The State College Youth Ice Hockey Association’s (SCYIHA) is hosting its Icers Winter Classic at Beaver Stadium before Penn State men's and women's hockey take the ice on Friday and Saturday.
SCYIHA’S teams from ages 8 to 18 will play in seven total games at Beaver Stadium on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday. The 8U and 18U teams will play opponents from outside of State College. The 10U, 12U, 14U, and girls team will play intrasquad scrimmages. The Keystone Wild, a SCYIHA AA tourney team, will take on the Palmyra Black Knights out of Harrisburg on Sunday.
“Once we knew that we could, getting things on the schedule, starting to communicate that to families and kids and watching them light up realizing what the potential is," SCYIHA president Brian Ollendyke said.
Ollendyke said the kids see the NHL Winter Classic outdoor games every year as one of the coolest experiences in hockey.
“The fact that our kids get to participate in this once in a lifetime experience, it will be very surreal to be there the entire day on Wednesday because I just want to witness it for all the kids," Ollendyke said.
The Icers Winter Classic is free to attend. SCYIHA is organizing a s’mores party outside Beaver Stadium.
Teams also have the opportunity to modify game formats or opt out due to impending freezing temperatures in State College.
Registration is also open for public ice skating on the Beaver Stadium rink through Sunday.