Penn State men’s hockey is rolling-and they’re not just winning, they’re making a statement.
The Nittany Lions rolled into Madison over the weekend ranked No. 8 in the country and left with a two-game sweep of No. 5 Wisconsin that turned heads across the college hockey world. A 7-2 blowout on Friday followed by a gritty 3-1 win on Saturday pushed Penn State’s win streak to seven straight and vaulted them up to No. 5 in the national rankings.
This wasn’t just a good weekend. This was a defining one.
Coach Guy Gadowsky’s squad didn’t just beat a top-five team on the road-they outclassed them. And they did it with a mix of offensive firepower, defensive discipline, and the kind of swagger that championship-caliber teams start to show when everything is clicking.
And as if the on-ice dominance wasn’t enough, the Nittany Lions had a little extra juice in the building on Saturday night-courtesy of one of Penn State’s most famous alums.
Micah Parsons, the All-Pro linebacker and NFL Defensive Player of the Year finalist, made the trip to the Kohl Center and was all in on the Hockey Valley energy. Rocking a custom Penn State hockey sweater with his iconic No. 11, Parsons was a one-man hype machine-cheering from just behind the bench, celebrating goals, and bringing the kind of energy that only a superstar with deep school pride can deliver.
When Gavin McKenna buried an empty-netter in the third period to seal the sweep, Parsons stood up and hit the “night night” celebration-folded hands to the side of his head-sending a clear message: this one was over.
But the real party started after the final horn.
Inside the locker room, Parsons joined the team for a now-viral celebration that perfectly captured the moment. He grabbed the team’s Thor’s Hammer-a prop used to ignite postgame celebrations-and slammed it onto a table with a roar that could’ve rattled the rafters.
In true linebacker fashion, he brought the heat… and accidentally broke the head off the hammer in the process. The room paused for a beat, then erupted again.
No harm, no foul-just a little extra firepower from one of Penn State’s fiercest competitors.
Earlier in the night, Parsons had stopped by the locker room pregame to snap a team photo and share a few words with star forward Aiden Fink, who recently became the fastest player in program history to reach 100 career points. It was a moment that blended past and present-two Penn State greats, each dominant in their own right, connecting over a shared love for their school and their sport.
Now with the Green Bay Packers following an offseason trade from Dallas, Parsons didn’t have to travel far to catch the Nittany Lions in action. And despite rehabbing an ACL injury that ended his NFL season early, he looked every bit the high-energy, full-throttle competitor fans know him to be.
For Penn State, this weekend was about more than just two wins. It was about momentum.
Confidence. Identity.
This is a team that’s playing with purpose and passion-and they’ve got the results to back it up.
With seven straight wins and a top-five national ranking, the Nittany Lions are officially on the radar. And with a little help from a Penn State legend in the stands, they’re showing the college hockey world that Hockey Valley is alive and thriving.