On an evening “SportsCenter” broadcast, McKennaMania began 262 days ago – give or take.
It could end in one to 18 days – depending on how much Penn State gives and what Minnesota-Duluth takes.
For Gavin McKenna and Penn State, this is it. More or less, it’s now or never for the most-talked-about era of Penn State men’s hockey ever.
As Penn State begins the NCAA Tournament against the Bulldogs in the Albany Regional, it will likely be the final chapter and the final game(s) of Penn State men’s hockey’s first true superstar.
A superstar that Penn State hopes can help propel them to two more wins than it got last season.
Earlier this week, McKenna told Penn State alum and ESPN NHL reporter Emily Kaplan that it was last year’s Frozen Four run for Guy Gadowsky and co. that put the team and school on his radar.
(And of course, a likely large NIL package, too.)
For more than just McKenna, that Frozen Four run last season that ended with a loss to Boston University put Penn State men’s hockey back on the radar for a lot of Penn State fans. It shifted the context of Penn State men’s program from a novelty to a legitimate team for those who casually tuned in.
Add the fact that many people can conceptually understand the words like “likely No. 1 overall NHL Draft pick” and “generational talent” even with limited hockey knowledge – mixed with that commitment on ESPN, people have never before focused on Penn State men’s hockey like they have this season.
The bargain, however, was that McKenna would likely only be here for one season because of that same appeal to whichever team has the right ping pong balls in the upcoming draft lottery.
Throughout this 2025-26 season, Penn State has ridden a roller coaster that has been maybe the most fascinating season of Penn State men’s hockey yet. There was the NHL Network season debut series for McKenna at Arizona State that included a crucial late goal and an emphatic fist-pump.
By the time he made his Pegula Ice Arena debut, the team store and stores downtown were carrying his jersey and shirts with his face on them — something that had only ever been reserved for football players in Happy Valley.
There was a never-ending wave of injuries – starting with Aiden Fink – that has rolled into this weekend’s tournament as a legitimate question of if the recent rest will pay off.
There was the highest attended hockey game in the state’s history outside inside Beaver Stadium – against Michigan State’s Porter Martone, who in his own right is worthy of the hype and has the Spartans as many people’s favorite for a national title.
And there was an off-the-ice incident after that game where McKenna was charged with assault, for which he later had a felony charge dropped, that created a news cycle around the player unlike any that Penn State’s hockey program has seen before.
All the while, McKenna has kept Penn State chugging along toward the NCAA Tournament. His 51-point season, featuring 36 assists, was a freshman record for a Nittany Lion. Many of those assists have exemplified his playmaking ability, which has helped Penn State enter the 16-team field as the nation’s sixth-best scoring offense.
Particularly after he returned for the World Junior Championships, the Canadian averaged 1.83 points per game after 1.13 prior to the break. Prior to the WJC, McKenna seemed to understand college hockey – a slightly faster pace than what he was used to in the Canadian Junior’s WHL – but was unable to fully figure out how to control it as he could in Medicine Hat.
It seemed to click, however, somewhere between Penn State’s series against Notre Dame and Wisconsin where he tallied 10 points over four games, including a hat trick against the Badgers. His ability to control the game for how many anticipated he could came into clarity in real time during that stretch.
That momentum crescendoed against Ohio State in February, where he recorded a program-record-breaking eight points, including seven assists in a single game against the Buckeyes one night and scored a slick overtime winner the next. It is one of the program’s greatest individual player weekends ever and one that thrust McKenna into the final 10 for the Hobey Baker Award.
But singular effort does not win championships in hockey.
That has been what has made the McKenna more-than-likely-one-year-exclusive proposition so fascinating. Penn State has largely returned the core that led it to that Frozen Four last year.
It’s gotten the scoring support from Fink, DiMarisco, JJ Wiebush, Reese Laubach and even Charlie Cerrato, who will play in just his third game back from injury on Friday night.
On the defensive side, Penn State has faced a largely overhauled room, backed predominantly by Jackson Smith, an NHL first-round draft pick in his own right, who has been at times Penn State’s best player.
But this season, in part because of how injury-prone Penn State has been, it hasn’t found the groove like last year’s team had to find to even get into the NCAA Tournament. This year, Penn State does benefit from a bit of rest after losing to Michigan in the Big Ten semifinals but it still seems to be searching for its most complete play yet.
That will have to happen Friday night when Penn State takes on Minnesota-Duluth – and it must happen without many penalties. The Bulldogs have the nation’s second-best power play unit, backed by fellow Hobey Baker-hopeful Max Plante and his brother, Zam.
Single-game elimination playoff hockey is as much about talent and skill as it is luck that can steal a season’s worth of work away. That leaves little room for error and a massive opportunity for McKenna to truly be the spark he can be – especially at the season’s most important time.
Otherwise, Penn State will have to walk away from the McKenna era without any trophies – including the one it’s still chasing the most.
If you’ve enjoyed this content, please subscribe to Stuff Somers Says With Steve on YouTube. Or join our newsletter by entering your email below.
