McKenna Goes First in 2026 NHL Draft

As expected, left wing Gavin McKenna (Penn State) was the first overall pick by the Toronto Maple Leafs at this year's NHL Draft in Buffalo tonight.

Several other current NCAA players were selected in the first round on Friday night at KeyBank Arena. Keaton Verhoeff (North Dakota), a defenseman, was chosen ninth overall by the San Jose Sharks, while center Tyan Lawrence (Boston University) went 11th to the St. Louis Blues, and left wing Oscar Hemming (Boston College) went 14th to the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Buffalo Sabres tabbed center Ilia Morozov (Miami) 20th overall.

As for incoming and future collegiate skaters, the Vancouver Canucks chose center Caleb Malhotra (Boston University) third overall, while defenseman Daxon Rudolph (Denver) was taken one spot later by host Buffalo. Carson Carels (North Dakota), another defenseman, went sixth to the Calgary Flames, while Chase Reid (Michigan State) went seventh to the Seattle Kraken. Left wing Wyatt Cullen (Minnesota) was tabbed 10th by the Nashville Predators, followed by right wing Nikita Klepov (Michigan State) at 15th to the Anaheim Ducks and left wing Ethan Belchetz (Michigan State) at 17th to the Utah Mammoth.

San Jose chose defenseman Ryan Lin (Denver) 21st overall, while right wing Liam Ruck (North Dakota) went to the Pittsburgh Penguins with the very next selection and left wing JP Hurlbert (Michigan) went 23rd to the Detroit Red Wings. The Philadelphia Flyers chose defenseman Maksim Sokolovskii (Maine) 27th overall, with center Jack Hextall (Michigan State) going three selections later to Calgary and defenseman Thomas Bleyl (Michigan State) right after to the Nashville Predators. The final pick of the first round was right wing Jaxon Cover (Penn State), who went 32nd overall to the Ottawa Senators.

The 2026 draft concludes Saturday with Rounds 2-7 (11 a.m. ET, NHL Network). The full list of college-related selections can be found here. 

U.S. Women Open 2026 Olympics with Win

The U.S. Women's Hockey Team got off to a good start at the 2026 Olympic Winter Games in Cortina, Italy with a 5-1 victory over Czechia on Thursday. 

Hayley Scamurra (Northeastern) scored two goals for the Americans, while Tessa Janecke (Penn State) notched two assists and Aerin Frankel (Northeastern) made 14 saves.

Team USA takes on Finland tomorrow in its next contest.

ADDENDUM: The United States blanked Finland, 5-0, with team captain Hillary Knight scoring her 14th career Olympic goal, tying her for first among American skaters all-time. 

MSU Tops Penn State Outdoors

Charlie Stramel capped his first career collegiate hat trick with the game-winning goal in overtime as No. 2 Michigan State defeated fifth-ranked host Penn State, 5-4, before 74,575 spectators at Beaver Stadium this afternoon. MSU is now 3-2-1 in outdoor contests since the original Cold War was contested back in 2001.

Stramel scored just over three minutes into the extra session at the home of Penn State football, after the Spartans had battled back from 3-2 and 4-3 deficits in regulation. He also recorded an assist to go with his three goals, while linemates Porter Martone and Daniel Russell also finished with four points apiece. Trey Augustine made 31 saves for MSU (21-5-0 overall, 12-4-0 Big Ten), which swept its weekend Big Ten series with PSU following a 6-3 win at Pegula Ice Arena on Friday night. The Spartans have also won six straight games overall, and 10 of their last 11 outings.

Aidan Fink scored twice for Penn State (18-8-0, 10-6-0), while Dane Dowiak set up three goals for the Nittany Lions, who got 35 stops in net from Kevin Reider. MSU outshot PSU, 40-35, on the day, and also went 1-for-2 on the power play, with Stramel supplying that goal. The Spartans will now face No 1 Michigan twice next weekend, including the annual "Duel in the D" matchup in Detroit, while PSU is off until playing at Michigan on Feb. 13-14. 

U.S. Collegiate Selects Make Spengler Cup Final

Aiden Fink (Penn State) scored three goals and set up another, and Alex Tracy (Minnesota State) made 32 saves as the U.S Collegiate Selects defeated HC Sparta Praha, 5-2, in the semifinal round of the 2025 Spengler Cup. It is the first time current NCAA players are competing in the tournament in its 103-year history.

Team USA will face host HC Davos in the title tilt on Wednesday in Switzerland. The U.S. previously defeated Davos, 5-3, in group play back on Dec. 27. Davos is seeking its record 17th Spengler Cup club championship, and second in three years.

ADDENDUM: Davos claimed its latest Spengler Cup title with a 6-3 victory over the U.S Collegiate Selects in the final. Adam Tambellini (North Dakota) notched two goals and an assist for Davos, while Fink was named to the All-Star Team.

U.S., Canada Win in 2026 WJC Openers

Will Zellers (North Dakota) scored two goals and set up another, and Cole Hutson (Boston University) tallied two assists as the host United States defeated Germany, 6-3, tonight in its opener of the 2026 IIHF World Junior Championship in St. Paul, Minn. The U.S., which has won the last two WJC gold medals, will next face off tomorrow with Switzerland, which will be playing in its first game of the tournament.

In the nightcap in Minneapolis, Canada outlasted Czechia, 7-5, by scoring four times in the third period. Michael Hage (Michigan) notched a goal and two assists for the Canadians, who also got two assists from Gavin McKenna (Penn State) and an empty-net goal from Porter Martone (Michigan State). Canada will next face Latvia on Saturday.

ADDENDUM: Team USA edged Switzerland, 2-1, on a goal by Zellers, while Canada topped Latvia by the same score on an overtime goal from Hage.

Penn State Sweeps ASU to Start 2025-26 Season

Penn State men's hockey is off to a good start. The Nittany Lions, who made their first-ever NCAA Frozen Four last spring, opened their 2025-26 campaign with a two-step sweep at Arizona State, winning 6-2 on Friday before rebounding for a 4-2 victory on Sunday at Mullett Arena.

Sophomore forward Charlie Cerrato finished with two goals and four assists for PSU (2-0-0 overall), with five of those points coming on Friday. Projected No. 1 overall 2026 NHL draft choice Gavin McKenna fired home the game-winning goal Saturday on the power play, after providing a two-assist collegiate debut the night before. Kevin Reidler, in his first season with the Nittany Lions after spending his freshman campaign at Omaha, stopped 80 of 85 shots over the weekend, making 45 stops on Saturday as PSU rebounded from a 2-0 second-period deficit.

Bennett Schimek and Samuel Alfano posted a goal and an assist apiece for the Sun Devils (0-2-0), who also got 82 saves overall from Bentley transfer Connor Hasley.

Penn State to Host Outdoor Games in January

Outdoor hockey is coming to Hockey Valley early next year.

NCAA hockey will move outside for a doubleheader on Jan. 31, 2026 at historic Beaver Stadium in University Park, PA. The Penn State University men's team will entertain Big Ten rival Michigan State, while the Nittany Lions women's team will face Atlantic Hockey America opponent Robert Morris. Game times will be announced at a future date.

The PSU men's team went 22-14-4 overall last season, won the Allentown regional, and advanced to its first-ever NCAA Frozen Four. The PSU women went 31-6-1 last year, claimed their third straight AHA title, and also made the NCAAs for the third consecutive campaign.

CHL's McKenna to Play at Penn State

The best player in the Canadian Hockey League will be playing in the NCAA this upcoming season.

Gavin McKenna, who led the Medicine Hat Tigers to a Western Hockey league playoff title and an appearance in the 2025 Memorial Cup final, will skate at Penn State University for the 2025-26 campaign. The six-foot center from Whitehorse, Yukon tallied 41 goals and 88 assists for 129 points in just 56 games this past season, and was named the CHL Player of the Year. In three years with the Tigers, he posted 79-165—244 points in 133 career WHL regular-season outings, plus 12-33—45 points in 25 postseason appearances. He also helped Team Canada to gold medals at both the 2024 IIHF World Junior Championship and the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.

McKenna, 17, who is projected to be selected first overall in the 2026 NHL Draft, is the highest-profile signing to date since the NCAA allowed CHL/major junior players to be eligible to play American college hockey late last year. 

Penn State, which finished 22-14-4 overall last season (9-11-4 Big Ten Conference), is also coming off the first NCAA Frozen Four appearance in the school's varsity history.

WMU, BU Advance to 2025 NCAA Title Game

Owen Michael's second goal of the game less than 30 seconds into the second overtime period propelled Western Michigan to a 3-2 victory over defending national champion Denver in the first NCAA Frozen Four semifinal tonight at the Enterprise Center in St. Louis. 

WMU (33-7-1 overall), making its first-ever appearance in the NCAA Division I national semifinals, outshot DU by a 47-22 count overall, including 32-8 through the first two periods of play. The Pioneers (31-12-1), who had been seeking their third NCAA crown in four seasons and 11th overall, tied the game with two third-period goals, and got 44 saves in all from Matt Davis in his final appearance for DU.

In the nightcap, Jack Hughes recorded a goal and an assist, and Mikhail Yegorov made 32 saves to lead Boston University to a 3-1 win over Penn State. The Terriers (24-13-2), playing in their third consecutive Frozen Four, are now headed to their first national title game since 2015. Nicholas DeGraves scored for the Nittany Lions (22-13-4), who were skating in their first-ever Frozen Four since the program was elevated to varsity/NCAA status in 2013.

WMU and BU will now meet on Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in the 2025 national championship game. The Broncos are seeking their first-ever NCAA championship, while the Terriers are after their sixth overall and first since 2009.

Penn State, Denver Make 2025 Frozen Four

Penn State is off to its first-ever NCAA Division I Frozen Four, while defending national champion Denver is going back.

In Allentown, Matt DiMarsico scored with just over two minutes remaining in overtime to lift Penn State to a 3-2 victory over UConn at the PPL Center. In Manchester, Zev Buium tallied a goal and an assist as Denver held off Boston College, 3-1, at SNHU Arena.

Both teams advance to the Frozen Four in St, Louis on April 10. Denver will take on NCHC opponent Western Michigan in one semifinal, while Penn State will meet Boston University in the other. The semifinal winners will face off two days later for the national title.

Second Day of 2025 NCAAs in the Books

The 2025 NCAA Division I men's ice hockey championship continued on Saturday, with the Allentown and Manchester Regionals getting underway.

At the PPL Center in Allentown, Pa., Connecticut made the most of its first-ever Division I national tournament appearance to rout Quinnipiac, 4-1, getting goals from four different players and 21 saves from freshman goaltender Callum Tung. In the nightcap, host Penn State ousted top-seeded Maine by a 5-1 count thanks to two goals from Matt DiMarsico and three assists by Charlie Cerrato. UConn will now face Penn State in the regional final on Sunday at 4:30 p.m. ET (ESPN2).

At SNHU Arena in Manchester, N.H., number-one overall seed Boston College survived Bentley, 3-1, on a late wraparound goal by freshman forward James Hagens. In the second game, defending national champion Denver got three points apiece from Zeev Buim and Carter King in eliminating Providence, 5-1. BC and DU will meet on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET (ESPN2) in a rematch of last year's national title game.

Two tickets to this year's NCAA Frozen Four in St. Louis will be punched today, when Cornell meets Boston University in the Toledo regional final (4 p.m. ET, ESPNU), and Massachusetts meets Western Michigan in the Fargo regional final (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU).

Fontaine, OSU Advance to Big Ten Title Game

Gunnarwolfe Fontaine shot Ohio State University into the 2025 Big Ten championship game.

The Rhode Island native scored just under 15 minutes into overtime last night at Value City Arena in Columbus, Ohio to lift third-seeded OSU to a 4-3 victory over visiting fifth-seeded Penn State University. The Buckeyes will now face defending champion Michigan State next Saturday night for at Munn Arena for the league crown and the conference's automatic berth into the NCAA tournament. Top-seeded MSU outlasted seventh-seeded Notre Dame, 1-0, in East Lansing, Mich. yesterday,

Fontaine opened the scoring in Columbus on a first-period deflection, and the two teams then traded goals over the next 40 minutes, with Penn State's Matt DiMarsico connecting with just under six minutes remaining in regulation to force the extra session. Logan Terness made 31 saves in net for tenth-ranked OSU (24-12-2 overall), while Arsenii Sergeev finished with 38 stops for No. 11 Penn State (20-13-4), which lost for the only the second time since Feb. 1. 

Fontaine, who spent the first four years of his college career at Northeastern, now leads OSU with 16 goals and 23 assists for 39 points through 38 games. He kept OSU's season alive in the Big Ten quarterfinals by scoring the game-tying goal late in Game Two against Wisconsin, after the Badgers had won the first game, and the Buckeyes went on to win the series in three games. In 169 career NCAA outings, he now has 48-88—136 points overall, including 13 power-play goals and eight game-winners.

Even without the automatic conference bid, both OSU and Penn State are likely to qualify for the 16-team NCAAs according to the Pairwise Rankings.

Penn State Edges Minnesota in OT

Simon Mack scored on a wrist shot just over three minutes into overtime to lift host Penn State to a 4-3 win over Minnesota in Big Ten action last night before 6,577 on-lookers in University Park, Pa. The No. 15 Nittany Lions also stretched their unbeaten streak, which dates back to Feb. 7, to seven games.

Brodie Ziemer had two assists for Minnesota (23-8-4 overall, 14-6-3 Big Ten), which fought back from 2-1 and 3-2 deficits to force the OT. Former Penn State netminder Liam Souliere made 28 saves for the Golden Gophers, who fell one point behind Michigan State in the race for the top spot in the Big Ten.

Aiden Fink and Jimmy Dowd, Jr. set up two goals apiece for the Nittany Lions (18-11-4, 9-10-4), who also got 31 stops from Arsenii Sergeev. It was also the 400th career collegiate victory for Penn State head coach Guy Gadowsky, the only coach the program has known since it joined the NCAA Division I ranks in 2013. The two schools will close out the 2024-25 regular season tonight in a rematch at Pegula Ice Arena.

ADDENDUM: Behind two goals from Matthew Wood and 30 saves from Souliere, Minnesota defeated Penn State, 5-3, in the rematch on Saturday to claim a share of the Big Ten regular-season crown. Michigan State still earned the first seed and a first-round bye in the conference tournament, while Minnesota will host seventh-seeded Notre Dame and fifth-seeded Penn State will visit fourth-seeded Michigan in the best-of-three quarterfinals next weekend.

Frozen Confines Success in Chicago

The first-ever Frozen Confines at Chicago's historic Wrigley Field this month featured two ties and two wins among some of the top Division I hockey teams in the nation from the Big Ten and the WCHA.

On Jan. 3, Penn State and Notre Dame skated to a 3-3 tie, with UND winning the subsequent shootout, while Ohio State edged Michigan, 4-3. On Jan. 4, Michigan State outlasted Wisconsin, 4-3, in overtime, while in WCHA women's hockey, Wisconsin and Ohio State tied, 3-3, with OSU claiming the shootout victory.

Each game at the longtime home of MLB's Chicago Cubs drew in excess of 24,00 spectators, in a venue that seats 41,649 for baseball.

2024-25 Preseason Polls Flowing

Preseason polls for three of the six NCAA Division I men's hockey conferences are in. 

Boston College has been tabbed to finish first in Hockey East, while defending national champion Denver has been slotted to top the NCHC, and St. Thomas chosen likewise in the CCHA by its coaches (tied for first with Bemidji State in the media poll). 

In Division I women's hockey so far, Penn State has been selected as the preseason regular-season champion in the new Atlantic Hockey America conference, as the 2024-25 NCAA campaign draws closer.

BU's Celebrini Wins 2024 Hobey Baker Award

Macklin Celebrini (Boston University) is the 2024 winner of the Hobey Baker Memorial Award as the top player in NCAA Division I men's ice hockey.

Celebrini, 17, from North Vancouver, B.C., led the Terriers in scoring this season with 32 goals and 32 assists for 64 points in 38 outings, although BU's 2023-24 campaign ended in Thursday's 2-1 overtime loss to Denver in an NCAA Frozen Four semifinal in St. Paul, Minn. Celebrini was previously named the 2024 Hockey East Rookie of the Year and the Hockey East Player of the Year, and was also tabbed as a First Team All-America selection. He also earned the Tim Taylor Award as national rookie of the year.

Celebrini is the fourth BU Terrier to win the Hobey Baker Award, and the first since Jack Eichel in 2015. He is also the second straight freshman to garner the award, joining 2023 winner Adam Fantilli (Michigan), and just the fourth freshman overall. He is also the youngest-ever recipient of the Hobey Baker Award. Celebrini is also widely considered to be the likely first overall choice in this year's NHL Entry Draft, which will be held in late June in the Las Vegas area.

Three more major college hockey annual awards were announced on Friday. The Mike Richter Award for best goaltender went to Kyle McClellan (Wisconsin), while Dylan Lugris (Penn State) earned the Hockey Humanitarian Award and Luke Robinson (Air Force) garnered the Derek Hines Unsung Hero Award.

Four Games, Four Routs on 2nd Day of NCAA Regionals

Four teams won in the NCAA Division I men's ice hockey regionals on Friday—and none of the games were even close on the scoreboard.

In Manchester, Ohio State annihilated Harvard by an 8-1 score, as Cam Thiesing notched two goals and an assist, and Jake Wise set up four goals for the Buckeyes. In the nightcap in New Hampshire, Quinnipiac blanked Merrimack, 5-0, as Jacob Quillan scored twice, Sam Lipkin had three points, and Yaniv Perets stopped all 15 shots he faced for the shutout. Ohio State will face Quinnipiac in the regional final on Sunday afternoon.

In Allentown, host Penn State cruised to an 8-0 victory over Michigan Tech, as Liam Souliere earned the shutout on 24 stops. A total of seven Nittany Lion skaters registered two points each, including leading goal scorer Kevin Wall. In the late game in Pennsylvania, Michigan used seven second-period scores to rout Colgate, 11-1. Luke Hughes led the way for the Wolverines with two goals and three assists for five points, while T.J. Hughes and Seamus Casey set up three goals apiece. Michigan meets Big Ten rival Penn State Sunday night for the right to go to the NCAA Frozen Four in Tampa next month.

Big Ten Hockey - Dec. 2-3, 2022

It was quite a weekend for men's hockey in the Big Ten conference.

Ohio State, ranked 17th in NCAA Division I, skated to a split at sixth-ranked Penn State. The host Nittany Lions took a 2-1 decision on Friday, before the visiting Buckeyes rebounded for a 4-3 victory in the series finale.

No. 4 Minnesota swept host No. 13 Michigan State by 5-0 and 6-3 scores. The Golden Gophers have now won six of their last seven games overall, and nine of their last 11 outings.

Wisconsin, last in the Big Ten standings so far this season, still managed a split at fifth-ranked Michigan. The visiting Badgers won by a 6-3 count in the opener before falling, 4-2, in the rematch.

The conference's seventh school, No. 20 Notre Dame, was idle last weekend, and will host Penn Stat this Friday and Saturday.

Big Ten Teams Advance to League Semifinals

 

Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State have all advanced in the 2021 Big Ten championship, while the 2020-21 campaigns for Michigan State, Ohio State and possibly Notre Dame have come to an end.

Minnesota (21-6-0 overall) needed overtime to outlast MSU, 2-1, with Sampo Ranta scoring the game-winner midway through the extra session. Bryce Brodzinski had tied the game for the Golden Gophers with five minutes remaining in regulation, after MSU had held  a 1-0 lead since midway through the first period on a power-play goal by Dennis Cesana. Freshman netminder Pierce Charleson made 48 saves in defeat for the Spartans (7-18-2).

Penn State (10-11-0) overcame an early 2-0 deficit by scoring five unanswered goals against host Notre Dame (14-13-2) en route to a 6-3 victory. Connor McMenamin and Chase Mclane had two goals apiece for the Nittany Lions, who also got two assists from three different skaters. Oskar Autio made 33 saves for Penn State, while Dylan St. Cyr did likewise for the Fighting Irish, who had swept the Nittany Lions in a pair of games earlier this month.

In the nightcap, Michigan blanked Ohio State, 4-0, as Brendan Brisson scored the first and fourth goals for the Wolverines (15-9-1), the latter into an empty-net in the third period. Strauss Mann stopped 26 shots to earn the shutout over the Buckeyes (7-19-1).

Today's games feature Penn State against No. 1 seed Wisconsin, and Michigan versus Minnesota. Both games will be played at the Compton Family Ice Arena in South Bend, Ind., where the entire tournament is being contested. The Big Ten championship contest will be held tomorrow, and the winner will also earn the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

Also on Sunday, Boston College, UMass Lowell, Massachusetts and Providence all advanced in the Hockey East playoffs, while Niagara did the same in Atlantic Hockey, and Northern Michigan and Minnesota State did likewise in the WCHA.

ADDENDUM: Cole Caufield scored the tying and winning goals, his nation-leading 26th and 27th scores of the season, as Wisconsin rebounded to top Penn State, 4-3, in overtime. Later, Minnesota overcame a two-goal deficit to edge Michigan, 3-2, on Sammy Walker's goal six minutes into sudden death.

Penn State, Michigan State Split Big Ten Series

John Lethemon made 48 saves on Friday night as Michigan State blanked host Penn State in Big Ten play at Pegula Ice Arena. Patrick Khodorenko scored the game-winning goal just over halfway through the game for the visiting Spartans, who also got an empty-net goal late in regulation from Logan Lambdin.

On Saturday, the sixth-ranked Nittany Lions gained the series split with a 6-4 victory, powered by two assists apiece from Liam Folkes and Aarne Talvitie, plus 25 saves from Peyton Jones. Khodorenko scored two goals and set up another for the Spartans, who got 25 stops from Lethemon.

Penn State (7-2-0 overall, 3-1-0) will hit the road for the first time this season when it visits Minnesota next weekend. MSU (3-5-0, 1-1-0) will play a home-and-home set with archrival Michigan.