Fifteen Lions Receive CHA Academic Accolades

Tess Weaver is now a member of the all-academic team in two different conferences

College Hockey America announced on Monday that 15 members of the 2012-2013 Nittany Lions women's team have been named to the CHA All-Academic Team, an honor given to student-athletes who record a grade point average of 3.0 or better during all in-season academic periods.

The Penn Staters recognized include forwards Kate Christoffersen, Hannah Hoenshell, Jill Holdcroft, Darby Kern, Emily Laurenzi, Kendra Rasmussen, Tess Weaver, Jenna Welch and Katie Zinn, defenders Jeanette Bateman, Paige Jahnke, Lindsay Reihl, Stephanie Walkom and Sarah Wilkie, along with goaltender Brooke Meyer. All except the graduated Christoffersen and Zinn, who transferred to the University of British Columbia after the season, are returning to the team in 2013-2014. Most of PSU's winners will be part of a massive sophomore class, with Zinn, Christoffersen, graduate student Reihl, senior Welch and junior Weaver the exceptions.

Christoffersen and Reihl were both picked as Big Ten Distinguished Scholars on July 10th, an award requiring a 3.7 GPA for the previous academic year. They also joined Weaver in winning Academic All-Big Ten selection in May, giving the trio the rare distinction of honors from two different conferences. Jess Desorcie, Taylor Gross and Cara Mendelson also won the latter Big Ten award which, like the CHA, requires a 3.0 GPA - but unlike the CHA measures cumulatively while also blocking freshmen from eligibility. Eighteen players of the 27 on last year's roster have now won some sort of award for their academic performance.

In all, 77 CHA players received that league's distinction, with Robert Morris' 21 leading the way. Additionally, 11 of the 77 were named co-winners of the Student-Athlete of the Year award for carrying a perfect 4.0: Kendra Broad (Lindenwood), Celeste Brown (RIT), Gina Buquet (Mercyhurst), Lauren Jones (Mercyhurst), Katelyn Scott (Robert Morris), Alison Wickenheiser (Lindenwood), Amy Stober (Lindenwood), Chelsea Witwicke (Lindenwood), Ali Binnington (RIT), Julia DiTondo (Mercyhurst) and Nicole Hensley (Lindenwood).

Here's the full release from CHA, including a list of all 77 winners:

Zinn Lands at UBC

Former Nittany Lions women's forward Katie Zinn has landed on her feet after leaving Penn State, as she has transferred to the University of British Columbia, located just outside of Vancouver, for the coming year.

Zinn, of course, departed following a tough freshman season, one that saw her appear in just 12 games, scoring once with three assists. She missed PSU's final 13 games following a 2-1 loss at Union on January 12th on what was rumored to be a team suspension.

The Canadian will return to her native province; her hometown of Coquitlam, BC is roughly an hour east of campus. An added benefit to UBC is that the Thunderbirds' women's hockey program is on a rapid upward trajectory - after going 2-25-2 in 2011-2012, they were 27-13-5 last season. In the playoffs, UBC took their league, the Canada West Universities Athletic Association, for the first time with a thrilling best-of-three series win over the University of Calgary that included a 5-4 double-overtime game two win while the Thunderbirds were on the brink of elimination. UBC fell short in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport national championships, giving Zinn and her new teammates a goal still on the table.

Here's the full release from the school.

---

UBC women's hockey head coach Graham Thomas has landed another exciting recruit.

Katie Zinn, a 5-foot-7 forward from Coquitlam, B.C., will be joining the Canada West champions as a transfer from Penn State University (NCAA Div. I).

"I'm excited to return home to Canada and play under coach Thomas," said Zinn. "I am very fortunate to be given this opportunity and am looking forward to being a part of the Thunderbird legacy."

"We are looking forward to Katie adding some skill and experience to our group," said Thomas. "If she comes to camp prepared and earns an opportunity, she has shown to be a point producer on her previous teams."

As a rookie last season, Zinn scored one goal and three assists in 12 games for Penn State. She also won half of her faceoffs during the year.

Prior to Penn State, Zinn spent one year at Gilmour Academy, a prep school in Gates Mills, Ohio, leading the Lancers in scoring with 23 points in 27 games.

Before going stateside, she played three years for the Pacific Steelers of the Junior Women's Hockey League. As one of the team captains in her senior year, Zinn had a team-high 23 points in 25 games.

"Our Canada West division is considered one of the best/most competitive leagues in the CIS," remarked Thomas. "We are looking forward to working with her and developing her into a consistent offensive threat. Katie is a very good all-around athlete and her work ethic and commitment to conditioning will help to keep pushing the program."

Zinn will be enrolled in the renowned Faculty of Science at UBC.

"She will have a few months to get her feet wet as she will red-shirt with our team and potentially could play in January 2014," said Thomas.

2013-14 Women's Roster Released

Blueliner Lindsay Reihl, now a graduate student, returns to help lead PSU into Pegula Ice Arena

Penn State has posted its 2013-2014 women's roster on GoPSUSports.com. Without further delay, here it is:

No	Name	Pos	Yr	Ht	Hometown	Last Team
2	Jeanette Bateman	D	So.	5'6"	Greeley, CO	Colorado Select
3	Cara Mendelson	F	Jr.	5'6"	Pittsburgh, PA	Steel City Selects
4	Jordin Pardoski	D	So.	5'5"	Rochester Hills, MI	Honeybaked
5	Stephanie Walkom	D	So.	5'7"	Moon Twp., PA	Pgh. Penguins Elite
6	Lindsay Reihl	D	Gr.	5'4"	Cheshire, CT	CT Polar Bears
9	Amy Petersen	F	Fr.	5'4"	Minnetonka, MN	Minnetonka HS
10	Micayla Catanzariti	F	So.	5'4"	Rancho Santa Margarita, CA	Gilmour Academy
12	Sarah Nielsen	F	Fr.	5'6"	Edina, MN	Edina HS
13	Kendra Rasmussen	F	So.	5'5"	Sartell, MN	Sartell/Sauk Rapids HS
14	Darby Kern	F	So.	5'11"	Venetia, PA	Pgh. Penguins Elite
15	Jess Desorcie	F	Jr.	5'4"	Westford, VT	Connecticut College
16	Hannah Hoenshell	F	So.	5'3"	Plano, TX	Alliance Bulldogs
17	Paige Jahnke	D	So.	5'6"	Oakdale, MN	Roseville HS
18	Laura Bowman	F	Fr.	5'7"	Minnetonka, MN	Minnetonka HS
19	Jill Holdcroft	F	So.	5'1"	Pa. Furnace, PA	Pgh. Penguins Elite
20	Emily Laurenzi	F	So.	5'2"	Townsend, DE	Nat'l Sports Academy
21	Sarah Wilkie	D	So.	5'6"	Ashby, MA	Williston N'hampton
22	Jenna Welch	F	Sr.	5'8"	Austin, TX	Connecticut
23	Birdie Shaw	F	So.	5'2"	Troy, MI	Honeybaked
24	Taylor Gross	F	Sr.	5'1"	Colorado Springs, CO	Connecticut
25	Katie Murphy	F	Jr.	5'4"	Novi, MI	Honeybaked
27	Kelly Seward	D	Fr.	5'9"	Williamsville, NY	Nichols School
30	Celine Whitlinger	G	So.	5'8"	Garden Grove, CA	Gilmour Academy
31	Brooke Meyer	G	So.	5'7"	Naperville, IL	Chicago Huskies
33	Madison Smiddy	D	Jr.	5'7"	Grand Rapids, MI	Honeybaked
36	Tess Weaver	F	Jr.	5'5"	Windber, PA	Pgh. Penguins Elite
37	Nicole Paniccia	G	Sr.	5'5"	Oakville, ON	Connecticut
40	Shannon Yoxheimer	F	So.	5'7"	Jackson, MI	NAHA

The primary news items with any roster release, of course, are the comings and goings and this roster confirms that forward Katie Zinn and defender Taylor McGee have both left the program after their freshman seasons. McGee, who arrived at PSU from Taft School, was sidelined with a concussion for a chunk of the season but was still generally a solid regular when healthy, playing in 23 games and collecting a pair of assists. Zinn, a Coquitlam, BC native, is probably the less surprising of the two departures. She played in 12 games and scored once with three assists, but ended the season on an undisclosed suspension and last played in a 2-1 loss at Union on January 12th, missing PSU's final 13 games.

Josh Brandwene's recruiting class remains at the four - Kelly Seward, Sarah Nielsen, and Minnetonka High School linemates and three-time state champions Laura Bowman and Amy Petersen - officially announced back in November and tracked here over the last year-plus. Just to refresh things, here is a post including observations on Seward after watching her at USA Hockey nationals with the Buffalo Bisons in April, another covering Bowman and Petersen's most recent Minnesota AA title in February, and one reporting Nielsen's initial commitment last August.

Buffalo-area native Kelly Seward is a key part of an outstanding freshman class

Also, here are the quotes from PSU's fall National Letter of Intent signing release, including Brandwene on each player, and each player on Penn State.

Bowman on PSU: "I chose Penn State because I was impressed with the school of science and research opportunities. I love the atmosphere that I feel there and the campus is exactly what I imagined my college would look like. I can't wait to become part of the Penn State family and I'm looking forward to making history in the new Pegula Ice Arena."

Brandwene on Bowman: "Laura is the total package of skill, speed, height and tenacity. She is equal parts scorer, play-maker and outstanding penalty killer. Laura plays terrific hockey at both ends of the ice and she will have immediate impact."

Petersen on PSU: "I chose Penn State for both the athletic and academic options that it has to offer."

Brandwene on Petersen: "Amy defines what it means to be a clutch scorer. Her consistent play, her intensity, and her knack for big game performances are what caught our eye. She's fun to watch and will be an immediate presence in our lineup next year."

Seward on PSU: "After visiting many college campuses, I feel that Penn State is a great school to attend. Even though it is a huge campus, it has a small-school feel. It is the perfect fit for me."

Brandwene on Seward: "I am very impressed with Kelly's consistency and well-rounded game. She possesses great height, strength, foot speed, on-ice vision and puck distribution skills, complemented by a terrific point shot. She'll be a defensive force for us."

Nielsen on PSU: "I fell in love with Penn State because of the coaching staff, their team-first philosophy and type of hockey tradition they're trying to build. I also loved the beautiful campus and college town feel."

Brandwene on Nielsen: "Sarah is a fantastic two-way forward with an outstanding hockey IQ, and impressive maturity and poise. She has skill, strength, a positive attitude, and tremendous work ethic. Sarah will be a difference-maker for us at both ends of the ice."

With the four freshmen and three departures (outgoing senior Kate Christoffersen being the third, of course), the Nittany Lions' roster for the inaugural season at Pegula Ice Arena now sits at 28: 17 forwards, eight defenders and three goaltenders.

Penn State-Chatham Photo Gallery II

Photos from Saturday night's Penn State-Chatham women's game. All are by and courtesy of Steven Hass. Click for full size.

Sophomore forward Tess Weaver

Freshman forward Katie Zinn

Senior defender Lindsay Reihl

Freshman forward Emily Laurenzi

Freshman defender Paige Jahnke

Freshman forward Kendra Rasmussen

Freshman defender Stephanie Walkom

Sophomore forward Cara Mendelson

Sophomore forward Katie Murphy

Senior forward Kate Christoffersen

Murphy

Junior forward Jenna Welch (left).

1/5 Postgame: Brandwene, Welch, Zinn

Comments from head coach Josh Brandwene, junior forward Jenna Welch (on the left in the video) and freshman forward Katie Zinn following the Nittany Lions' 4-0 win over Chatham Saturday night.

W: Penn State 4 vs. Chatham (NCAA DIII) 0

Box score // GoPSUSports.com recap // Chatham.edu recap

New lineup, same result.

Josh Brandwene made massive changes to his team for Saturday's rematch with NCAA Division III Chatham - in the end, every player on the roster saw ice over the weekend - but the Nittany Lions (7-12-1, 1-8-1 CHA) rolled once again, this time by a deceptively close 4-0 score.

Considering Penn State's entire top line of Shannon Yoxheimer, Jess Desorcie and Taylor Gross, as well as lethal Hannah Hoenshell, got the night off, a duplicate of Friday's 10-0 romp would probably be asking too much. Still, other than the goal count, the gaudy stats remained in place against a Cougars team that only had 13 players available. PSU rifled 71 shots on Chatham goalie Kaitlynn Smith and allowed only 16 against Celine Whitlinger and Brooke Meyer (who closed out the final 7:26 of the game). Of those 16 CU shots, only four came from beneath the dots. Emily Laurenzi's 12-3 record in the faceoff circle led the way to a 30-11 advantage on a team level.

It was Laurenzi's line, which included Jenna Welch and Katie Zinn, that accounted for three of the four goals. Zinn opened things up 5:07 into the game by slipping a wrister through from the left wing circle. A Cougar defense that blocked 32 shots and Smith - despite issues controlling the puck all game long - kept Penn State at bay until late in the second period, when Madison Smiddy's point bomb on net was dropped by Smith, allowing Welch to push it home. PSU finally cracked things open in the final period when a turnover deep in the Chatham zone allowed Zinn and Welch in behind everyone, with the Canadian feeding the Texan for her second of the night. Jill Holdcroft closed things out 58 seconds after Welch's second with a putback of her own rebound.

The Nittany Lions will now hit the road for the next four games (closing out a stretch of ten away games in 12 bridging the semester break) beginning with games against the ECAC's Union Dutchwomen in Schenectady, NY next Friday and Saturday.

Penn State-Sacred Heart Photo Gallery

Photos from Friday evening's Penn State-Sacred Heart women's game. All are by and courtesy of Steven Hass. Click for full size.

Freshman forward Hannah Hoenshell celebrates one of her three goals

Hoenshell and freshman forward Emily Laurenzi (20) were all smiles Friday night

Freshman forward Jill Holdcroft started and finished a breakaway goal

Holdcroft and freshman forward Micayla Catanzariti (10)

Freshman forward Kendra Rasmussen had a fantastic game

Freshman forward Katie Zinn observes Hoenshell's hat trick goal

Hoenshell...yep again

Freshman goaltender Brooke Meyer saw her first career action in the third

Senior defender Lindsay Reihl congratulates Meyer on the win

Freshman forward Shannon Yoxheimer was once again on the scoresheet - twice

Three Stars: June 4-10

3. Brian Cooper Earns USHL Scholar-Athlete Award
(ushl.com)

Cooper, a Fargo Force d-man who is going to Nebraska-Omaha in the fall, beat out 2013 G Eamon McAdam for the award. Still:

Other nominations for the USHL Scholar-Athlete Award included...Waterloo Black Hawks goaltender Eamon McAdam (committed to Penn State University) who earned a 3.86 GPA at Waterloo West High School while completing Honors and Advanced Placement classes...

That's an okay GPA.

2. Commencement 2012: Senior Awards
(Williston Northampton Blog)

Sarah Wilkie was sick of hearing me gush about the academic cred of Jeanette Bateman, Kendra Rasmussen and Emily Laurenzi, so she went out and won this at her school's commencement:

The L. G. Treadway Citizenship Prize, established by Richard Treadway, Class of 1932, in honor of his father, is awarded to a senior who has been at the school for at least two years, has maintained a strong scholastic standing, and has given promise of future achievement. The chief qualities to be considered are personal integrity and contributions made to the best citizenship of the school.

1. @PSUMensHockey
(TwitPic)

Keeping track of arena construction just got a lot more fun. How much more fun? The picture at the top of the post was taken last Wednesday and chosen for the symbolism of it being the first piece up. Here's what it looked like by Sunday:

Basically, I'm starting to regret my decision to frame my masthead around pictures of the arena site. Hello unplanned trip to PSU on Friday.

Best of the Rest

PSU women to build key conference rivalries early
(Shooting for the Show)

Following a rather anticlimactic women's schedule release, SftS tossed out some thoughtful analysis and did some digging re: the coming "DI" jerseys.

Also worth noting is that there is no date for the program’s jerseys to be unveiled, according to Matt Caracappa, Penn State’s athletic director, athletic communications.

Overall the school has done a good job of getting word out about the D-I transition. Still, it’s curious that nothing is in the works for unveiling the jerseys.

@D1WomensHockey
(Twitter)

Related to the women's schedule, PennStateWomensHockey.com discovered that women's games will be free of charge this season. So get out there in large enough numbers to make them want to charge for 2013.

Sure, why not?

2012 Icer Open Registration Form
2012 Icer Open Sponsorship Info
(Google Documents)

The 23rd annual Icer Open (I guess it's still called that - cool) is coming up on August 19th. I'm assuming that you're not all poor and dusty like me.

Former Vermont forward Milo suing university
(USCHO)

Former Vermont forward Justin Milo is suing the university, claiming that after he was cut from the team in 2010, the decision deprived him of his scholarship, his reputation and a promising career.

As much as I want to chirp future opponent Vermont over this one, I can't. Instead, I'll put this out there: a goal-scoring forward who was 127th in the ECHL in goal scoring last season probably wasn't destined for the Hall of Fame but for UVM's cutting him. Athletic scholarships are renewable on a year-to-year basis at the school's discretion. And Milo, despite being reasonably productive most of the time, has played for a) three USHL teams in two years, b) two NCAA teams in four years (counting his year in residence after transferring from Cornell) and c) three ECHL teams in two years. Doesn't strike me as the type of guy who had a fantastic reputation to begin with, or that teams desperately want to keep around, for whatever reason.

@franklylisa / @Paigemawee
(Twitter)

Those left off of the women's (and men's) NCAA rosters have some tough decisions to make. It sounds like Paige Harrington, a freshman on defense for the Lady Icers last year, has made hers in favor of a school roughly two hours from her hometown of Mansfield, MA.

Notably, Harrington's goal to finish an end-to-end rush gave PSU a 3-0 lead on senior day against Vermont, and held up as the winner in the ECWHL-clinching victory. In all, she played in 21 games and registered two assists to go with that goal.

Joe Battista: Cutting Ties with Information Overload       
(statecollege.com)

So wait, is there something wrong with having text alerts on the Twitter accounts of PSU hockey newsmakers and Google Alerts on just about every possible search having to do with PSU hockey?

College Hockey America: Two steps forward, one step back
(She Shoots, She Scores)

A nice look at the CHA's revolving-door membership, although it's a little heavy on lamentations over Wayne State and Niagara, as opposed to optimism for the future of a league that, in terms of the programs it contains, has never been stronger. The conference now has five fully-committed members that I can say aren't going anywhere with a reasonable degree of confidence (I'm not entirely sure on Syracuse).

Also, Lindenwood came from the ACHA, not Division III. Yeah, I'm always going to point that error out.

Huntsville Pins Hopes on Upcoming WCHA Meeting
(College Hockey News)

Speaking of the CHA - pat yourself on the back if you picked that one up - we're in the heart meeting season. And that, of course, means Alabama-Huntsville is trying to get into a conference just as they are more or less every other season as well. The latest last, best hope: the WCHA, which apparently is set to give UAH some consideration...

...then again, maybe not. High drama.

@zinnerthewinner
(Twitter)

!!!ETATS NNEP...ERA EW .supmac ot teg ot deticxe si nniZ eitaK drawrof s'nemow namhserF

.drieW ".setats" rof hcnerF si sdrawkcab "etats" taht denrael tsuj I

Gilmour Girls

Thanks to a tip from Penn State alumnus Philip Edwards, TYT has learned that two of women's verbal Celine Whitlinger's Gilmour Academy teammates have also committed to play for Josh Brandwene. The trio will sign their National Letters of Intent at the school next Wednesday, November 9th.

Micayla Catanzariti

Forward
Gilmour Academy (Prep)
5'6"
Rancho Santa Margarita, CA
DOB 5/22/1994

Gilmour Academy girls hockey page

Katie Zinn

Forward
Gilmour Academy (Prep)
5'7"
Coquitlam, BC
DOB 1993

Gilmour Academy girls hockey page

Season   Team                   Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM
-------------------------------------------------------------
2010-11  Pacific Steelers       JWHL   25   10   13   23   10

Catanzariti, like Whitlinger, is a SoCal native who ended up at prep school in Ohio for a year before moving on to PSU. The two were, in fact, long-time teammates with the Anaheim Lady Ducks organization and both were part of the Ducks' appearances at nationals in 2009 (14U), 2010 and 2011 (Tier 1 16U). Both also attended the USA Hockey Select 17 national development camp over the summer, along with Jill Holdcroft, one of Penn State's previous verbals.

So why Gilmour?

It's a situation where Cantanzariti and Whitinger played for the Anaheim Lady Ducks AAA team, but they are going to be 17, and there really isn't a team for them to play for at that same level after the 16U team, [GA coach Rick] Filighera said.

"They needed to have an opportunity to play hockey going into their senior year, because it's going to be their recruiting year, and they wouldn't have had that opportunity," he said. "At the same time, they want to match it with great academics."

Cantanzariti and Whitinger became interested in Gilmour, because they played in showcase tournaments with previous Lady Lancers, Filighera said.

"Knowing of good players who had a good experience at Gilmour has helped get these other players to Gilmour," he said. "It goes hand in hand. It's recruiting. They recruit their friends, and then all these kids have the opportunity to play."

One of those friends now is undoubtedly Zinn, who also hails from the west coast - of Canada. She arrived at Gilmour from a Pacific Steelers organization that had a pretty rough go of things in JWHL play last year with a record of 5-20-2. Nevertheless, Zinn was the leading scorer on the team in JWHL games - her 23 points were seven clear of her closest teammate and more than double all but two Steelers. When the team did win, it was largely because of Zinn. She had a hat trick against the Boston Shamrocks on December 4th of last year, and burned the Shamrocks for five points on February 12th in two of the aforementioned five wins.

So far this season, Gilmour is 7-6-1 with all three PSU commits playing key roles. The Lancers are competing at the Bauer Invite in Rochester, NY through Sunday.