Penn State men's hockey is just one month away from the first puck drop of the season. The Nittany Lions are coming off a historic 2024-25 run that saw them in the Frozen Four for the first time in program history. With a talented incoming freshman class headlined by forward Gavin McKenna, head coach Guy Gadowsky is seeking a deeper playoff run.
First, he needs to secure the regular season wins. Here's the full schedule breakdown for 2025-26:
Non-conference opponents and dates
Penn State opens with four non-conference series, starting at the beginning of October. The Nittany Lions then take on RIT for a non-conference series out of break to start the second half of the season.
Out of the four opening series for Penn State, it should come out with three full sweeps. If not, it should take a maximum of two losses. Against RIT, the series can go either full sweep or split.
- Friday, Oct. 3 / Saturday, Oct. 4: at Arizona State
The Nittany Lions' season opener is away at Arizona State. The Sun Devils finished 21-14-2 in 2024 and fell to Denver in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference Semifinals, 4-2. They did not get a bid into the NCAA Tournament. Taking an NCHC team on the road won't be easy regardless of rankings, though. Puck drop on Friday is slated for 9 p.m. ET and Saturday's game is set to start at 7 p.m. ET.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (PSU-ASU regulation)
- Thursday, Oct. 9 / Friday, Oct. 10: v. Clarkson
Clarkson finished 24-12-3 in 2024 and was upset by Cornell in the ECAC Championship Game, falling 3-1. The ECAC isn't a conference Penn State should be worried about beating, especially at home, but letting its guard down against the Golden Knights will let them sneak by with a win. Otherwise, this should be a series sweep for the Nittany Lions. Worst case scenario, they split this series. Puck drop has yet to be announced for either date.
Prediction: 2-0 PSU sweep (regulation)
- Friday, Oct. 17 /. Saturday, Oct. 18: v. LIU
Penn State follows up with a series against indepenedent Long Island University. Despite a 20-12-2 winning record in 2024, the Sharks don't compete against strong teams. Against tougher opponents, LIU only won (against Vermont, the lowest standing in Hockey East in 2024). Puck drop against the Sharks in what should be a second consecutive sweep for the Nittany Lions has not been announced.
Prediction: 2-0 PSU sweep (regulation)
- Friday, Oct. 24 / Saturday, Oct. 25: v. Stonehill
Stonehill is another easy weekend for Penn State. The Skyhawks finished with a losing record of 12-22-0 in 2024. They are another independent team the Nittany Lions face, and should give them their third sweep before Big Ten play ramps up. Puck drop has yet to be announced for either date.
Prediction: 2-0 PSU sweep (regulation)
- Saturday, Jan. 3 / Sunday, Jan. 4: at RIT / v. RIT
A home-and-home series is unusual for Penn State. RIT finished with a losing 10-23-2 record in 2024, but there's a lot of factors that play into the first series after break. There's no reason for the Nittany Lions to drop the game at home on Sunday, even without a student body to cheer them on. The Tigers, though, could get an upset on Saturday at home. It'll be the first game Penn State plays since the end of November meanwhile RIT would have played Clarkson on Dec. 29 already. Puck drop on Saturday is set for 7 p.m. and Sunday's start time is to be announced.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (RIT-PSU regulation)
Big Ten opponents and dates
Conference play gets going at the end of October through the end of the season with a non-conference series in between. Wisconsin and Notre Dame are the only two teams Penn State could realistically sweep, but the chance of that happening more than once isn't very high. Puck drop for all Big Ten matches have yet to be announced
- Thursday, Oct. 30 / Friday, Oct. 31: at Ohio State
Ohio State (24-14-2, 14-9-1 Big Ten) finished No. 3 in the conference in 2024 and was a first-round exit against Boston University in the 2025 Frozen Four. The Nittany Lions lost both away games to the Buckeyes, tied in a home game, and won the second home game in overtime in 2024. Even with fresh talent and a sight set on a title win, meeting Ohio State first in Big Ten play after easy non-conference opponents might be a wakeup call for Penn State.
Prediction: 2-0 OSU sweep (regulation, OT)
- Friday, Nov. 7 / Saturday, Nov. 8: at Michigan State
What better way to follow up Ohio State than with the 2024 No. 2 seed in the country? The Nittany Lions taking on Michigan State on the road is more than challenging. The Spartans finished 15-5-4 in the Big Ten last year and 26-7-4 overall. After the Buckeyes, though, the blue and white will have some edge and could force a split series out of Michigan State. If it does happen, it will be a defining, identity-powered win in the season, but the Spartans won't let it happen in regulation.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (PSU OT, MSU regulation)
- Friday, Nov. 14 / Saturday, Nov. 15: v. Michigan
This is the part of the season where Penn State's going to get into a rhythm. It just beat Michigan State once on the road and it has its first Big Ten home series up next. Michigan finished just above the Nittany Lions in the conference last season with a 12-10-2 Big Ten record (18-15-3 overall). The Wolverines didn't make the Frozen Four and lost to Penn State in the Big Ten Hockey Tournament in 2024. The Nittany Lions won't sweep Michigan, but I see them winning one in regulation and getting the extra point in the shootout in game two.
Prediction: 1-TIE (PSU regulation, PSU shootout win)
- Friday, Nov. 21 / Saturday, Nov. 22: at Minnesota
The Nittany Lions really packed the first set of Big Ten games, and only time will tell if that was a smart decision. Minnesota fell to Massachusetts in the NCAA Tournament first-round, but had a 15-6-3 Big Ten and 25-11-4 overall record. I don't see Penn State allowing the Golden Gophers to come away with a series sweep like they did in the first series in 2024, but it's going to be a gritty battle for the Nittany Lions to come away with a win.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (MIN regulation, PSU OT)
- Friday, Jan. 9 / Saturday, Jan. 10: v. Minnesota
Then Penn State faces Minnesota again! Both teams are coming off non-conference opponents out of break, so the second series between these two will be tough. The Golden Gophers are going to get their revenge on the Nittany Lions in a close game one, but the blue and white have it locked up for game two. I don't see Penn State getting swept at home in 2025-26.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (MIN-PSU regulation)
- Friday, Jan. 16 / Saturday, Jan. 17: v. Notre Dame
There's no way the Nittany Lions allow Notre Dame to pull out a win in Happy Valley. This will be a great time for Penn State to dominate and the Fighting Irish may even be shutout in one of the games. They finished 4-19-1 in 2024 in the Big Ten and 12-25-1 overall. The Nittany Lions should take care of business at home before getting on the road again.
Prediction: 2-0 PSU sweep (regulation)
- Friday, Jan. 23 / Saturday, Jan. 24: at Wisconsin
Wisconsin finished below Penn State in 2024 with a 7-16-1 Big Ten record and 13-21-3 overall record. The Nittany Lions are coming off a sweep from the weekend prior and . It could end up a split series between the two, maybe Wisconsin getting an overtime win, but I don't see Penn State letting the Badgers off easy or at all.
Prediction: 2-0 PSU sweep (regulation)
- Friday, Jan. 31 / Saturday, Feb. 1: v. Michigan State
If Friday's game wasn't outside at Beaver Stadium, Michigan State would have swept the Nittany Lions. The excitement of an outdoor rink with all students back on campus will keep Penn State fired up. After Notre Dame and Wisconsin, the blue and white will have a lot of energy to exert in game one. The Spartans aren't letting the Nittany Lions come away with two, though. Once back inside at Pegula, Michigan State's taking game two.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (PSU-MSU regulation)
- Friday, Feb. 13 / Saturday, Feb. 14: at Michigan
Michigan's coming in with purpose after losing and tying without getting the shootout point. Game one for Penn State on the road will likely be a two-goal win for the Wolverines, but knowing the season is wrapping up, the Nittany Lions are going to put everything out there night two to get a win against a top team.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (MICH-PSU regulation)
- Friday, Feb. 20 / Saturday, Feb. 21: v. Ohio State
Like the Michigan series the week prior, there's going to be some version of a split series simply because Penn State is not sweeping Ohio State no matter where the games are played. Given the Nittany Lions in these predictions were swept to start Big Ten play by the Buckeyes, these next two games are going to be close and it could come down to the final minutes of regulation.
Prediction: 1-TIE (OSU regulation, PSU shootout win)
- Friday, Feb. 27 / Saturday, Feb. 28: at Notre Dame
The last two weeks with Notre Dame and Wisconsin are going to be the Nittany Lions' chance to rack up as many wins and points as possible. The Fighting Irish won't cause any troubles even if Penn State's on the road.
Prediction: 2-0 PSU sweep (regulation)
- Thursday, March 5 / Friday, March 6: v. Wisconsin
The Badgers are who might get an upper hand on the Nittany Lions, though. After getting swept earlier in the season, I see Wisconsin pushing night one into overtime and getting the first score. No matter how good the team is, an underdog always gets a win one way or another.
Prediction: 1-1 split series (WIS OT, PSU regulation)
Predicted Penn State 2025 record: 21-11-2, 13-9-2 Big Ten (2024 record: 22-14-4, 9-11-4 Big Ten)