More of the promises made to Penn State hockey's pioneers will come to fruition this weekend.
The second-year men's program will play its first conference home game on Sunday against college hockey's No. 1 team.
Upsetting the top-ranked Gophers would be nice, although this weekend is also about realizing that everything the players and coaches gave up to be part of something new was worth it.
"That encompasses it," Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said. "You've got the No. 1 team in the country coming to town for our first league game ever. That's what this is all about. Everybody here did what they did [and came to Penn State] for the opportunity to play the top teams in the nation, and that's exactly what we have this weekend."
The university added men's Division I hockey in 2012-2013, giving the Big Ten the sixth member it needed to begin sponsoring a hockey conference this season.
The Gophers, on the other hand, have been college hockey's standard for decades. They have experienced nearly everything the sport has to offer, which is why this weekend will also be special for the Gophers.
Gaining a new opponent means visiting a new campus and a new shiny arena.
Pegula Ice Arena debuted earlier this season and set a new standard for college hockey facilities. The state-of-the-art 5,782-seat venue has impressed every visitor, and the Gophers should have the same reaction.