Penn State men’s hockey is set to face a far more normal season in 2021 after playing almost entirely Big Ten conference games in 2020 due to COVID-19. The Nittany Lions announced a 35-game schedule for the upcoming 2021-22 season on Monday morning that includes 20 home contests in Big Ten play.
To start off the season, Penn State opens the 2021-22 campaign with three-straight home series including regular-season games on opening weekend for the first time in program history. The Nittany Lions begin the season against one of the newest NCAA Division I programs, Long Island University, on October 3-4 in a rare Sunday-Monday set.
The full out of conference slate can be seen here.
As for Big Ten play, the Nittany Lions will open conference play on the road for the second-straight season with a trip to Columbus to battle Ohio State on November 5-6.
The Nittany Lions will then face Michigan on November 11-12 before an extended trip to the Land of 10,000 Lakes prior to the Thanksgiving holiday. The Nittany Lions faceoff against Minnesota on November 19-20 before taking on the newest NCAA Division I program, St. Thomas, on November 23-24.
Penn State then closes out the first semester of play with games against Michigan State at Pegula Ice Arena on December 3-4 and a trip to Madison the following weekend.
The season of firsts continues for the Nittany Lions as they begin the second semester of play with games on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day for the first time ever against another new opponent in the University of Maine.
Big Ten play resumes the following weekend as Penn State hosts Notre Dame for a pair of contests on January 7-8 before traveling to Michigan the following weekend for a pair of contests on the 14-15.
Two-straight home series wrap up January as Wisconsin visits Pegula Ice Arena on January 21-22 followed by Ohio State on the 28-29. February begins at Notre Dame (4-5) and ends at Michigan State (25-26) with a home series against Minnesota sandwiched in between (18-19).
The conference tournament begins the first week of March with a return to the best-of-three quarterfinal format on March 4-6 followed by the two semifinal contests on March 12 and the Big Ten Championship to be played on March 19. All games of the 2022 Big Ten Tournament will be played at the site of the higher seed.
All dates are subject to change with game times and TV schedule to come.
