Pegula Ice Arena has announced that it will open a Taco Bell inside the arena. This comes after Penn State men’s hockey forward Gavin McKenna made comments about the restaurant after Penn State beat Notre Dame in the second game of a two-game series in late January.

After the Nittany Lions beat the Irish in the first game, the duo of Jackson Smith and McKenna went on to combine for six points in the next game of the series. After the game, they credited their postgame meal from Taco Bell for their performances the next day.

McKenna and Smith said that they tried to create a tradition of ordering a postgame meal from the taco chain after every home game. However, since there wasn’t one inside the arena and he had to drive to get there, they couldn’t carry that tradition.

Terry Pegula, the owner of the Pegula Ice Arena, realized that not having a Taco Bell inside the arena could have played a role in the Nittany Lions’ struggles over the final stretch of the season, as they only won five of their final 15 games after the Notre Dame home series. He has decided to open the taco chain inside the arena in hopes of building on the tradition that McKenna and Smith started.

“My favorite order from Taco Bell is two Doritos Locos Tacos, a quesadilla, and a Blue Raspberry Freeze,” McKenna said. “I always wished that there was a Taco Bell inside the Pegula Ice Arena so I could eat it all the time after games instead of having to drive there. So, Smitty and I went to Terry Pegula to try to convince them to build one inside the arena.”

Smith said that his favorite meal from Taco Bell is a Crunchwrap Supreme, Nachofries, and a Baja Blast. Now, with Taco Bell coming in late April, he and McKenna plan to go there a lot before the school year comes to an end, along with their teammates and head coach, Guy Gadowsky.

“I’m going to take my teammates and Guy there, so they can realize how Taco Bell can fuel you up for a hockey game or practice the next day,” McKenna said. “Hopefully, the tradition that Smitty and I tried to start happens, and it brings great success to the team. I’ve heard that Taco Bell will call my meal, the Gavin McKenna meal, when it opens.”

Taco Bell will join Subway and Auntie Anne’s as the food chains inside Pegula.