Week 16 Hockey Release

Photo by: Mark Selders / Courtesy of Penn State Athletics

OFFICIAL RELEASE

• The chase for the Big Ten Championship is heating up as 10 conference games remain for most of the league. This week’s slate of games features all seven teams in action, highlighted by Penn State’s outdoor game at Beaver Stadium. In a top-five showdown, No. 5/5 Penn State will host No. 2/2 Michigan State in the second series between the teams — MSU swept two home games in November. Saturday’s matinee (1 p.m. ET) will take place on West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium and be carried by the Big Ten Network. The game is one of 13 PSU athletic events scheduled for the first-ever Winter Sports Weekend on campus. The Nittany Lions moved into a first-place tie with Michigan over the weekend following two wins at Wisconsin. The Spartans are a point behind in third. No. 1/1 Michigan returns to the ice after having a bye week, meeting arch-rival Ohio State in Columbus. The Wolverines outscored the Buckeyes, 13-3, in a pair of wins in Ann Arbor just before Thanksgiving. The latest installment of the rivalry between No. 8/7 Wisconsin and Minnesota returns to 3M Arena at Mariucci. The Badgers won twice in Madison during the first month of the season, knocking the Gophers out of the top 20. Notre Dame will play the final nonconference games of the season, taking on Bowling Green in a home-and-home series starting Friday in Notre Dame.

• Saturday’s game at Beaver Stadium will be the 19th outdoor game involving Big Ten teams. Michigan State is playing its seventh outdoor contest, its most recent venture outdoors being a 4-3 overtime win versus Wisconsin at the Frozen Confines in Wrigley Field. Penn State made its outdoor debut last year at the same event, skating to a 3-3 overtime tie against Notre Dame. Saturday’s event will mark the sixth time a Big Ten school has hosted an outdoor game on campus as Beaver Stadium joins the ranks of Camp Randall Stadium, Michigan Stadium, Notre Dame Stadium, Spartan Stadium, and TCF Bank Stadium (now Huntington Bank Stadium). Tickets are still available at www.gopsusports.com .

• Penn State’s Aiden Fink and Michigan State’s Daniel Russell recently hit the century mark for career points. Fink is tied for fifth place among active NCAA players with 107 points while Russell ranks seventh with 104 points. T.J. Hughes of Michigan stands atop the list with 156 points. Ohio State senior Davis Burnside is on the verge of joining the Century Club, needing three points to reach that plateau. In net, a milestone is being approached by Michigan State goaltender Trey Augustine, who is 31 saves shy of 2,500 for his career. Only three other active goalies have reached that mark. Augustine is also college hockey’s winningest active goalie with 59 wins.

• Fan balloting has begun for the 2026 Hobey Baker Memorial Award, which recognizes the top player in college hockey. The Big Ten has 15 nominees on the ballot, which is open to fan voting through March 8 at www.hobeybaker.com/vote . The Hobey Baker winner will be revealed at the Frozen Four in April.