Hello Hockey Valley: Penn State will host two outdoor college hockey games at Beaver Stadium in January

Photo Credit: Jon Famurewa/The State News

A big year for college hockey just got bigger.

On Friday, August 29, Penn State University announced two outdoor college hockey games on Saturday, January 31, 2026. The Penn State men’s team will host Michigan State University, and the women’s team will host Robert Morris in “The Hockey Valley Doubleheader.”

“This is a historic moment for Penn State Hockey, our fans and the entire Penn State community,” said Dr. Patrick Kraft, Penn State’s Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics. “To bring the excitement of college hockey to Beaver Stadium is truly special. Having our men’s program face a premier Big Ten opponent in Michigan State and our women’s program face Robert Morris on this stage reflects the incredible growth and national profile of Penn State Hockey and provides an unforgettable experience for our student-athletes, alumni and fans. We can’t wait to see Hockey Valley come alive in Beaver Stadium."

Penn State has been at the forefront of college hockey this summer. To go along with the announcement of two outdoor games, the men’s team added the most prolific prospect in NCAA college hockey history, Gavin McKenna.

A rule allowing players in the three Canadian Hockey Leagues - the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League, the Ontario Hockey League, and the Western Hockey League - to be permitted to play in the NCAA starting August 1, 2025, was introduced by the NCAA in November. Prior to the rule change, CHL players were viewed as professionals and were not allowed to compete in the NCAA due to its amateurism rules.

McKenna was the 2024 CHL Player of the Year for the Medicine Hat Tigers, scoring 41 goals and adding 88 assists for 129 points in 56 games. The Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada, native had a 40-game point streak, a modern-day CHL record, in the regular season, which extended to 54 games in the playoffs, once again setting a modern-day record for most consecutive points in a CHL campaign. A season before, McKenna finished with 97 points in 61 regular-season games, winning CHL Rookie of the Year.

There were plenty of suitors for McKenna, who is regarded as a “generational talent,” but he ultimately chose Penn State. McKenna is said to have received a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal of $700 thousand (USD), which is worth close to $1 million in Canadian dollars. McKenna’s NIL deal is the largest in college hockey history.

Penn State also added defenseman Jackson Smith of the Tri-City Americans in the WHL. Smith committed to Penn State on June 15 and was drafted 14th overall by the Columbus Blue Jackets two weeks later.

The Penn State men’s team will face Michigan State at Beaver Stadium, another college hockey program that benefited from the NCAA’s new rule. While Michigan State was in the running for McKenna, and said to be a finalist in the sweepstakes, they could not land the services of the projected top pick in the 2026 NHL Draft. However, they were able to sign NHL prospects Cayden Lindstrom and Porter Martone. Lindstrom, who played with McKenna in Medicine Hat, was selected fourth overall by the Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Draft. Martone played for the Brampton Steelheads in the OHL and was selected sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2025 NHL Draft.

The time for puck drop between Frozen Four semifinalists Penn State and defending Big 10 champions Michigan State has not been announced. This will be the first-ever outdoor hockey game on Penn State’s campus, and it will take place inside the 106,000-seat Beaver Stadium.

“Our team and so many Penn Staters are extremely excited about this game in Beaver Stadium,” said men’s hockey head coach Guy Gadowsky. “It has been consistently asked of me since I arrived at Penn State, and I want to send thanks to Coach Franklin for sharing his home with us, as well as Dr. Pat Kraft, Vinnie James, and the entire Penn State Athletics Department for making it happen. We can’t wait to take the field!”

The Penn State women’s team will also participate in the outdoor festivities with a conference game against AHA and in-state rival Robert Morris.

The Penn State women’s team has won three consecutive AHA regular-season and tournament titles. The team set a program record with 31 wins and just six losses, making its third consecutive appearance in the NCAA Frozen Four tournament. Penn State was selected to finish first in the Atlantic Hockey America Preseason Coaches’ Poll, with captain Tessa Janecke being named Preseason Player of the Year.

Robert Morris was selected to finish fifth in the AHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll, with redshirt sophomore forward Alaina Giampietro and redshirt junior goaltender Maggie Hatch receiving votes for the Preseason All-AHA Team.

“We want to thank Dr. Kraft for continuing to expand the goal posts, or in this case eliminate them, so we can have an outdoor game at Beaver Stadium,” said women’s hockey head coach Jeff Kampersal. “This opportunity is momentous and historical for Penn State Hockey. Considering all the legendary moments the men in black shoes and basic blues have created on this turf, WE ARE looking forward to creating some of our own and making Penn State proud. Thank you, Pat!"

"This is an incredible opportunity for our program and a once-in-a-lifetime experience for our student-athletes," said Robert Morris Head Coach Logan Bittle. "Playing in an iconic venue like Beaver Stadium against a great conference opponent like Penn State is something that will create lasting memories and put our team on a fantastic stage."

This will be a good test for Beaver Stadium, which has been frequently proposed as a site for an outdoor NHL game between Pennsylvania’s two teams, the Flyers and Pittsburgh Penguins. However, Beaver Stadium is undergoing a four-year renovation plan that was paused for the college football season. It is unlikely that any NHL outdoor game would take place in Happy Valley until the stadium’s revitalization is complete.