Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1534903
M A Y 2 0 2 5 9 OPENING SHOT SHOT HEARD 'ROUND THE WORLD The scene at PPL Arena was jubilant after sophomore forward Matthew DiMarsico fired a shot over the right shoulder of Connecticut goalie Callum Tung with 2:04 remaining in overtime of the teams' March 30 matchup in the final of the Allentown Regional. DiMarsico's goal, set up by an artful behind- the-back centering pass from freshman for- ward Charlie Cerrato (No. 15), gave the Nittany Lions a 3-2 victory and propelled them into the NCAA Frozen Four for the first time in the 13-year history of the revived varsity program. DiMarsico still hadn't caught his breath when ESPN asked him after the game about what he was thinking when Cerrato's pass landed on his stick. "I was thinking I better not mess this up, to be honest," the Wexford, Pa., native said. "It was a great play by him. I saw my spot and let it rip." The shot sent a partisan Penn State crowd into hysterics. Players, too, were abuzz as they left the ice holding the ticket they had just punched to college hockey's main event. Freshman forwards Keaton Peters (No. 9) and JJ Wiebusch (No. 20), sophomore forwards Dane Dowiak (No. 19) and Reese Laubach (No. 29) and their teammates earned a trip to St. Louis, where they were to face Boston University in the NCAA Frozen Four. While the forwards were a big part of PSU's win over the Huskies, so, too, was junior goalie Arsenii Sergeev. The Yaroslavl, Russia, native, who had spent his first two seasons at UConn, made 42 saves for the Nittany Lions, one short of his career high. "It was a tough situation to be in — win-or- go-home against your former team," DiMar- sico said. "But I thought he handled it with class. You saw his performance on the ice, he was unbelievable. He kept our team in it for stretches of overtime and that third period." The Nittany Lions eventually saw their sea- son end in the national semifinals with a 3-1 loss to Boston U, but it was a momentous cam- paign for the program, and DiMarsico's goal was its signature moment — a shot so thrilling that he could barely remember throwing his stick into the crowd in celebration moments after slipping the puck past the UConn goalie. "I couldn't tell you why I did that or what went on," DiMarsico said. "I'm just glad it went in, and I hope whoever caught the stick enjoys it." — Matt Herb PHOTO BY MARK SELDERS/PENN STATE ATHLETICS