Penn State men's hockey is back home at Pegula Ice Arena for its next Big Ten series vs. Notre Dame. The Nittany Lions come off a better weekend, but still need to get back in the win column and build some momentum heading into a tougher stretch of conference play with Michigan and Wisconsin next on the slate before a sprinkle of non-conference matchups transition the blue and white into the second half of the season.
Here's everything you need to know for this weekend's two-game series against the Fighting Irish.
How to watch Game 1 of Penn State vs. Notre Dame
- Date: Friday, Nov. 6
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Pegula Ice Arena (University Park, Pa.)
- How to Watch (TV): Big Ten+
- Penn State record: 2-5-1 (0-1-1 Big Ten)
- Notre Dame record: 2-6 (0-2 Big Ten)
How to watch Game 2 of Penn State vs. Notre Dame
- Date: Saturday, Nov. 7
- Time: 7 p.m. ET
- Venue: Pegula Ice Arena (University Park, Pa.)
- How to Watch (TV): Big Ten+
Penn State vs. Notre Dame series history
The Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish meet for the 44th and 45th times in series history, and it's a chance for Penn State to prove it can hold its own in various areas: On the season, at home, and in this all-time history with Notre Dame.
The Fighting Irish hold a 22-14-7 record over the Nittany Lions and the teams are split even, 8-8-4, when playing at Pegula Ice Arena. Penn State, however, has defended home ice for the last four meetings in Happy Valley. In the last seven matchups at home, the blue and white have not lost a single game (5-0-2).
Key Nittany Lions and Fighting Irish to watch
Penn State: Forward Dane Dowiak and goaltender Josh Fleming
Dowiak stepped up his game the last weekend vs. Minnesota and had the shootout-winning goal in the first game of that series. The shootout went to five rounds before Dowiak found the back of the net and gave the Nittany Lions the extra point. The senior forward also swung the momentum back in Penn State's favor in the second night, scoring the third goal for the blue and white in the second period. It's about time an experienced player steps up and takes control, and that's what Dowiak did against the Golden Gophers.
Fleming had a decent showing against Minnesota in his first Big Ten series of the season. He holds just a 1-3-1 overall record on the year, which isn't great, but making 35 saves against the ranked Golden Gophers was a glimpse of the type of net-minder Fleming can be. He just needs consistency, and Notre Dame is a good opponent to find that against.
Both players have a history besting the Fighting Irish as well. Dowiak logged three goals and two assists across nine games vs. Notre Dame. In 2025, Fleming stood tall in net in his two starts against the Fighting Irish. He had a 4-1 victory and a shootout win (3-3 tie) to celebrate last season. Fleming enters this matchup with a 0.949 save percentage against Notre Dame.
Notre Dame: Forward Danny Nelson and defenseman Paul Fischer
The senior forward and team captain has six points (two goals, four assists) on the season, which is tied for most on the team. He plays a pretty disciplined game as well, having not taken a penalty since the third game of the season on Oct. 16. At the dot, Nelson has won 52.7 percent of face-offs he's taken, too. For a team that has struggled scoring so far this year, those face-off wins will be huge in this upcoming series.
Fischer has seven blocks on the year so far (third-most) and has logged at least one in the last five contests, including two on Oct. 17 vs. Western Michigan. He also has four points (one goal, three assists), making him the top-scoring defenseman and holds the third-most points on this Notre Dame squad. Fischer doesn't have a great plus/minus (-4), but then again, no one on this team does. He also leads the team averaging 20:52 minutes per game on the ice.
Penn State hockey vs. Notre Dame weekend series prediction
- Game 1: 3-2, Notre Dame
- Game 2: 4-2, Penn State
The Fighting Irish have allowed an absurd amount of goals through so far this year, but Penn State is not on the same level as the opponents they've faced. Notre Dame has losses to Wisconsin (No. 2 at the time), Merrimack (No. 20 at the time), and Western Michigan (No. 6 at the time). That's an incredibly difficult schedule to start the season and the number of goals allowed is a testament to that. Aside from the 2-1 overtime loss vs. Merrimack, the Fighting Irish allowed six, four, six, seven, and nine goals in their last six games.
Those are ranked, very talented opponents. Penn State isn't netting six-plus goals in this series. Notre Dame has experience against very good teams, even if those results are poor. The Fighting Irish allow the most goals per game in the conference (58th nationally) and score the least amount of goals per game (55th nationally). However, the national and Big Ten rankings don't tell the full story.
The Nittany Lions are not Wisconsin, Merrimack, or Western Michigan. This weekend will be a more evenly-matched series for both teams, so don't expect an easy Penn State sweep. These will be closer games.
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