Three Stars: December 31-January 6

3. How Stuff Works - College Hockey Edition, Part 4: More About That Junior Hockey Thing
(Black Shoe Diaries)

IcerGuy's latest foray into the "explain college hockey to the uninitiated Penn State masses" series. Also, see:

Part 1: Varsity (NCAA) vs. Club (ACHA) Hockey
Part 2: NCAA D1 Conference Breakdown
Part 3: NCAA and Junior Hockey

2. When will the season start?
(philly.com)

Ready for some melt-your-face-off awesomeness? Check out what Flyers beat writer Frank Seravalli, the brother of former Icers forward Nick Seravalli, posted Sunday:

The NHL will play either a 48-game or 50-game season... with a 48-game schedule, the Flyers would likely begin - as previously reported - at home on Jan. 19 with a nationally televised rivalry game against Pittsburgh at 1 o’clock. (Penn State plays Vermont at 7:30 in men’s hockey at the Wells Fargo Center).

Ummm... wow. So you have what (for my money) is the NHL's best rivalry, featuring the two Pennsylvania teams, in the loooong-awaited NHL season opener, leading into Penn State hockey that evening in the same building, in what was already a fairly high-profile game for the Nittany Lions. And while the on-the-fly efforts to boot up the NHL season represent an evolving story at this point, as of Sunday night, indications were that the 48-game season will be the option taken.

Yeah, I can probably forget about getting a credential for PSU-UVM.

1. @PennStateMHKY
(Twitter)

This is just damn cool - the first NCAA men's team with Penn State hockey pioneer John Dufford.

Best of the Rest

Guy Gadowsky updated the media on his team's status at the halfway point of the season.

Nittany Lions on target halfway through first season
(Centre Daily Times)

This is precisely the sort of filler article that doesn't make Three Stars in a busier week, but since this wasn't a particularly prolific period... and I suppose it's nice to take a step back at the midpoint of the season for some reflection at the calendar flip. Here's Guy Gadowsky, in that vein:

“Overall we’re very happy with the general direction of where we’re going. We’re happy with the leadership of the team. That’s probably the most important thing this year — that they’re taking very seriously and setting standards, the foundation, they’re taking seriously.”

The Man Who Saved Penn State Football
(Onward State)

It isn't really a hockey story, and rumors that hit late Sunday night - if true - may throw the entire thing into jeopardy... but as I'm sure you know by now, none other than Terry Pegula reportedly kicked in $1.3 million towards PSU football coach's Bill O'Brien's 2013 salary. The move, of course, was part of an effort to retain O'Brien, who flirted with the NFL's Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles last week. Quoting Onward State:

The “Thank You Terry” blog was so named because of Pegula’s $102 million gift to bring Division-1 hockey to Happy Valley. The $1.3 million Terry Pegula promised yesterday is only about one percent of that total, but in the end, it might turn out to be an even bigger reason to say thanks.

I categorically disagree, but hey, shoutout from someone huge, followed by loads of new readers. Shots on me.

UPDATE 9:28 A.M.: In a Monday morning press conference, O'Brien denied the entire thing, directly stating that he did not receive a $1.3 million raise from Pegula. That doesn't definitively mean that it didn't happen, but with O'Brien standing as the only supposedly involved party to speak on the matter, the burden of proof has certainly shifted back to the rumor mongers.

Podcasts
(psuhockeyandbaseballtalk.blogspot.com)

FoTYT Ross Insana tried his hand at a podcast heavy on PSU hockey content, and it's a quality listen. Meanwhile, I'm jealous of anyone who likes the sound of their own voice enough to do something like that.

R.J. Umberger would totally play at Penn State if that was an option in his day.

Umberger raves about hockey’s growth in Pennsylvania
(ProHockeyTalk)

Pittsburgh native and Ohio State alumnus R.J. Umberger (who also helped the Buckeyes as a volunteer assistant during the NHL lockout) is impressed with hockey's growth in Pennsylvania.

“It has been special to see how things have changed, and I loved seeing the enthusiasm for the college games this week [at the Three Rivers Classic],” Umberger said.

He singled out how the sport is growing in Pittsburgh, in particular.

“This was a great week for Pittsburgh hockey,” Umberger said. “Having Penn State around is going to make it even better. Things are looking up for hockey in this city.”

UAH 11, Vanderbilt 0
(uahhockey.com)

For the third time this season, NCAA Division I Huntsville - starved as always for home dates - took on an ACHA Division 3 opponent. And for the third time this season, it went about how most would expect.

Actually, a much more interesting measuring stick situation will come this weekend, when ACHA D1 Oklahoma plays two in the Von Braun Center. Between those games, the Sooners' two at the Ice Pavilion on February 15th and 16th, and their 4-3 overtime loss to the CIS' University of British Columbia on December 29th, OU should prove to be quite helpful in assessing the ACHA's place in the college hockey pecking order this season.

Breakout Past: 2006 ACHA Showcase Pass

The Icers headed west on I-80 to Boardman, OH in October, 2006 for the fourth annual ACHA Showcase in sort of an early-season tune-up for the 2007 ACHA National Tournament, held at the same site. That site, the Ice Zone, also served as the home of the Youngstown Phantoms during their time as an NAHL team prior to jumping to the USHL in 2009. Also of note: the showcase marked Scott Balboni's fifth, sixth and seventh games as PSU's head coach.

Because my memory is lacking, I'm going to lean pretty heavily on the Collegian for details of the Icers' three games, against Oklahoma, Minot State and Weber State.

For Penn State, the Showcase began with a game against No. 7 Oklahoma on Friday afternoon. Unable to get into a groove early, the Icers fell behind. Despite outshooting its opponent, the team suffered its second loss of the season, 5-3.

"They really just capitalized on their chances," junior defenseman Keith Jordan said.

Head coach Scott Balboni thought his team lacked intensity in the loss to Oklahoma, and made sure that the players regained their composure going forward.

"We tried to take a more business-like attitude and come out more focused," Balboni said. "We weren't as focused in the Oklahoma game."

Oklahoma was in the midst of establishing themselves as an upper-crust ACHA team, and taking down the Icers undoubtedly helped towards that end - as did their wins over Lindenwood and Scranton the next two days to complete a sweep. From the Penn State point of view, a recovery followed quickly.

The Icers came back strong on Saturday, beating an overmatched Minot State, 7-0. Backup goaltender Nick Signet got the shutout as starter Matteo, who was removed in the middle of the Oklahoma game due to an injury, sat out Saturday and Sunday's contests.

"It's a big opportunity," Signet said of getting the start. "When you get your shot you have to use it wisely. Matteo left me some big shoes to fill."

Jordan was pleased with the way the team responded after Friday's disappointment, noting that the Icers did a good job in "burying" a team from the start.

Another win followed, this one against a better opponent.

On Sunday, Penn State took on No. 14 Weber State, taking the same no-nonsense approach to the match-up. Signet was once again strong, allowing only one goal to get by him in a 5-1 win.

"I felt like I was watching everything and seeing the puck really well," Signet said.

As far as the team's performance, the goaltender added that this was the best he's seen them play all year. Balboni agreed with that assessment.

"We played really strong for about 85 percent of the weekend," Balboni said. "As teams and as lines we are really starting to get it together. We obviously always want to win every game we play. Even though we have two losses on our record we are continuing to get better."

In a twist that probably merits its own post at some point down the line, that Weber State team featured a senior defenseman named Aaron Dufford who, yes, is John Dufford's grandson. The younger Dufford had a great career at WSU (including a spot on the 2005 World University Games team), then briefly coached the team before moving on to the Park City Pioneers, the semi-pro team that he helps manage when not playing.

Besides the teams I've already mentioned, the showcase included Ohio, West Chester, Michigan-Dearborn, Arizona, Duquesne, West Virginia, North Dakota State, Kent State, Western Michigan and Mercyhurst. Along with the Sooners, the Flashes, WMU, Dearborn and Ohio also emerged from the weekend unscathed. Minot State, Weber State, Scranton, Mercyhurst, West Chester and Duquesne were the opposite of unscathed.

To be honest though, my favorite part of the showcase wasn't an actual part of the showcase, it was a Youngstown State home game against John Carroll at the same rink after the showcase games had concluded for the day on the Saturday the 21st.

How to best describe the game? Well, make a list of every club hockey stereotype you can think of, then roll them into one game. The ACHA site says that YSU's 12 dressed skaters were shut out by the Blue Streaks 4-0, but that doesn't come close to measuring the full spectacle of what I witnessed. I still struggle to find the words for it nearly five years later ("gongshow" doesn't do it justice), and I was so moved by the experience that when JCU unloaded their jerseys worn during that game on eBay, I pounced. Some people attend Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Final, and I'm pretty sure I've attended the opposite of that.

Apparently, this jersey was worn by Louis Grandinetti, a forward from Seven Hills, OH who recorded no stats in the game but had a decent run playing in games not depicted in ACHA marketing literature. The fact that I never bothered to look that up until today tells you everything you need to know.

Interestingly enough, I was able to re-capture the magic to some degree a few years later in a game between the same two teams - this one at John Carroll. The 4-3 Blue Streaks win featured a couple hockey dad fights and nearly a hockey dad-coach tilt involving former YSU boss Rocky Russo. Amazing how much can happen, even when you only make it to ticket no. 19.

I was not comped.