‘Dream come true.’ Penn State club hockey, youth teams to kick off Beaver Stadium games

Twenty-five years after the first collegiate hockey game was hosted outdoors, Penn State is gearing up for its own “Winter Classic” in Beaver Stadium. While the two varsity hockey teams are set to compete in the same weekend, those games won’t actually be the first on Beaver Stadium’s new ice.

In the days before the Nittany Lions’ matchups (Penn State women’s hockey faces Robert Morris University on Friday and men’s hockey plays Michigan State a day later,) State College Youth Ice Hockey Association (SCYIHA) teams, State College varsity hockey and Penn State’s Division II men’s hockey team, the Ice Lions, are set to have their own outdoor games at Beaver Stadium.

“You grow up dreaming about something like this,” said Alex Mavris, the assistant captain and vice president of the Ice Lions. “It’s unbelievable, I still haven’t fully wrapped my head around it.”

There’s a similar level of disbelief for the young hockey players involved with the SCYIHA, association president Bryan Ollendyke said.

“It was such a foreign concept to them, we actually get to play out there,” Ollendyke said. “We got pins and a photo wall for it. We’re going to make a big deal about it, because it’s incredible.”

‘Once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ in Hockey Valley

The Ice Lions, which captured the Atlantic Coast Collegiate Hockey League championship last season, is set to host its matchup at 8:20 p.m. Thursday.

The idea of playing in iconic Beaver Stadium came about when the club’s executive board heard Beaver was getting ice.

“We instantly reached out to club sports, and they were very, very open to the idea of it,” Mavris said.

Still, the reigning ACCHL champs needed funding to rent the pop-up ice arena. The club accepts donations but is primarily funded by team members and their families, according to its website, with it typically costing $3,000 to be a club member.

“We fundraised a lot for this. Most of our money comes from the kids on the team,” said Wesley Schwarzmiller, the club’s assistant captain and treasurer. “We’re a player-funded team, so everybody had to put up their own money to play.”

The Ice Lions’ opponent for the game, Oklahoma State’s club team, also gave a donation to come to Hockey Valley to play, said club secretary Grant Kloeber. It wasn’t hard to find an opponent to play the Ice Lions in the second-largest stadium in the United States. The search started when they posted a message on their Instagram page.

“We had semi-professional teams reach out to us,” Mavris said. “Other club teams, youth teams — everybody under the sun reached out to us.”

Added Schwarzmiller with a laugh: “Don’t forget about that beer league team, too.”

Oklahoma State, with a record of 14-1 this club season, will prove to be a tough opponent, and a win for the Ice Lions would do more than boost morale. The team, which sits in a tie for third place in points in their division, is trying to make a national run, and Schwarzmiller said they need to go up in the rankings as much as possible.

“[Oklahoma State] has a lot of publicity as well, and not only is this a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for us, but it’s also really good for the growth of club hockey,” Mavris said.

Youth hockey prepares for Beaver Stadium spotlight

State College Youth Ice Hockey Association is taking over Beaver Stadium on Wednesday and Thursday . The association, comprised of 12 teams, secured ice time for all of its age groups to compete in a Winter Classic.

Like the Ice Lions, SCYIHA immediately sought involvement when it became known that ice hockey was coming to Beaver Stadium for the first time.

“We immediately set a priority of trying to get every kid on [the ice],” said Bryan Ollendyke, the SCYIHA’s president. “It didn’t matter the capacity; even if it ended up being a pick-up skate, just getting on the ice without increasing rates.”

To avoid increasing rates on parents, the association needed to fundraise, and since they practice in Pegula Ice Arena, it was only fitting that they fundraise there too. The SCYIHA staffed concession stands during Penn State hockey games and received a percentage of the sales. Ollendyke says those efforts, among others, covered the necessary payment.

They were able to book six slots for their teams, five of which extend the entirety of Wednesday. Technically, the slots will count as a scrimmage for the teams, which initially confused the kids, who thought their mid-week practice would be a typical outing at Pegula, Ollendyke said.

Now, they’re excited and preparing for the experience.

“We’ll see if their enthusiasm holds when we get out there and it’s 17 degrees,” Ollendyke joked.

As the date of their game nears closer and Beaver Stadium’s ice rink continues to take shape, the Ice Lions are also preparing, with Mavris saying some players are investing in heavier-duty apparel to face the outdoor conditions.

“Our main focus going into it is making sure we have everything perfected, so we can put on our best performance given the opportunity we have,” he said.

The Ice Lions’ executives have the utmost appreciation for their opportunity to play the sport they love in one of the most iconic college football stadiums. They expressed gratitude to their coaches, club leadership, club sports representative and others.

“I’ve been coming here watching other people play since I was a kid,” Schwarzmiller said. “It’s like a dream come true. I don’t think it will feel real until we step out there.”

For more information about the Ice Lions and their game, visit www.psuclubhockey.com. Visit www.scyiha.org to learn more about SCYIHA.