The Penn State men’s hockey team will host Michigan State at Beaver Stadium in Happy Valley on January 31, 2026. The event will feature a double-header format, as the Penn State women’s team will face off against Robert Morris University as well. The 106,000 seat stadium is expected to draw the second-largest college hockey crowd ever, the biggest being the Michigan – Michigan State 2010 “Cold War” (113,411 spectators).
The men’s game will feature a number of recent NHL draft picks, the highest being 2024 pick Cayden Lindstrom for the Spartans (4th overall to Columbus). However, the player who perhaps will receive the most attention in this game is presumptive 2026 first overall pick Gavin McKenna. McKenna recently left the Medicine Hat Tigers of the Western Hockey League to join the Nittany Lions. Ironically, McKenna chose Penn State over MSU as the place to continue his hockey career. Also, McKenna & Lindstrom were Medicine Hat teammates before each player decided to pivot to the college ranks. These sub-plots will underscore what promises to be a very intriguing matchup.