Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1542734
1 0 F E B R U A R Y 2 0 2 6 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M W hen Beaver Stadium's first-ever ice hockey games were an- nounced in August, athletics director Patrick Kraft described them as a "historic moment for Penn State hockey, our fans and the entire Penn State community." That moment is nearly at hand. PSU is finishing its preparations for the games, which will pit the Nittany Lion women, currently ranked fourth in the USCHO Division I poll, against Atlantic Hockey America rival Robert Morris on Friday, Jan. 30, while the No. 8 Penn State men will take on No. 2 Michigan State the following day. Puck drop for both con- tests is set for 1 p.m. Admission is free for the women's game, and for the men's game, tickets range from $47-$72. Penn State is also offering a three-event weekend package for $99, bundling tickets for the men's ice hockey game with admission to the wrestling team's dual meet against Ne- braska at the Bryce Jordan Center at 8 p.m. Friday and the men's basketball team's game against Minnesota at 2 p.m. Sunday at the BJC. Penn State has been working to get the stadium ready for the games. In early January, the turf was covered to pro- tect it while the temporary ice rink was assembled, and that's only one of the construction projects that's currently underway. The much larger reconstruc- tion effort that is remaking the west side of the facility is also continuing through the winter months and isn't expected to be complete until the summer of 2027. One of the reasons for the $700 mil- lion overhaul is Penn State's desire to make more frequent use of the stadium. Hockey is a part of that plan, and not just collegiate games. With State Col- lege being roughly equidistant from Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, the NHL has expressed interest in holding a game at Beaver Stadium between its two Pennsylvania franchises, the Flyers and Penguins. "We'd love to talk at some point about Penn State," Steve Mayer, president of NHL content and events, told ESPN last year. "We said, 'Make us aware of your timeline.' By no means have we commit- ted to them, though we always think it's attractive." The upcoming college games will serve as a proof-of-concept, and the timing couldn't be better, with both teams firmly in the top 10 of their re- spective polls and eyeing deep postsea- son runs. The women's team has been on the rise ever since coach Jeff Kampersal's arrival in 2017, having gone from 10 wins in his first season to 31 last year. The Nittany Lions were 21-4 and 15-1 in AHA competition heading into a visit to Cornell on Jan. 20. They'll be looking to complete a regular-season sweep of EXCITEMENT BUILDS FOR HOCKEY TEAMS' UPCOMING BEAVER STADIUM GAMES M A T T H E R B | M AT T. H E R B @ O N 3 . C O M NEWS & NOTES Penn State has been prepping Beaver Stadium to host the first hockey games in the facility's history. The PSU women will face Robert Morris on Jan. 30, while the men will take on Michigan State the next day. PHOTO COURTESY PENN STATE ATHLETICS