Penn State men's hockey forward Gavin McKenna faced four charges, including a felony of aggravated assault, following an altercation he had on Saturday, Jan. 31. His preliminary hearing was initially scheduled for Wednesday, Feb. 11, but it was rescheduled as of Monday, Feb. 9.
Penn State hockey forward Gavin McKenna's felony charge reportedly dropped
McKenna's preliminary hearing is now scheduled for Wednesday, March 11, one month from the original date. This is coincidentally the day that the 2026 Big Ten Hockey Tournament begins.
Gavin McKenna's preliminary hearing is scheduled right as Penn State hockey starts the Big Ten Tournament
The 2026 Big Ten Tournament starts March 11 with a three-game quarterfinal lineup. The No. 2 seed hosts No. 7, No. 3 faces No. 6, and No. 4 goes up against No. 5. This is a single elimination style of playoff hockey, mimicking the NCAA Tournament. The Big Ten previously played a best-of-three style.
The hearing is scheduled for 8:30 a.m. ET. It's unsure whether the hearing and outcome will interfere with the Nittany Lions' Big Ten Tournament plans. If the seeding remains as is, Penn State will host one of the lower seeds.
Following the quarterfinals, the No. 1 seed faces the lowest seed that moved on from the first round in the semfinals. The remaining two teams also face each other. The winners from these games face in the Big Ten Championship Game on March 21. Like the quarterfinals, these are both single elimination rounds.
All seven Big Ten squads compete in the tournament: Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, and Wisconsin. The Spartans are currently the No. 1 team in the conference with 39 points. The Wolverines are second (38 points), the Nittany Lions are third (32 points), the Badgers are fourth (27 points), the Golden Gophers are fifth (20 points), the Buckeyes are sixth (19 points), and the Fighting Irish are seventh (five points).
McKenna's felony charge was dropped by the Centre County District Attorney's Office. After reviewing the evidence, the District Attorney came to the conclusion that the fight he engaged in did not meet the criteria to be charged as a felony, which is acting "with intent to cause serious bodily injury or with reckless indifference to the value of human life."
He still faces charges of misdemeanor simple assault and two summary counts of disorderly conduct.