There's an added layer to this rivalry…
Penn State and Michigan State's men's and women's hockey teams are going to take things outside this season at Beaver Stadium, and in light of recent events, this matchup may have a little extra spice.
It was announced on Friday, following some speculation earlier in the week, that the Nittany Lions and Spartans' men's teams would play a game at the iconic stadium — the second-largest in the nation, behind Michigan Stadium — on Jan. 31.
The women's teams from both schools will play a game before that.
The game will be played despite some construction at Beaver Stadium, and it could draw one of the biggest crowds for a college hockey game ever.
The current record belongs to the Big Chill at the Big House between Michigan and Michigan State at Michigan Stadium in 2010. That game had an announced attendance of 113,411, but a confirmed attendance of 104,173, which still makes it the biggest crowd for a hockey game in history.
It's nice to see Beaver Stadium finally hosting hockey, and I feel like it has been a bit of a white whale for a while. The NHL tried to use it for a game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and Philadelphia Flyers, but this never panned out. Instead, those two teams played a game in each of their home cities against each other in 2017 and 2019.
It's also exciting as Penn State and the Big Ten as a whole are really heating up on the college hockey stage, with both teams expected to be toward the top of the conference this season.
But here's the extra bit of spice to this matchup…
This offseason, the biggest story in college hockey had to do with players who have experience in the CHL — the top level of junior hockey in Canada, with some teams in the US — being allowed to compete at the NCAA level.
This led to a bunch of players committing to college programs, including Gavin McKenna, the presumptive No. 1 pick in next year's NHL Draft.
The top two schools that were in contention for the former Medicine Hat Tiger's services? Penn State and Michigan State, with McKenna ultimately choosing to take his talents to Hockey Valley.
This is going to be a good one, and I think we're in for a great college hockey season in general.
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