Penn State Announces Outdoor Game at Beaver Stadium

Image Courtesy: X/@PennStateMHKY

Penn State hockey is headed outdoors for the second time ever, this time at home.

WRITTEN BY JAMES BLENNAU

Penn State is playing an outdoor game on January 31, 2026, as announced on Friday. Yes, you read that right. Superstar freshman Gavin McKenna and the Nittany Lions will face fellow Big Ten contenders Michigan State and the NHL’s sixth overall pick, Porter Martone, in the Hockey Valley Doubleheader. This game marks the first time an NCAA team will host a regular-season game at their football stadium without any neutral-site games since 2011, when Michigan faced Michigan State in The Big Chill at The Big House, breaking the outdoor ice hockey game attendance record.

𝐻𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑊𝑖𝑙𝑙 𝐵𝑒 𝑀𝑎𝑑𝑒.

𝟎𝟏.𝟑𝟏.𝟐𝟔

Hockey Valley ➡️ Beaver Stadium

🔗 https://t.co/PrM94Ai04N#WeAre pic.twitter.com/lirxG9vpcW

— Penn State Athletics (@GoPSUsports) August 29, 2025

Beaver Stadium hosts two games on the 31st, with the women’s team taking on in-state rivals Robert Morris as the other game of the doubleheader. No times have been announced for each, nor have tickets gone on sale, but anticipation around the college hockey world is at an all-time high. Two star-powered big-name schools will face off for the first time in the great outdoors with two of the game’s top prospects, both becoming eligible to play in the NCAA this season.

Penn State vs Michigan State in outdoor hockey at Beaver Stadium. Should be a Top 5 matchup.

BRB. Booking my flight right now. 🦁 https://t.co/9mCXZyQcco

— Alex Walker (@AlexWalkerTV) August 29, 2025

Penn State Hockey Can’t Miss Right Nowhttps://t.co/cPDgZCsMwp pic.twitter.com/FQWKcKWFy9

— Spittin' Chiclets (@spittinchiclets) August 29, 2025

In the past 6 months, Penn State hockey has made its first Frozen Four, landed the biggest recruit in school history, and now they’ve announced one of the largest outdoor games the sport has ever seen

What a run. Can’t wait for January 31 in Beaver #WeArepic.twitter.com/mL3NBcozd7

— Connor Griffin (@RealCGriff) August 29, 2025

The largest recorded attendance for a hockey game occurred when Michigan hosted Michigan State at Michigan Stadium in 2010. The university tried to claim 113,411 fans, but Guinness certified an attendance of 104,173.

Penn State could break that with a sellout crowd in January.

— Joel Haas (@Joel_Haas1) August 29, 2025

The stadium has an official capacity of over 106,000 for the 2025-26 football season following renovations, according to the Centre Daily Times. If every seat is available throughout the stadium and more people are certified through the gates for the game than the previous record, it will break the ice hockey attendance world record.

This game marks the first time an outdoor college game in the US will feature CHL players, creating an opportunity for both teams and the NCAA to expand their audiences beyond anything the community has seen in the past decade.