Penn State-Michigan State Hockey Game Draws An Incredible 75,000 Fans To Beaver Stadium
It was about time Beaver Stadium hosted some puck.
From the second it was announced, I was telling anyone who would listen (and many more who probably would've preferred I stay quiet) that it was beyond time for Beaver Stadium to host some outdoor hockey.
We finally got that on Saturday afternoon with the Michigan State Spartans paying the Penn State Nittany Lions a visit in Happy Valley, and…
Well, just look at this. It's art.
I mean, look at it.
Look at it!
It was a huge turnout, with just under 75,000 fans in attendance.
It's one thing to be picturesque; it's another to deliver a good game, and, fortunately, Beaver Stadium did just that.
Which shouldn't have been too hard with two of the best teams in the Big Ten going at it for the second time this weekend. The Spartans won on Friday night inside Pegula Ice Arena, but this one was a lot closer.
READ: PENN STATE UNLEASHES OUTDOOR HOCKEY HEAT WITH KILLER SWEATERS FOR BEAVER STADIUM
It was a back-and-forth kind of game, but one of the big moments came when Gavin McKenna — the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming NHL Draft who said he chose Penn State over Michigan State — lit the lamp while the Big Ten Network had Spittin' Chiclets producer Mike Grinnell broadcasting from the student section.
What a moment.
And check out this photo.
That goes hard. Very hard.
But it would go harder with a Penn State win, and it looked like that was coming in regulation.
However, MSU captain Matt Basgall had something to say about that.
Penn State challenged the goal, but it stood, and it was off to overtime.
There, 2023 Minnesota Wild draft pick Charlie Stramel capped off a game for the ages by scoring the OT winner for a hat trick.
Not the way that the nearly 75,000-strong crowd would've wanted it to end, but what a show.
Now, if only we could get an NHL game at Beaver Stadium…