Penn St. at Arizona St., Quinnipiac at Boston College Highlight Openers: Puck Drop
It obviously looks like a high-profile football matchup, especially since both programs were in the inaugural 12-team playoff last season, but Penn State at Arizona highlights the upcoming opening weekend in men's college hockey, with two games at Mullett Arena on Friday and Saturday.
The Nittany Lions are No. 5 in the preseason polls. while the Sun Devils are No. 14. It'll be the collegiate debut of freshman Gavin McKenna, the consensus No. 1 overall pick for the 2026 NHL Draft, while Penn State also has 2025 Hobey Baker top-10 finalists Aiden Fink and Mac Gadowsky.
Meanwhile, Arizona State, fresh off its first season in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), will retire the No. 35 of Joey Daccord before Friday night's game. He's the first player in program history to sign an NHL entry-level contract and play in an NHL game.
The Seattle Kraken goaltender played 82 games over three years and finished his final season with a 21-13-1 record, .926 save percentage and 2.35 goals against average. He also led the Sun Devils to their first NCAA Tournament appearance.
There's one other matchup between ranked teams this week, No. 13 Quinnipiac at No. 6 Boston College of Friday evening. Quinnipiac will also visit No. 9 Providence on Saturday, but the game is considered an exhibition.
Opening Weekend in Men's College Hockey
(Rankings from preseason poll)
Friday’s Games (All Times ET)
Hockey East
Merrimack at Mass.-Lowell, 7:15 p.m.
Non-Conference
Mercyhurst at No. 12 Michigan, 7 p.m.
No. 19 Clarkson at Canisius, 7 p.m.
No. 13 Quinnipiac at No. 6 Boston College, 7 p.m.
Ferris State at Miami, 7 p.m.
Michigan Tech at No. 8 Minnesota, 8 p.m.
No. 5 Penn State at No. 14 Arizona State, 9 p.m.
No. 10 UConn at Colorado College, 9 p.m.
Bemidji State at Alaska-Anchorage, 11 p.m.
No. 20 Wisconsin at Lindenwood, 8 p.m.
Minnesota-Duluth at Alaska Fairbanks, 11 p.m.
Exhibitions
Windsor at No. 3 Michigan State, 6 p.m.
Simon Fraser at No. 9 Providence, 7 p.m.
Long Island at Army, 7 p.m.
Augustana at St. Cloud State, 7 p.m.
Notre Dame at US Under-18, 8 p.m.
New Hampshire vs. No. 7 Maine, 8 p.m.
Air Force at Omaha, 8 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
Non-Conference
Lake Superior State at Stonehill, 4:30 p.m.
Army at Union, 5 p.m.
St. Lawrence at Niagara, 6 p.m.
Ferris State at Miami, 6 p.m.
LIU at No. 2 Boston University, 7 p.m.
Mercyhurst at No. 12 Michigan, 7 p.m.
No. 5 Penn State at No. 14 Arizona State, 7 p.m.
No. 19 St. Thomas at St. Cloud State, 7 p.m.
Holy Cross at Northeastern 7:30 p.m.
Northern Michigan at No. 15 UMass, 7:30 p.m.
Michigan Tech at No. 8 Minnesota, 8 p.m.
No. 10 UConn at Colorado College, 8 p.m.
No. 20 Wisconsin at Lindenwood, 8 p.m.
Bemidji State at Alaska Anchorage, 9 p.m.
Minnesota Duluth at Alaska Fairbanks, 11 p.m.
Exhibitions
Guelph at RIT, 5 p.m.
Robert Morris at Bowling Green, 6 p.m.
Merrimack at Sacred Heart, 6 p.m.
Manitoba at No. 11 North Dakota, 7 p.m.
Simon Fraser at Bentley, 7 p.m.
Brock at Vermont, 7 p.m.
UNLV at No. 4 Denver, 8 p.m.
Sunday’s Games
Non-Conference
Lake Superior State at Stonehill, 3 p.m.
Northern Michigan at No. 15 UMass, 4 p.m.
St. Lawrence at Canisius, 5 p.m.
Exhibitions
Union vs. Colgate, 2 p.m.
No. 13 Quinnipiac at No. 9 Providence, 2 p.m.
Waterloo at Robert Morris, 4 p.m.
Simon Fraser at Sacred Heart, 4 p.m.
RPI at No. 2 Boston University, 5 p.m.
US Under-18 at No. 1 Western Michigan, 6 p.m.
Meanwhile, on the women's side there are three series between ranked teams (from last week's polls) including No. 3 Minnesota at No. 11 Boston University, and No. 13 UConn at No. 9 Clarkson. The marquee-level showdown, though, is No. 2 Ohio State opening its season at No. 5 Colgate.
Women's College Hockey Games This Week
(Rankings from last week’s poll)
Friday’s Games (All Times ET)
No. 10 Quinnipiac at Providence, 2 p.m.
Sacred Heart at RPI, 5 p.m.
Syracuse at Stonehill, 5 p.m.
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 5 Colgate, 6 p.m.
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 11 Boston University, 6 p.m.
No. 7 St. Lawrence at Mercyhurst, 6 p.m.
No. 8 Penn State at Vermont, 6 p.m.
No. 13 UConn at No. 9 Clarkson, 6 p.m.
RIT at No. 15 Northeastern, 6 p.m.
Merrimack at Union, 6 p.m.
New Hampshire at Assumption, 7 p.m.
Lindenwood at Minnesota State, 7 p.m.
Robert Morris at Bemidji State, 7 p.m.
Maine at No. 1 Wisconsin, 8 p.m.
Saturday’s Games
No. 7 St. Lawrence at Mercyhurst, 1 p.m.
Merrimack at Union, 1 p.m.
Syracuse at Stonehill, 1 p.m.
No. 8 Penn State at Vermont, 2 p.m.
No. 13 UConn at No. 9 Clarkson, 2 p.m.
RIT at No. 15 Northeastern, 2 p.m.
Holy Cross at Delaware, 2 p.m.
RPI at Sacred Heart, 2 p.m.
Maine at No. 1 Wisconsin, 3 p.m.
No. 2 Ohio State at No. 5 Colgate, 3 p.m.
Providence at No. 10 Quinnipiac, 3 p.m.
Boston College at Saint Anselm, 3 p.m.
No. 3 Minnesota at No. 11 Boston University, 4 p.m.
Lindenwood at Minnesota State, 4 p.m.
Robert Morris at Bemidji State 4 p.m.
New Hampshire at Assumption, 7 p.m.
Sunday’s Game
Holy Cross at Delaware, 2 p.m.
Puck Drop: Monday, September 29, 2025
A full schedule and results will be posted each day, men's and women's. Speaking of which ...
Sunday's Games
No Games Scheduled
Countdown to 2025-26 Men's Hockey Season Opener:
4 Days
Did You Notice?
• Former Omaha goaltender Anthony Stolarz is reportedly close to signing a four-year deal for $15 million with the Toronto Maple Leafs.
• Cam Fowler, out of the U.S. Developmental Program, agreed to a three-year contract extension worth $18.3 million with the St. Louis Blues.
• Adrianna Milani from the Ontario Women’s Hockey League, one of the top prospects in women's hockey, announced that she will play for the Minnesota Golden Gophers.
Adrianna Milani has committed to Minnesota. She's an '09 birth year forward who scored 56pts in 36gp for the Etobicoke Dolphins last season. pic.twitter.com/yJLlbMmc1L
— Sydney Wolf (@sydneyisawolf) September 28, 2025
On This Date in Hockey History:
September 29, 1962: Boston University goaltender Cleon Daskalakis was born in Boston.
September 29, 1963: Hall of Fame left wing Dave Andreychuk, who played in 1,639 games over 23 years in the NHL, and scored 640 goals, 698 assists and 1,338 points, was born in Hamilton, Ontario.
September 29, 1965: Merrimack forward Jim Vesey was born in Charlestown, Mass.
September 29, 1966: Maine center Mario Thyer was born in Montreal.
September 29, 1973: Providence left wing Joe Hulbig was born in Norwood, Mass.
September 29, 1979: In preparation for the upcoming Winter Olympics the Miracle on Ice team played the first of four straight NHL teams, the Minnesota North Stars, and lost 4-2. It subsequently lost to the St. Louis Blues 9-1, the Atlanta Flames 6-5, and the Washington Capitals 5-4.
September 29, 1983: Alaska-Anchorage goaltender Nathan Lawson was born in Calgary.
September 29, 1990: Minnesota center Jordan Schroeder was born in Lakeville, Minn.
September 29, 1991: Harvard defenseman Danny Biega was born in Montreal.
Hockey Quote of the Day
“A goal is my responsibility, pure and simple."Ken Dryden
We'll Leave You With This ...
Watch out @JohnForslund, Joey Daccord might be coming for your job 😂 pic.twitter.com/sjotBK9B1q
— NHL (@NHL) September 22, 2025
Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of Alabama Crimson Tide On SI, which first published as BamaCentral in 2018, and is also the publisher of the Boston College, Missouri and Vanderbilt sites . He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004 and is the author of 27 books including “100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die” and “Nick Saban vs. College Football.” He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.
Follow BamaCentral