UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – On Thursday afternoon the Big Ten announced its complete 2026-27 men’s hockey schedule with each team playing each other a total of four times, twice at home and twice on the road.
For Big Ten Conference play each two game series could be played at any time from Thursday-Sunday on the weekend noted with exact dates becoming finalized in the coming months.
Full Big Ten Hockey Weekend Schedule
The 2026-27 season begins the weekend of October 2-4, however, Penn State opens with a bye week ahead of the 2026 Ice Breaker Tournament the following weekend in Connecticut. The Nittany Lions visit UConn on October 9 and conclude the weekend at Sacred Heart on October 10.
Two more non-conference weekends follow for the Blue & White before conference play begins as 2023 National Champion Quinnipiac visits Hockey Valley for the first time on Friday, October 16, in a return trip from the contest in Hamden back in October 2024, a 3-2 Bobcats victory.
Penn State then welcomes Robert Morris to Pegula Ice Arena for a rare Tuesday night contest on October 20 before a weekend set against Canisius (Oct. 23-24).
The Nittany Lions then open Big Ten play on Halloween weekend with a trip to Minnesota marking the sixth time in the past seven seasons Penn State has opened conference play on the road. PSU is 7-5-1 all-time in Big Ten openers with a 4-4-0 record in such games on the road.
Penn State returns to Hockey Valley the following weekend to battle Notre Dame (Nov. 5-8) before four-straight on the road prior to Thanksgiving against Michigan (Nov. 12-15) and Wisconsin (Nov. 19-22).
The day after Turkey Day, the Nittany Lions will play a single non-conference contest against Princeton at Pegula Ice Arena on Friday, November 27 before concluding the first half of the season following a bye week with a home-and-home against Army West Point on December 10 & 12.
The second half slate for the Blue & White begins at home on New Year’s Eve with a non-conference tilt against Niagara before concluding the series up north on Saturday, January 2.
Penn State is back home the following weekend to welcome in Ohio State for a Big Ten series (Jan. 7-10) before traveling back to the Mitten for a series at Michigan State (Jan. 14-17).
The Nittany Lions then entertain Wisconsin (Jan. 21-24) before traveling to South Bend to close out the month of January against the Irish (Jan. 28-31).
The final non-conference game of the season breaks up Big Ten play as Penn State travels west to conclude the season series against Robert Morris on Saturday, February 6, before finishing the year with six-of-eight games on home ice.
Minnesota (Feb. 11-14) and Michigan State (Feb. 18-21) visit Hockey Valley prior to a trip to Columbus to face off against Ohio State (Feb. 25-28) to close February. Penn State then concludes the regular season with a Thursday-Friday series at Pegula Ice Arena against Michigan on March 4-5.
Big Ten Tournament dates will be announced later this summer when the conference office announces the all-sports championship calendar.
The NCAA Regionals are then set for March 25-28 with the NCAA Frozen Four being contested on April 8 & 10 at Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C.
All dates are subject to change with game times and the full television schedule to be announced in the coming months.
For more information on the 2026-27 season, visit the men's hockey ticket page at GoPSUsports.com or call 1-800-NITTANY Monday-Friday from 9 a.m. - 4 p.m.