Entering February 23, 2018, the men’s hockey season had felt like a disappointment. Expectations were high following the previous season’s Big Ten Tournament championship and the program’s first ever NCAA tournament appearance. However, the team had lost eight of its previous nine games with the final regular season series against No. 8 Minnesota looming. A second straight NCAA tournament was in serious jeopardy.
Minnesota and Penn State were locked into a first round series in the Big Ten Tournament, which started the following weekend. Penn State needed to win both games in regulation to earn home-ice advantage and remain in the NCAA Tournament picture.