Now
9°
Mon
22°
Tue
26°
by Tyann Bell
It was a cold day in State College on Saturday, but that didn’t stop more than 74,000 fans from filling Beaver Stadium for a moment Penn State men's hockey will never forget.
Saturday’s matchup between Penn State and Michigan State marked the first NCAA men’s hockey game ever played at Beaver Stadium.
The outdoor showdown was also the third and final game of what Penn State is calling its first ever winter sports weekend.
New Nittany Lions head football coach, Matt Campbell, dropped the puck during a pregame ceremony, and former Penn State football star Abdul Carter, now a New York Giants pass rusher, led a "We Are" chant during the game.
Penn State kept things close all game.
The game was tied 4 to 4 after regulation, resulting in both teams going to overtime, but Michigan State defeated Penn State, 5 to 4, to claim the win.
Gavin McKenna continued his hot streak since returning from the World Juniors, scoring his 11th goal of the season for the Nittany Lions.
No matter the outcome, Saturday’s game made history.
An announced crowd of 74,575 fans made it the 2nd largest attendance ever for a college hockey game.
Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky said Saturday will be a day he will never forget.
He said, “It’s humbling. It’s so incredible to be part of an institution that supports something like this so well, and to have 75,000 people come out here in the cold, and they stayed the whole time and supported us, it’s just an amazing atmosphere, and I feel so grateful for Penn State, for so many of the departments that it took to make this happen. I’m really sorry that we didn’t win, but I’ll tell you that none of us, the players especially, will ever forget this experience. It was incredible, and Penn State is incredible.”
Penn State men's hockey will return to action in 2 weeks, when they take on Michigan for a 2-game series.
2026 Sinclair, Inc.
Hockey News