No. 5 Penn State men’s hockey lost a 5-4 overtime heartbreaker to No. 2 Michigan State on Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. But despite coming up just short, the experience of witnessing a hockey game in front of 74,575 people was unique and unparalleled.

The eyes of the hockey world descended on Happy Valley, with many wondering how seamlessly Penn State could pull off such an event. Well, to answer that question, the university did a great job. The sightlines were clear, and the atmosphere was electric. Here are some of the things we noticed.

Football Vibes

The whole morning leading up to puck drop had the feeling of a fall football weekend. (Except it was about 30 degrees colder). State College was packed, and there were a surprising number of folks tailgating in the paved lots surrounding the stadium and East Halls.

Pregame also felt like a typical weekend in Beaver Stadium, which was a nice feeling to have in the dead of winter. The Blue Band performed its typical Lion Fanfare and Downfield, minus the actual downfield marching. Chants of “Let’s Go PSU” rang out from the crowd, and “We Will Rock You,” along with “Kernkraft 400,” blasted on the speakers. Throughout the game, “Mo Bamba” and “Sweet Caroline” made appearances, as did the Lion King remix. The players also marched through the south end zone gates, led by Josh Fleming and Kevin Reidler.

But the part of the experience that was perhaps the most similar to a football game was the noise. It was LOUD in Beaver Stadium. When the fans chanted “sucks” as Michigan State players were being announced, the sound echoed. The crowd-pop after each of the Nittany Lion goals was a true roar. Fans were also given white shakers, which added to the environment.

There was an attempt at an “S-Zone” as well, but the various colored jackets messed up the visual. Taylor Mouser and Ryan Clanton, two of Penn State’s newest football coaching hires, were crushing beers in the student section. Electric.

Ice Conditions

Despite widespread concern over the rink’s condition, the game proceeded relatively smoothly. We counted 12 stoppages in play to fix the ice, but this can be expected with any outdoor game being played in sub-freezing temperatures.

Gavin McKenna mentioned in postgame media that the ice “wasn’t too bad,” yet the team had to “change up [its] game here and there” to account for the difference in quality.

In terms of the pace of play, the rhythm of the game was slightly different, as was the case in the women’s matchup with Robert Morris. But relatively speaking, the Beaver Stadium crew handled the weather quite well.

On-Field Shenanigans

There was a lot of activity going on on the exterior of the boards. The Penn State cheerleaders were marching around the rink for a good portion of the second period, perhaps to stay warm. I happened to be in the press box, but folks were telling me that it was quite nippy out.

The football team also made an appearance at the glass during pregame, with each player wearing hockey sweaters with their name and number. Matt Campbell partook in the ceremonial puck drop.

There was almost a foot of snow covering the field at Beaver Stadium, which made for a cool aesthetic. Kids were playing in the snow piles in the north end zone, as fans of all ages enjoyed some form of entertainment. Each time the puck was deflected out of play, it was swallowed by the sea of powder, never to be seen again. (They were uncovered a few seconds later).

Spittin’ Chiclets also gave its intermission report on ice-level, with Mike Grinnell even venturing into the student section during the Gavin McKenna goal.

No Shirts

Similar to football season, a crowd of shirtless individuals gathered in the bleachers of Beaver Stadium. This time, the crowd of roughly 15 people was present in section EJU, where they waved their shirts in the air as their skin turned red from the cold.

Somebody actually made it up to NFU, the closed-off section, and tried to start the trend up there. One person joined him before security removed the duo from the upper deck.

Many of the players also walked out in tank tops to throw a football or hang out on the bench during pregame, even though the wind chill neared the negatives.

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Oh, sweet chocolate chunk cookie, what did I do to deserve you?

Jamie is a third-year statistics student from Chappaqua, NY. He loves to swim and is a member of the club team here at Penn State. Jamie is also in the Schreyer Honors College, and wishes there was an advanced course in college football fandom (scored 118/133 on the mascot quiz). He’s an avid ping-pong player, dairy lover, and has met two U.S. Presidents. If you have anything to share, or want to debate the AP Poll with someone, email [email protected] or reach out on instagram @jamie.ly3.