Apr 10, 2025; St. Louis, Missouri, UNITED STATES; Penn State Nittany Lions forward Nicholas DeGraves (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal against the Boston University Terriers during the third period of the Frozen Four college ice hockey national semifinals at Enterprise Center. Mandatory Credit: Connor Hamilton-Imagn Images Connor Hamilton-Imagn Images

Penn State to Host Outdoor Game at Beaver Stadium

Originally posted on Breakaway on SI | By Nick Horwat | Last updated Aug 29, 2025 11:34 AM ET

The NCAA has gotten a huge boost in popularity and prominence over the last few years, really hitting a new stride this summer. New regulations have allowed hockey’s top draft eligible prospect, Gavin McKenna, to commit to the Penn State Nittany Lions for the upcoming 2025-26 season.

While McKenna will likley only be with Penn State for one season, they plan on making it a memorable one. On top of quickly becoming favorites for the NCAA National Championship, the Nittany Lions are taking one of their biggest games of the season to a new location.

Reports have circulated that Penn State’s contest against Michigan State will be held outside at Beaver Stadium. After a couple of days, the rumors were confirmed and the two teams will meet outdoors on January 31.

Penn State vs. Michigan State hockey game to played outdoors at Beaver Stadium on Jan. 31. It'll be an outdoor doubleheader, with Penn State's women's team playing Robert Morris the same day pic.twitter.com/IsCzmbxOh5
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) August 29, 2025

Not only will the Penn State and Michigan State men's teams meet, but later that same day, the Penn State women's team will take on Robert Morris University. Penn State is dubbing the day "The Hockey Valley Doubleheader."

Usually home to Penn State football, Beaver Stadium is one of the biggest stadiums in the country, holding upwards of 106,000 fans.

A sellout crowd at Beaver Stadium wouldn’t be the most attended college hockey game of all time, but it would be among the biggest. The Spartans once took on the University of Michigan at Michigan Stadium to a reported crowd of 113,411. That still stands as the highest attended hockey game of all time.

A lot of eyes will be on Penn State hockey this season and adding McKenna isn’t the only reason. The Nittany Lions are coming off of their best season in program history. Penn State reached the Frozen Four last year and a few key faces are returning for another run at the NCAA level.

Hobey Baker finalist and Nashville Predators prospect Aiden Fink will return for another season with the Nittany Lions.

Including Fink, the Nittany Lions have six current NHL-affiliated prospects on their roster. McKenna is the no-doubt first overall pick in 2026 and is expected to shatter multiple NCAA records.

In an ironic twist, before committing to Penn State, McKenna was also considering taking his talents to Michigan State.

Penn State hockey is in for an unforgettable 2025-26 season, with arguably one of the biggest highlights coming in front of well over 100,000 fans.

This article first appeared on Breakaway on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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