Penn State Hockey's Superb Postseason Ends With Frozen Four Loss to Boston U.

Penn State then stifled a BU power play, after getting caught with six players on the ice, with an assertive penalty kill. The Nittany Lions followed that with more pressure on Yegorov, who made back-to-back saves 9 minutes into the period.

Yegorov, who made 17 of his 32 saves in the third period, held BU's lead several times, notably by glove-handing a shot by Penn State's Matt DiMarsico in the final 2 minutes that was inches from tying the game. BU sealed the win with an empty-net goal late.

For Penn State, this inaugural Frozen Four appearance was the product of a dramatic in-season turnaround. The Nittany Lions (22-14) did not win a Big Ten game until January and were last in the conference standings. But they clawed their way into the Big Ten tournament with a seven-game points run and then got hot in the postseason, winning four games to reach the Frozen Four.

The Terriers, who played a more physical game than Penn State, took a 1-0 lead early in the second period on two Nittany Lions puck mistakes. Matt Copponi took possession of a Penn State turnover and wristed a shot at goaltender Arsenii Sergeev, who made the stop but lost track of the puck beneath him. It slipped loose of his pad, and BU's Jack Hughes made a wily follow-up move, sticking the puck past Sergeev for the first goal.

BU continued to press after the goal, forcing Sergeev to make one more strong save in front of a shake defense, until Penn State got its first power play 6 minutes into the period. The Nittany Lions had scored power-play goals in 10 of their last 12 games but did not muster a shot on goal during this one.

Penn State's inability to score on the power play bit the team midway through the second period, when the Terriers took a 2-0 lead on a lovely 2-on-1 break. BU's Devin Kaplan took possession behind his own goal and hit a long outlet pass to Cole Hutson, who started the break.

Hutson's cross slithered past the outstretched stick of Penn State defenseman Jarod Crespo and to Eiserman, who beat Sergeev high for the 2-0 lead. The Terriers could have seized control of the game with their first power play soon after the goal but mustered little offensively.

In fact, Penn State had a juicy chance for a short-handed goal when Dane Dowiak raced past BU's defense on a breakaway. Yegorov didn't flinch in making the save, which was one of his key moments of the game. BU was called for tripping on the power play, leading it to play short-handed for about 90 seconds.

Penn State continued to make mistakes, however. When the Nittany Lions' power play ended, BU's Matt Copponi collected a misplayed puck with a free release to the net. Sergeev's 20th save kept the Terriers' lead at 2-0.

Sergeev played a calm first period amid chaos in front of him, making 11 saves, including a few prime pad stops to keep Boston off the scoreboard. Penn State didn't have a ton of great early chances, managing just seven shots, but Aiden Fink had a terrific opportunity late in the period.

Fink skated with the puck in a 2-on-1, wristing a shot that Yegorov stopped to his right. Otherwise, Penn State looked a little sluggish early, perhaps because of the delayed start, as Western Michigan needed double overtime to beat Denver in the opener.

Boston University will play Western Michigan in the NCAA championship game Saturday in St. Louis. BU seeks to win its fifth NCAA title and first since 2009. Like Penn State, Western Michigan is playing in its first Frozen Four.