For 15 years, head coach Guy Gadowsky has been asked when Penn State hockey would play at Beaver Stadium.
On Saturday, the program takes the ice there for the first time in its history.
The outdoor game represents a milestone moment for Penn State hockey, which has steadily grown since its elevation to varsity status just over a decade ago.
Beaver Stadium will host the program’s first outdoor contest, drawing more than 65,000 fans and requiring a university-wide effort to transform the football venue into a hockey rink.
While the idea had circulated around the program for years, Gadowsky said the opportunity to host the game came together quickly once conversations began last summer.
“It’s the most common question that I’ve had over the past 15 years,” Gadowsky said. “When are you guys going to play a hockey game in Beaver Stadium?”
“[Deputy AD] Vinnie James asked me in the summer, ‘Hey, what do you think?’” Guy Gadowsky said. “I thought it would be unbelievable, but I didn’t think they would ever pull it off this quickly for this year. I just didn’t think it was possible.”
Turning Beaver Stadium into a hockey venue required coordination across Penn State and the State College community. Gadowsky credited departments ranging from facilities and parking to EMS, fire and police for helping make the event possible.
“This takes the entire university,” he said. “Just think of all the things that go into this. I’m blown away that they’re pulling it off.”
For Guy Gadowsky, the game also represents a moment for the alumni who helped build Penn State hockey from the ground up.
“There’s a lot of alumni that gave a lot of themselves to start the program and build it to what it is today,” he said. “For them to see this happen, I think it’s going to be very prideful.”
For the players, the opportunity carries meaning that dates back to their first visits to campus.
“When you come to Penn State, you come on that visit and you see Beaver Stadium,” junior captain Dane Dowiak said. “Everybody kind of questions, ‘Hey, what are the chances this is going to happen?’ The fact that we’re lucky enough to be able to do it this year is really special and something I’m never going to forget.”
“Growing up, coming to football games, just the crowd environment at Beaver [Stadium],” junior defenseman Mac Gadowsky said. “I honestly couldn’t think of a better way for the team to embrace that football pride and Penn State culture than playing at Beaver provides.”
Despite the scale of the event, the focus remains on the hockey itself.
“The points are the same,” Gadowsky said. “We’re worried about Friday night first, then we’ll refocus and get ready for Saturday.”
While the setting will be unlike anything the program has experienced, the weekend also carries significant conference implications, as Penn State faces Michigan State in a matchup between two teams ranked in the top five.
“It’s still a series,” Dowiak said. “They’re a really good team, and the points are the same. We’re focused on getting all six points this weekend.”
Penn State will open the series Friday night before shifting its attention to Saturday’s outdoor game, a balance players said has been a focus throughout the week.
Mac Gadowsky said the team has emphasized maintaining its focus on the full series despite the attention surrounding Saturday’s setting.
“I think it comes down to just the group in the locker room,” Gadowsky said. “It is a series, right? It’s not one game, and we have to remind ourselves of that. It’s definitely tough when there’s that Saturday game with all the buzz.”
Guy Gadowsky said Michigan State presents one of the most complete challenges his team has and will face this season.
The last time the two teams met Michigan State swept the Nittany Lions in East Lansing.
“They don’t have vulnerabilities,” he said. “They do everything really, really well. It’s as balanced a hockey team as we’ve seen.”
But since the break Penn State has transformed into a stronger, more complete team, leaving everything to depend on the performance this weekend.
With conference positioning on the line, Penn State’s first game at Beaver Stadium carries meaning beyond the setting. Saturday’s matchup pairs a historic venue with a critical moment in the Big Ten race.
With the move to Beaver Stadium, players emphasized the role the Penn State community will play in shaping the environment.
“Be loud. Be loud and proud,” Dowiak said. “We want to hear all the ‘We Are’ chants you can.”