cross-ice pass to freshman JJWiebusch and he didn’t miss for the 1-1 score at the 5:04 mark. Penn State then grabbed the lead with a beautiful transition goal as DiMarsico sniped a shot over the glove of Black Bear goaltender AlbinBoija off crisp passing from freshman classmates Wiebusch and Charlie Cerrato for the 2-1 edge at the 14:26 mark. The Blue & White extended the lead late in the opening frame with another power-play goal as Dowiak crashed the net and redirected a shot from senior Danny Dzhaniyev past Boija for the 3-1 margin at the 18:08 mark.
The Nittany Lions pushed the lead further in the second period as a defensive zone turnover by Maine resulted in a perfect pass from Cerrato for a one-time blast by DiMarsico in the low slot for the 4-1 lead at the 5:41 mark. Dowiak then hit the empty net after winning a battle on the near half wall and racing down the ice to deposit the puck at 16:37 of the third period.
Sergeev improved to 18-8-4 on the year after making 26 saves in the victory while Boija finished the year 23-8-6 after stopping 29 shots in the loss. Sergeev’s 18 wins are tied with Peyton Jones ‘20 for the third-most in a single-season by a Nittany Lion goaltender.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
THE ASYLUM
Penn State
5:20 am - 03.29.2025Allentown, Pa.Hockey: DiMarsico, Dowiak stand out to beat Maine
Sophomore classmates Matt DiMarsico and Dane Dowiak each scored twice to lead No. 12 Penn State past No. 4 Maine, 5-1, in the Allentown Regional Semifinal at the PPL Center on Friday evening.
Penn State used five unanswered goals to seal the victory, improving to 21-13-4 in the process. The Nittany Lions advance to their second Regional Final in the past three years and third overall, while securing a date with the UConn Huskies on Sunday evening at 4:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast nationally on ESPN2 and available for streaming in Canada on TSN+.
Maine opened the scoring on a strange bouncing puck as a shot from the point by Bodie Nobes hit a Nittany Lion out front and then went off the stick of another before jolting up into the air and over the shoulder of Penn State junior net-minder Arsenii Sergeev for the 1-0 advantage at 4:08 of the first period. The Nittany Lions evened the contest just 64 ticks later with a power-play tally as sophomore Aiden Fink sent a beautiful cross-ice pass to freshman JJ Wiebusch and he didn’t miss for the 1-1 score at the 5:04 mark. Penn State then grabbed the lead with a beautiful transition goal as DiMarsico sniped a shot over the glove of Black Bear goaltender Albin Boija off crisp passing from freshman classmates Wiebusch and Charlie Cerrato for the 2-1 edge at the 14:26 mark. The Blue & White extended the lead late in the opening frame with another power-play goal as Dowiak crashed the net and redirected a shot from senior Danny Dzhaniyev past Boija for the 3-1 margin at the 18:08 mark.
The Nittany Lions pushed the lead further in the second period as a defensive zone turnover by Maine resulted in a perfect pass from Cerrato for a one-time blast by DiMarsico in the low slot for the 4-1 lead at the 5:41 mark. Dowiak then hit the empty net after winning a battle on the near half wall and racing down the ice to deposit the puck at 16:37 of the third period.
Sergeev improved to 18-8-4 on the year after making 26 saves in the victory while Boija finished the year 23-8-6 after stopping 29 shots in the loss. Sergeev’s 18 wins are tied with Peyton Jones ‘20 for the third-most in a single-season by a Nittany Lion goaltender.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
We’d love to have you!