How to Watch Penn State Hockey's Big Ten Series vs. No. 1 Michigan State

The Nittany Lions visit the Spartans for an early season matchup between two of the nation's top teams.

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna (72) skates against the Arizona State Sun Devils during the third period at Mullett Arena. | Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

No. 3 Penn State visits No. 1 Michigan State this weekend in the most-anticipated series of the young college hockey season. The matchup features the Spartans’ ninth-ranked scoring defense (1.8 goals allowed per game) against the Nittany Lions’ sixth-rated scoring offense (4.1 goals scored per game). It will be a battle of two juggernauts with key Big Ten positioning on the line. 

But one caveat Penn State didn’t expect is the absence of star forward Aiden Fink, who will miss games beyond this series. Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said this week that Fink (nine points in 10 games) has an upper-body injury and will be out for the “foreseeable future.” 

Still, this weekend’s two-game series in East Lansing will have plenty of fireworks. Here’s what to know about the Penn State-Michigan State series.

No. 3 Penn State (9-1) vs. No. 1 Michigan State (5-1)

How to watch the Penn State-Michigan State series

There’s no broadcast television coverage scheduled for either Penn State-Michigan State game, because of basketball and football. BIG+, the Big Ten Network’s streaming service, will carry the games online.

Game 1 is scheduled for  7 p.m. ET and Michigan State’s Munn Ice Arena. Saturday’s game starts at 4 p.m. ET. The Nittany Lions are playing in their second straight Big Ten road series after sweeping Ohio State last weekend. 

Plenty of NHL talent will be on display

Penn State Nittany Lions forward Gavin McKenna (72) looks to get past Clarkson Golden Knights forward Justin Cote (92) in the second period of a game at Pegula Ice Arena. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Penn State and Michigan State have a combined 22 NHL draftees, and that doesn’t include Nittany Lions freshman phenom Gavin McKenna, the projected No. 1 pick of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft, or JJ Wiebusch and Matt DiMarsico, both top-three in the nation in points. 

And it’s not just the point that these are NHL draft picks; several players were selected high in their respective drafts. Michigan State center Cayden Lindstrom, McKenna’s former teammate on the Medicine Hat Tigers, was No. 4 pick by the Columbus Blue Jackets in the 2024 NHL Entry Draft. And Porter Martone, the Spartans’ top-line right wing, was selected sixth overall by the Philadelphia Flyers in 2025 and leads the team in points with nine.

Michigan State is flooded with high-end talent, but so is Penn State. The Nittany Lions earned their first-ever first-round pick when Columbus drafted defenseman Jackson Smith at No. 14 overall in June. In addition to Smith, Penn State recorded its second-highest draft pick in program history when center Charlie Cerrato was taken by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round.

History suggests a close series

Penn State Nittany Lions head coach Guy Gadowsky watches the action against the Clarkson Golden Knights at Pegula Ice Arena. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

The Penn State-Michigan State has gone back and forth since the Nittany Lions became a Division I program in 2013. Penn State  holds a 22-20-8 edge over the Spartans, which includes a pivotal series victory last season. The Nittany Lions took seven of 12 points, and six of seven on the road, last year.  

The games have been historically close, especially at Michigan State. Ten of the past 11 meetings at Munn Ice Arena were one-goal games before empty-net finishes. Five of the 11 went to overtime, and three went to shootouts. 

Of note, Penn State is 3-6-2 all-time against the top-ranked team in the country. Additionally, the Nittany Lions became the only team in college hockey history to defeat separate No. 1 teams in consecutive weeks in 2022 (Michigan and Minnesota). Dating to last year, Penn State is 11-2-1 in its last 14 true road contests (4-0 this season), which bodes well for the weekend.

Michigan State is a juggernaut

Michigan State celebrates a goal by Tommi Mannisto during the third period in the game against New Hampshire. | Nick King/Lansing State Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Michigan State showed the country it was a force to be reckoned with in October, sweeping then-No. 1 Boston University to take over the top spot in the USCHO.com poll. 

Michigan State ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring defense (1.83 goals-against average), 10th in scoring offense (3.83 goals per game) and sixth in scoring margin (2.00 margin).

All-American goaltender Trey Augustine paces the Spartans on the back end. Augustine ranks fourth in the Big Ten in goals-against average (1.78) and fifth in save percentage (.923). The Detroit Red Wings prospect was one of three finalists last year for the James E. Sullivan Award as the nation’s top college athlete.