Could Penn State hockey host a future NCAA Tournament game?

Penn State hockey has appeared in the NCAA Tournament three times in its short history. The Nittany Lions made the 16-team field in 2017, 2018, and 2023. In recent weeks, the college hockey media has proposed the expansion of the tournament and the establishment of on-campus host sites for regionals. Does this mean that a NCAA Tournament game could be coming to Pegula Ice Arena and Hockey Valley in the near future?

Current NCAA Tournament format

The NCAA Tournament currently has 16 teams split into four four-team regionals. Each regional is at a neutral site, and a team is considered the “host” even if that team isn’t in the tournament. The one-seeds are usually put in regionals that create the least amount of travel. The key difference from other tournaments is that the host team is guaranteed regional location regardless of seed. That is why Penn State hockey was guaranteed a spot in the Allentown regional last season despite being a two-seed.

There are currently 64 teams in NCAA D1 men’s ice hockey, meaning that the current tournament is 25% of the field. This is the percentage that the NCAA typically wants for its postseason. However, some fans feel that the 25% mark leaves out too many good teams. The Pairwise Rankings are used to determine who makes the NCAA Tournament. There are six conferences that get automatic bids, with the remaining spots taken by the next highest-ranked 10 teams.

Typically, about four conference tournament winners are ranked within the top 16. This season the Big Ten, NCHC, and Hockey East all will most likely have their tournament champion be a team that is in the tournament anyway. Usually, at least one team in the top 16 of the Pairwise gets left out. This happened in 2019 to Penn State hockey, who was the first team out of the tournament.

Should the tournament expand?

The discussion of expansion has picked up steam over the past few years. ESPN and college hockey media member John Buccigross recently tweeted, “It’s time to expand the field for the NCAA Hockey Tournament. On-campus games. Easy revenue and good for fans/TV. Stop dragging your feet, people #CawlidgeHawkey.”

It's time to expand the field for the NCAA Hockey Tournament. On campus games. Easy revenue and good for fans/TV. Stop dragging your feet, people. #CawlidgeHawkey https://t.co/8h46AAKr6W

— BucciOT.Com (@Buccigross) January 15, 2024

Some fans agree with Buccigross, saying that the tournament needs to expand and move to campus sites. The NCAA women’s hockey tournament currently has higher seeds host until the Frozen Four, and it seems to do well.

However, most fans seem to like the 16-team format. As of now, it is an even 25%, and with a single elimination tournament, it prevents a team from scraping in with an average record and winning it all. If hockey continues to grow and more teams are added, then maybe expanding the tournament could be a possibility.

Is a tournament game for Penn State at Pegula Ice Arena coming soon?

The bigger topic is where the games are played. Fans have complained for years about the rough travel and weird locations for regionals. If teams were able to host, it would allow for more fans to attend and create better environments. While most hockey rinks have under 7,000 capacity, the neutral sites haven’t even been hitting those numbers in recent years. Only when a team close by, like Penn State in Allentown, do we see a decent crowd. While expansion may be farther off, moving the games back to campus would certainly be a place to start.

Penn State hockey has made the NCAA Tournament three times since 2017, and has been a two or three seed in those appearances. We have seen the atmosphere at Pegula Ice Arena for regular season games. Now imagine what a playoff atmosphere would look like.

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