University Park, PA (gophersports.com). –  Scott Reedy, Rem Pitlick, and Casey Mittelstadt notched four goals and eight points for the Maroon & Gold, but it wasn’t enough as Minnesota fell 6-5 at Penn State on Saturday.

Coupled with Friday’s loss to the Nittany Lions, Minnesota came up short in its Big Ten Tournament quarterfinal series and will now wait to see the field for the NCAA tournament when it is announced later this month.

Reedy (two goals, one assist) and Mittelstadt (one goal, two assists) led the way for Minnesota (19-17-2). Both freshmen recorded career-best performances with three points in the game. Pitlick added a goal and an assist on Saturday as the trio combined for seven goals and 15 points in this weekend’s games. Jack Ramsey also scored for the Gophers on Saturday.

The Big Ten rivals battled back and forth with the Gophers bouncing back from a 2-0 deficit in the first period and a 3-1 deficit midway through the second before taking the lead with Reedy’s first of the night at 15:21 of the second stanza. Penn State (18-13-5) scored later in the period to send the game into the third period tied at 4-4.

Reedy found the net again to open the third, but it was the Nittany Lions who pocketed two more in the middle of the final period to seal the win at 6-5 and take the series.

Eric Schierhorn made 29 saves in net for the Gophers, moving to 12-12-1 on the year while Peyton Johnson improved to 17-11-4 with a 35-save showing.

Minnesota went 2-for-5 on the power play, ending the weekend with four power-play goals, while the penalty kill was 1-for-3. The Gophers outshot Penn State 40-35 in the finale.

The NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey Championship bracket will be announced on Sunday, March 18.

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