Commit Cycle: September 12 (Men)

Welcome back to Commit Cycle, the bi-weekly(-ish) look at Penn State's committed players and how they're doing with their present teams. The USHL is well into its preseason, while BCHL teams have actually played a couple of regular season games, so let's jump in.

Chase Berger

Forward
Tri-City Storm (USHL)
6'0", 190 pounds
St. Louis, MO
Class of 2015
DOB 11/14/1994

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
9/7	vs. Des Moines (ex)	L 1-4	-	-	-	-	Box Score
9/11	vs. Fargo (ex)	L 2-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score

Berger has made it into a couple Storm games before as a call-up from the team's affiliate list, but the 2011 Tri-City draft pick made his preseason debut as a full-time team member in a loss to Fargo at the USHL Fall Classic West in Sioux City, IA... for the game, he was a -1 and fired three shots on goal.

---

Kevin Kerr

Defenseman
Tri-City Storm (USHL)
5'11", 175 pounds
Bensalem, PA
Class of 2015
DOB 2/9/1996

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
9/7	vs. Des Moines (ex)	L 1-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score
9/11	vs. Fargo (ex)	L 2-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score

Like Berger, the seventh overall pick in the 2012 USHL Futures Draft has played for Tri-City before but is making his full-time move to the USHL this season... the Storm plays another game at the Fall Classic West this afternoon before closing out preseason with three more games against Des Moines, Lincoln and Omaha... the regular schedule opens September 28th with a home game against the Stars.

---

Alec Marsh

Forward
Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)
5'10", 175 pounds
Bridgewater, NJ
Class of 2015
DOB 11/28/1995

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
9/6	vs. Sioux Falls (ex)	L 4-5	-	-	-	-	Box Score
9/7	vs. Waterloo (ex)	L 0-4	-	-	-	-	Box Score
9/8	vs. Youngstown (ex)	W 5-3	-	-	-	-	Box Score
9/10	vs. Dubuque (ex)	W 5-3	-	-	-	-	Box Score

Big things are expected of Marsh in his second USHL season, but he's off to a non-existent start after missing the first four preseason games with Cedar Rapids, possibly due to an undisclosed injury.

---

Bo Pellah

Defenseman
Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL)
6'0", 160 pounds
New Westminster, BC
Class of 2014
DOB 5/25/1995

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
9/6	vs. Cedar Rapids (ex)	W 5-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score
9/7	vs. Youngstown (ex)	L 2-3	0	0	0	2	Box Score
9/8	vs. Muskegon (ex)	W 5-3	-	-	-	-	Box Score
9/11	vs. Omaha (ex)	W 4-3	0	0	0	0	Box Score

Pellah has left his native British Columbia and will give the USHL a shot before heading to Penn State, with the Sioux Falls Stampede... so far, he's held up very well, earning a good chunk of ice time in a a variety of situations, and he was also a +1 in each of the two wins involving his participation.

---

James Robinson

Forward
Langley Rivermen (BCHL)
6'1", 180 pounds
Cochrane, AB
Class of 2014
DOB 4/9/1994

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
9/6	vs. Trail	W 4-3	0	0	0	0	Box Score
9/8	vs. Merritt	W 1-0	0	0	0	0	Box Score

The BCHL does not offer detail on its exhibition results, but the Rivermen went 3-1-0 in its preseason schedule... Robinson contributed an opening-goal assist by driving the net against Coquitlam on August 25th and later added a similarly-dirty goal... he scored the 1-0 goal on August 31st against Powell River... the games that count began with a pair of tight Langley wins at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack.

Marsh, Berger, Kerr Make USHL Fall Rosters

2015 recruit Alec Marsh is looking for a follow-up to a solid rookie season in Cedar Rapids

Penn State commits Alec Marsh, Chase Berger and Kevin Kerr have all been asked to fall training camps by their respective USHL squads, including the Tri-City Storm (Berger and Kerr) and the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (Marsh).

Last week's invitations were extended following tryout camps held May 30th through June 2nd (Cedar Rapids) and June 19th through 21st (Tri-City). Teams don't tend to be very sharing concerning the happenings at those camps, although the Storm did provide several updates - notably including the fact that Berger scored twice in three games played by his Maroon Team, then added a goal and an assist in one of the all-star games to close things out. Obviously, the others played pretty well too.

Marsh is a veteran player, as he played 40 games for the RoughRiders last season alongside PSU freshman David Goodwin, scoring four times among his 11 points while seeing his ice time increase as the year proceeded. One-time Tri-City draft picks Kerr and Berger played primarily for their high school and midget major teams, although both have received the odd call-up from the affiliate list, as the two played a combined nine games for the Storm in 2011-2012 and 2012-2013.

The road isn't quite finished yet. This cutdown was designed for compliance with the USHL's July 10th roster limit of 30 players plus 18 affiliate list players. By the time the season starts, both teams will have to trim further, to 23 on the active roster and 18 affiliate listers. Preseason camps begin in August, with the regular season opening in late September.

While nothing is certain yet, it appears likely that all of Penn State's remaining commits - Bo Pellah, James Robinson and A.J. Greer - will spend 2013-2014 with their 2012-2013 teams, the Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL), Langley Rivermen (BCHL) and Kimball Union Academy (New England prep), respectively. Greer, who was picked by the Des Moines Buccaneers in Phase 2 of the USHL Draft back in May, is on that team's affiliate list. The Bucs have not put out a roster announcement yet, and while it wouldn't be surprising to see Greer at fall camp, his making the team this season would fall into that category.

Elsewhere, notables surviving USHL tryout camps included Matt Mendelson, a returning player with the Muskegon Lumberjacks and the brother of Nittany Lion women's player Cara Mendelson. Fellow Pittsburgh Hornets product Matt Miller, the long-time boyfriend of the women's team's Stephanie Walkom, is vying for a spot on the Youngstown Phantoms.

Kerr Enjoys Great Week at Select 17s

Although he missed out on the big prize at the end - selection to the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament - defense recruit Kevin Kerr completed a very successful six-day turn at the USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp in Williamsville, NY on Wednesday.

As a member of Team Gold, Kerr helped his squad to a 3-2-0-0 (W-L-OTW-OTL) record. A 5-1 win over Columbia Blue opened proceedings up on June 28th, and he assisted on the 1-1 goal with his team on the power play. The next day, he was held off the scoresheet in a 6-2 loss to Kelly Green, but Kerr bounced back to collect the only assists on the 1-0 and 2-1 goals on Sunday against Royal Blue, although Gold went on to lose 5-3. A stop-the-bleeding 5-1 win over Black on Monday saw an unspecified minor penalty by the Bensalem, PA native.

Kerr closed his team's schedule (Gold finished third in their five-team National Division, and only the two division winners advanced to a championship game) by scoring twice against Forest Green on Tuesday, including a late winner in a 5-4 victory. It was an effort that caught the attention of The Hockey News prospect guru Ryan Kennedy.

Kerr's five points in five games tied for tops on Gold, and through the pool stages of the camp (everything but the championship game) he was 18th in scoring among all players and best of the defensemen.

Not surprisingly, he was chosen to participate in the all-star game that closed camp, and his White topped Blue 3-2 in a shootout. The only blemish on the week, as mentioned, is that Kerr was not picked for the Team USA entry to the Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament, a roster populated by standouts from Select 17s. The tourney is an international U18 showcase that takes place every August and includes some pretty high-end talent - last year's gold medalists from Canada were paced by Nathan MacKinnon, the first overall pick in the NHL Entry Draft on Sunday.

His reaction to the snub was pretty mature:

One of his Gold teammates, defenseman Mat Harris, felt he was done wrong:

All in all though, not bad for competing against some of the top 1996 birth years out there. While NHL picks are no big deal for Penn State anymore*, look for Kerr to receive heavy consideration for next year's entry draft. It's probably fair to consider him the clubhouse leader to become PSU's fifth overall selection (third while affiliated with the university), although he's certainly not the only Nittany Lion who will be eligible.

The Tri-City Storm, which chose Kerr seventh overall in the 2012 USHL Futures Draft, will be the lucky recipient of his services this fall. Previously, the Team USA selection for the 2012 Youth Olympic Games enjoyed a successful run in the Team Comcast organization and with Holy Ghost Prep.

Next up: Hannah Ehresmann, a goalie scheduled to join the women's team in 2014, and the other Penn State commit set to participate in this year's USA Hockey camps. She will join the other Select U18s in St. Cloud, MN from July 10th through 16th.

* they still are

Kerr Earns Select 17s Nod

Kevin Kerr, a defense commit scheduled for 2014 or 2015 entry, has been picked for the prestigious USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp. The camp begins on Thursday, June 27th, and runs through July 3rd in Williamsville, NY.

Kerr earned his way in by successfully navigating a tryout festival in his home Atlantic District last month, an event that helps fill a predetermined allotment of players districts are allowed to advance to the national camp (the Atlantic District number for defensemen was five). Previously, Kerr attended both Select 15s and Select 16s while a member of those respective age groups.

Select 17s, as you might have guessed, are a heavily-scouted event, so playing well would give Kerr a shot in the arm for next year's NHL Entry Draft. It would also give him a strong argument for consideration by future USA Hockey teams, including the National Team Development Program, which may have a few slots open on their Under-18 team. Space is pretty limited there though, as the vast majority of the U18 squad is filled by players moving up from the Under-17 team (Kerr got a tryout for that team last year but didn't make it).

It's been a pretty good several days for the Bensalem, PA native. Last Wednesday through Friday, the seventh overall selection in the 2012 USHL Futures Draft was at the Tri-City Storm's tryout camp in Las Vegas. The Storm hasn't made an official roster announcement yet, but Kerr let it slip on Twitter that he will be one of the 25 players invited back in the fall after playing five games for the team last season over a couple of call-ups. Primarily, he was with the Team Comcast 18Us and Holy Ghost Prep in 2012-2013, with the former winning the Atlantic District title and advancing to the quarterfinals of the USA Hockey national championships.

PSU Commits Shine at USA Hockey Nationals

Chase Berger added presence - and points - for the Tier I 18U runner-up St. Louis AAA Blues

Forward commit Chase Berger, scheduled for a 2015 entry, came within eight seconds of a spectacular double Sunday afternoon at the USA Hockey Tier I 18U national championship game at Moon Township, PA's RMU/Island Sports Center. After winning the MSCHA title with Saint Louis University High School last month, he and his St. Louis AAA Blues teammates found themselves ahead of the Neponset Valley (MA) River Rats by a 3-2 count mere moments from a Cinderella title and an undefeated run through the entire tournament.

It was not to be. Neponset's Zach Sabatini pounded home a rebound goal to tie things, and Tyler Yates completed the reversal 4:19 into overtime, forcing Berger to settle for a silver medal.

Second place, however, isn't an accurate description of Berger's play throughout the championships, which ran from April 3rd through April 7th. His four points during the playoff rounds, in fact, tied for top honors among all players. Including all games, he produced eight points, including two goals and an assist against the Washington Little Capitals in the quarterfinals. He also notched one goal, one assist games in the round robin stage against Honeybaked and Team Comcast, which includes future teammate Kevin Kerr.

While Berger isn't huge by contemporary standards - he's listed as 6'0", 190 pounds on EliteProspects.com - he plays a big man's game. He's extremely strong on his skates, and in fact, only got knocked off of his feet or the puck once that I noticed in the semifinal against Honeybaked (and even there, it was only a partial, as he was volunteering himself to earn a zone clearance). He's solid on faceoffs thanks largely to that whole being hard to move thing and defensively responsible. With the puck, he's always looking to attack the net with the puck and without it, he creates a mess in front. In other words, he'll fit in great.

Berger, a 2011 USHL Entry Draft selection of the Tri-City Storm (a team, incidentally, owned by PSU forward Kenny Brooks' father Kirk), is expected to begin his junior career in Kearney, NE next season after playing in a pair of games with the team in a brief call up this year.

Speaking of fit, over in San Jose, CA, 2014 women's commit Remi Martin enjoyed a nice run herself in the Tier II 19U championships with the Colorado Tigers. The defender took home a bronze medal following a semifinal loss to the Michigan-based Keweenaw Storm. Before that, and thanks in part to Martin's four points over five tournament games, the Tigers won two of three round robin games, as well as a quarterfinal matchup with the Charles River (MA) Blazers that saw the Littleton, CO native pot the eventual winning goal in the second period. Martin, an outstanding skater, will instantly add several new dimensions to the Nittany Lions. She's a threat to go full end-to-end Bobby Orr from anywhere on the ice, which will in turn open things up for PSU's forwards in transition as forecheckers adjust.

In the Girls Tier I 19U tournament, also in San Jose, Buffalo Bisons defender Kelly Seward - who will arrive this fall - demonstrated her readiness to step right in and contribute with an extremely well-rounded game. In watching her games, the words that kept coming to mind were "steady" and "comfortable." The left-handed shot, simply put, made the right play just about every time and executes all facets of her position well. At 5'9", she also adds some much-needed size to PSU's blueliners - one of the hard lessons of the 2012-2013 season, after all, had to do with the way big forwards from teams like Mercyhurst and Robert Morris were able to control the middle of the ice.

After a promising 2-0 start that included a pair of Seward assists in a win over the New Jersey Colonials, the Bisons were blown out by Honeybaked, the alma mater of current team members Jordin Pardoski, Katie Murphy, Madison Smiddy and Birdie Shaw, in the final round robin game. That forced Buffalo into a lower seed and a tough quarterfinal matchup with powerful Shattuck-St. Mary's. Despite a valiant effort that saw a 0-0 score carried into the final minutes, Baylee Wellhausen's goal with 3:17 left and Taylor Crosby's 21-save shutout proved too much (Crosby, by the way, is the sister of noted SSM alumnus Sidney).

Kevin Kerr helped stretch the eventual champs to overtime in the Tier I 18U quarterfinals

Back in Pennsylvania and at the Tier I 18U boys tournament, Kerr's Team Comcast also bowed out in the quarterfinals with a 4-3 overtime loss to that eventual-champion Neponset Valley team. The 2015 entrant, prior to Bryan Platt's OT dagger, had sparked a rally from a late 3-1 deficit to force extra hockey by assisting on the 3-2 and 3-3 goals 19 seconds apart. On the latter, a laser of a stretch pass from the end boards in his own zone triggered a 2-on-1, an repeatedly-demonstrated element of Kerr's game that will undoubtedly mesh well with Guy Gadowsky's vertical preferences. Comcast, like Seward's Buffalo Bisons, was forced into that difficult game by a loss in the final round robin contest, 5-3 to Berger's Blues, after winning their first two games.

Kerr, the seventh overall pick of Tri-City in the 2012 USHL Futures Draft, played five games for the team this season as an affiliate list player and will join Berger on the Storm before the pair head to PSU after two more seasons.

Here's a rundown of the four Penn Staters to be, Commit Cycle style:

Chase Berger

Forward
St. Louis AAA Blues (Midget Major 18U)
6'0", 190 pounds
St. Louis, MO
Entering 2015
DOB 11/14/1994

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/3	vs. Cleveland Barons	W 4-3	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/4	vs. Detroit Honeybaked	W 6-2	1	1	2	0	Box Score
4/5	vs. Team Comcast	W 5-3	1	1	2	2	Box Score
4/6	vs. Wash. Little Capitals	W 4-1	2	1	3	0	Box Score
4/6	vs. Detroit Honeybaked	W 2-1	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/7	vs. N. Valley River Rats	L 3-4	0	1	1	0	Box Score

---

Kevin Kerr

Defenseman
Team Comcast (Midget Major 18U)
5'11", 162 pounds
Bensalem, PA
Entering 2015
DOB 2/9/1996

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/3	vs. Pgh. Penguins Elite	W 4-2	0	0	0	6	Box Score
4/4	vs. Buffalo Regals	W 3-2	0	1	1	2	Box Score
4/5	vs. St. Louis AAA Blues	L 0-6	0	1	1	2	Box Score
4/6	vs. N. Valley River Rats	L 3-4	0	2	2	2	Box Score

---

Remi Martin

Defender
Colorado Springs Tigers 19U
5'6" // Littleton, CO
Entering 2014
DOB 7/15/1996

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/3	vs. Washington Wild	W 2-0	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/4	vs. Big Sky Wildcats	W 2-1	0	1	1	0	Box Score
4/5	vs. East Coast Wizards	L 1-2	1	0	1	2	Box Score
4/6	vs. Charles River Blazers	W 3-1	1	1	2	0	Box Score
4/7	vs. Keweenaw Storm	L 1-2	0	0	0	0	Box Score

---

Kelly Seward

Defender
Buffalo Bisons 19U
5'9" // Williamsville, NY
Entering 2013
DOB 6/7/1995

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/3	vs. Team Pittsburgh	W 9-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/4	vs. New Jersey Colonials	W 5-3	0	2	2	0	Box Score
4/5	vs. Detroit Honeybaked	L 0-6	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/6	vs. Shattuck-St. Mary's	L 0-1	0	0	0	2	Box Score

Three Stars: July 9-15

3. USHL Announces 2012-13 Regular Season Schedule
(ushl.com)

BCHL releases 2012-13 regular season schedule
(bchl.ca)

The USHL and BCHL, which together will be home to at least five of PSU's current nine men's commits this season, both released their regular season schedules this week. Time to start looking for those weeknight games (so as not to conflict with Nittany Lions games) to watch on FastHockey.com.

2. Kevin Kerr Player Bio
(usahockey.com)

2014 D Kevin Kerr attended the prestigious USA Hockey Select 16 Player Development Camp last week, following 2015 F Alec Marsh, who was at Select 17s in late June, at a USA Hockey camp. Kerr scored his Forest Green team's only goal in a 5-1 loss to Orange, one of four suffered by the team against a single win. He missed the cut for the U.S. U17 team that will compete at the Five Nations Tournament next month, which is selected from camp participants.

1. @MarkHorgas
(Twitter)

Some say championships aren't won in July. Freshman women's forward Jill Holdcroft disagrees.

PS. I could not be more glad to see the giant PSU logo banners behind the benches, in light of the Nittany Lions taking over what was traditionally the visitor's bench this year - for those unfamiliar, that bench had some hideous artwork of a hockey player, figure skater and speed skater behind it. Well, presumably it's still there, just behind the banner. Good enough.

Best of the Rest

Class of 2012: Lamoriello, Modano, Olczyk
(usahockey.com)

Congratulations are due the most famous Penn State hockey dad since Craig Patrick: Ed Olczyk, who has been announced as part of the 2012 class of U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame inductees, with formal enshrinement scheduled for sometime this fall. Here's his bio from the link.

---

Eddie Olczyk was the third overall pick of the 1984 NHL Entry Draft by the Chicago Blackhawks and enjoyed a 16-year professional career. A member of the 1994 Stanley Cup champion New York Rangers, Olczyk's career was split between six teams, including the Chicago Blackhawks (1984-1987, 1998-2000), Toronto Maple Leafs (1987-1991), Winnipeg Jets (1991-1992, 1995-96), New York Rangers (1992-1995), Los Angeles Kings (1996) and Pittsburgh Penguins (1996-1998). All total, he notched 342 goals and 452 assists for 794 points in 1,031 games. Additionally, Olczyk represented the U.S. nine times on the international stage during his career, including as a member of Team USA at the 1984 Olympic Winter Games in Sarajevo, Yugoslavia, as a 17-year-old, where he skated on the famed "Diaper Line." He also helped Team USA to a second-place finish in the 1991 Canada Cup. A native of Palos Heights, Ill., Olczyk is the current lead game analyst for NHL on NBC and NHL on NBC Sports Network. Olczyk was also heard during the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver, including the gold-medal men's ice hockey contest, which was the most-watched hockey game in America in 30 years. Olczyk, who spent parts of two seasons behind the bench as head coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins from 2003-05, presently serves as the game analyst for Chicago Blackhawks television broadcasts.

---

So wait, he wasn't even on the Jets anymore when NHLPA '93 came out? If EA took liberties like that, why couldn't they just leave Ronnie Franchise on the Whalers?

Penn State alumni and friends give more than $208 million
(Penn State Live)

A dose of good news, both generally and in relation to the hockey programs: PSU received its second-highest gift total ever in the just-concluded fiscal year, as the $208 million figure trails only 2010-2011's $275 million. Part of the difference is due, of course, to Terry Pegula, who gave $44 million of his (initial) $88 million pledge during that particular period, followed by $22 million more last year.

Tempering that positivity is the fact that total commitments (gifts plus pledges of future gifts) are off by 37 percent, as Forbes points out. Some of that is also due to Pegula, but even taking him out, commitments are at their lowest level since 2005-2006. Still, for the time being - because who knows where the future takes us - I think it's fair to call PSU's donation base healthy. The continued engagement of Penn Staters in the school will definitely be something to keep an eye on, because interest in athletics is very obviously part of that.

Another crucial thing, as I've mentioned before, is the fate of the football program in light of the Freeh report released Thursday, because anything that damages it creates collateral damage throughout the athletic department.

@LULionsHockey
(Twitter)

Even if Penn State didn't have a varsity women's team, it would be kind of cool to see an old ACHA rival make things "we painted it on the ice" official with the CHA. But hey, good news, PSU's in the CHA too and will be playing on that surface on my birthday (November 16th, as well as the 17th). Happy birthday, me.

The new face of the CHA
(examiner.com)

Speaking of, here's a brief look at Penn State's conference...

Women's hockey head coach Scott McDonald earns a three-year contract extension
(ritathletics.com)

...as well as some coaching news involving a member team. I can just imagine Scott McDonald walking into RIT AD Lou Spiotti's office and saying "hey, who do I have to beat up to get a contract extension around here?"

Tess Weaver will continue to make No. 36 look good this season.

2012-13 Penn State Roster
(gopsusports.com)

Let's keep the women's string going with the observation that the roster has now added jersey numbers. Of the six members of last year's Lady Icers, four kept the same numbers. Jess Desorcie changed from 43 to 15, while captain Taylor Gross is now 24 instead of 48. Considering those two players wore their "new" numbers at their stops prior to joining PSU in the middle of last season, it's hardly stunning that they jumped on the chance to switch when it opened up. Former TYT interviewees Emily Laurenzi and Sarah Wilkie both got their previous numbers as well (20 and 21, respectively), so I'm good with everything.

Girgensons, Sabres Agree to Terms on Entry-Level Contract
(sabres.com)

Micheletto To UMass; Reports and FTT Opinion
(Fear The Triangle)

People frequently ask me my expectations for the coming men's season. My answer, in truth, is that I don't have the slightest clue. But given that 10 of the 35 games on the schedule are against ACHA or NCAA Division III opposition, I don't think "close to .500" is an unrealistic goal. "Close," in my definition, would be in the neighborhood of 14 wins (assuming a couple ties in there), meaning of course, that just four wins in 25 games against DI and the NTDP U18s gets us there - assuming that we don't get Wayne Stated by one of the ACHA teams. In addition, breaking off an unexpected, season-highlight type of win against a major-conference team is a secondary goal of mine.

Why do I mention all of that? Well, on January 19th, Penn State plays Hockey East's Vermont in Philadelphia. It's one of the more high-profile games on the schedule, and it stands a very good chance of being one of the three highest-attended games this season (I'm ceding first and second place to Wisconsin for the time being). However, UVM was a miserable 6-27-1 last year. UVM lost its two best players, leading scorer Sebastien Stalberg and goalie Rob Madore, from that team. UVM returns one player who scored 10 goals last year. UVM is now down their best recruit for the coming year and possibly an assistant coach as well. If the Lions are to chip off a major conference team this season in one of the seven or eight attempts, UVM would seem the definitive low-hanging fruit at the moment.

UPDATE: John Micheletto has been confirmed as the next UMass coach, with a press conference scheduled for Monday afternoon.

Michigan Daily Issues Statement, Stands By Report as Lawsuit Looms
(The United States of Hockey)

Remember last week when I mentioned the Jacob Trouba story, where the star defense prospect reportedly spurned a $200,000 offer from the OHL's Kitchener Rangers to stick with his Michigan commitment? Well, the Rangers are suing the (student) reporter and (student) paper who broke the story. Chris Peters has been all over this, so rather than fire off a paragraph of half-baked analysis, I'll just direct you over there. In a nutshell, the Rangers are douchebags and idiots (my words, not Peters').

Hockey City Classic scheduled for Soldier Field in February 2013
(USCHO)

It's finally been confirmed that on February 17, 2013, Notre Dame will play Miami and Wisconsin will take on Minnesota in a doubleheader at Chicago's Soldier Field, dubbed the Hockey City Classic. Here's hoping for a strong attendance number, both because of the hope I'm still carrying that the Big Ten tournament will be in the Windy City in the future and because it might get Northwestern and/or Illinois to think long and hard about things.

abbeydufoe
(Instagram)

Sometimes it's nice to be reminded that Penn State isn't a horrible place. Thanks, Abbey.

Three Stars: April 30-May 6

3. Black Hawks rout Stars, take 2-1 series lead
(wcfcourier.com)

Penticton Vees 2 - Humboldt Broncos 3
(hockeycanada.ca)

For the sake of staying in touch with the two men's recruits still playing, here's a quick status check:

2013 G Eamon McAdam hasn't played for the Waterloo Black Hawks during their USHL playoff run (he's the no. 2 goalie behind Stephon Williams), but the team is one win away from meeting the Green Bay Gamblers in the Clark Cup finals. Game four of their best-of-five Western Conference final series with Lincoln is Monday night.

Meanwhile, 2012 F Curtis Loik and his Penticton Vees have found themselves in early trouble at the 2012 Royal Bank Cup. The Vees opened with a 2-1 loss to the Soo Thunderbirds on Saturday (Loik had a charging penalty in the game), then fell in overtime to the Humboldt Broncos Sunday night. At 0-2 so far, Penticton will need to win their last two round robin games (Tuesday against the Woodstock Slammers and Wednesday against the Portage Terriers) to make the tournament's semifinals and with a decent seed.

2. April was Nice Trip Down Memory Lane
(statecollege.com)

Joe Battista's column wasn't primarily about hockey, but he's always a nice read regardless. Here's one of the hockey parts, just to keep on topic.

April came to a close with the annual American Hockey Coaches Convention and Big Ten Hockey meetings in Naples, Fla. It was the 25th time I have attended the meetings and this one was even more special with our entry into the NCAA beginning next year for our teams.

One of our best players to ever wear a Penn State jersey, Alon Eizenman, was inducted into the ACHA Hall of Fame on Saturday morning. As he gave his outstanding speech about his career and education at Penn State, tears rolled down my cheeks. He was one of many amazing young men I had the privilege to coach at PSU, and his heartfelt words meant the world to me and my wife.

1. With Hard Work, Comes Reward
(penguins.nhl.com)

About a month ago, I gave a Darby Kern interview on the very same Pittsburgh Youth Hockey Network first star honors, and said "if only they'd decide to hit Jill Holdcroft next week." Well, it took a couple weeks longer than I had hoped but here it is. Only problem: a picture of any value for replacing her brutal headshot was not included.

So...Steph Walkom next?

Best of the Rest



Penn State Ice Rink: Preparation For NCAA Hockey 
(YouTube)

For whatever reason, the Greenberg Ice Pavilion was front and center this week. Some guy named Christopher Gammon produced this video, which gets Bill Downey and rink manager Chris Whittemore on camera to essentially say "we're not going to spend much money prepping the rink for NCAA hockey, because there's no point to doing so when we're moving in a year." So why the video? <shrug>

Melting the Ice: Unlocking the Potential of The Greenberg Ice Pavilion
(tumblr.com)

Here's an in-depth look (with quotes!) at the three predominant options for Greenberg: a) demolish it, b) gut it and turn the place into a high-performance training facility and c) take out the ice and put in some sport court. This might just be the sentimental sap in me speaking, but c please.

Storm draft day an unforgettable event
(Kearney Hub)

A first-person account from the Tri-City Storm's war room during their drafting of a 2014 defense commit at the USHL Futures Draft last Tuesday.

The most nerve-wracking moment was when the team drafting ahead of them was making its pick, because they Storm knew who they were going to take. When it became clear the Storm had the player they wanted — Kevin Kerr from Team Comcast U16 — in the first round, there were high fives, cheers and relief.

The ECHL's Johnstown Chiefs (now known as the Greenville Road Warriors) were the last primary tenant of the Cambria County War Memorial, as PSU's director of hockey operations can attest.

City gets preview of new hockey team
(Johnstown Tribune-Democrat)

If you haven't heard yet, Johnstown, PA will be the home of a sparkly-new (well, relocated) franchise in the Tier II Junior A NAHL next season. Very cool. Hopefully someday soon, the legendary barn graced by Reg Dunlop and Ned Braden will be home to a future Penn Stater.

Hakstol Makes Coaching Staff Change
(College Hockey News)

Tumult at North Dakota. I don't hate it.

Storm Select Kerr Seventh in USHL Futures Draft

Team Comcast defenseman Kevin Kerr, a 2014 Penn State commit, was the seventh overall selection by the Tri-City Storm in the USHL Futures Draft Tuesday evening. The Futures Draft involves assigning the USHL rights of the top 1996 birth year players. Most won't play in the USHL in 2012-2013 but instead will be on a team's affiliate list with the idea of giving continued development time at a lower level.

“We feel Kerr is a perfect fit for us,” said Storm GM/Head Coach Josh Hauge. “We like our D to get up in the play and be active. He has creativity and defends well.”

He also said that Kerr was the top-rated player on his team's draft board.

“We are very excited,” added Hauge about the draft. “It went pretty much how we expected it to for the most part. We actually got guys that we had penciled in for earlier rounds later in the draft. Overall, we got great value for where we selected guys.”

Kerr, a Bensalem, PA native, played for both the Team Comcast 16U and Holy Ghost Prep in 2011-2012. He was also a member of Team USA for January's Youth Olympic Games, registering an assist in six games.

The Storm, which is based in Kearney, NE, is the USHL team of incoming freshman forward Kenny Brooks, whose 15 goals and 27 assists were good for second on the team in scoring. Tri-City went 26-33-1 this season to make the Clark Cup playoffs, but quickly exited in the first round. The team is owned by Brooks' father, Kirk Brooks.

Three Stars: March 5-11

3. It's in the blood: Penn State freshman following in his father's footsteps
(Centre Daily Times)

I always feel a little guilty using stuff from early in the week, because I'm always convinced you've all seen it already and I'm just wasting your time, but here you go: if you didn't see it, the CDT wrote a hockey article. Specifically, a profile on Tommy Olczyk. Enjoy.

2. MACH ‘Brawl’: 23rd Win in Row Gives Ice Lions Title
(hockeyyall.com)

Before heading to Fort Myers, FL in search of an ACHA national championship this week, the Ice Lions first took care of business in the MACHA by defeating UMBC 4-3 in the league's championship game on Saturday. Get on the bandwagon now, these guys have a legit shot at Penn State hockey's only national championship this season. And check your preconceived "JV squad" notions at the door - the Ice Lions beat ACHA D1 tournament team Drexel this year and gave ACHA D1 semifinalist Lindenwood all they wanted as well. They're a great team, and you'll have fun watching them (for free, FastHockey.com, starting Friday morning at 9:15 against Siena), promise. Besides, what else are you going to do?

1. W1 National Championships
(achahockey.org)

If you haven't heard by now, Northeastern won the ACHA Women's Division 1 national championship on Sunday, beating Minnesota 3-1. Huskies goalie Chelsea Dietz was named tournament MVP. The Lady Icers' conference, the ECWHL, represented well at the tournament, with UMass (that school that didn't deserve to be there over PSU) joining NU in the semifinals.

One more time, then I'll leave the horse for dead: Penn State went a combined 4-2-1 against the two ACHA semifinalists on their schedule (2-2-0 against the new national champs) and won the regular season title of the league all three have in common. They deserved to be in Wooster, and I deserved to be there covering it as obsessively as I did the men's tournament. Even without Sara Chroman and Jess Desorcie, they certainly would not have fared worse than Michigan, which was waxed by a combined 13-3 in their three pool games before heading home.

Best of the Rest

National Team Development Program 2012 Evaluation Camp Invitees [PDF]
(USA Hockey)

Since it's the off week for Commit Cycle and since this is pretty big news: 2014 Penn State defense recruit Kevin Kerr has been invited to the NTDP evaluation camp, which begins on March 19th. If you're not familiar, the NTDP (which is based in Ann Arbor, MI) is a USA Hockey operation designed to centralize the training and development of the best American prospects. From a college hockey recruiting standpoint, these guys are the best of the best, your five-star recruits. So having a first-ever NTDPer in the fold (at least until major junior poaches him...kidding...kind of) would be a nice milestone for the program.

By the way, outgoing Icers senior Nick Seravalli (who has a prep school, Holy Ghost Prep in Bensalem, PA, in common with Kerr) offered a quick scouting report via Twitter last week.

On Feuds and Rainbows
(College Hockey News)

Speaking of major junior, this is one of the most on-point things I've ever read concerning the ongoing war between college hockey and the preferred system of our neighbors to the north.

Teenager From Hockey Family Tries to Rise in Tennis Ranks
(nytimes.com)

Jessie Pegula, the tennis-playing daughter of Terry and Kim, gets a nice look here. Now that she's 18, Sabrefan's obsession with her is still creepy but at least it's no longer illegal.

Brandywine Ice Hockey wins DVCHC Championship!
(psubrandywineathletics.com)

Slugworth approves.

Marsh Steps Down at St. Lawrence; Carvel Named Replacement
(College Hockey News)

Best wishes in retirement to legendary SLU coach Joe Marsh, whose esophageal issues forced his season-long leave to become permanent. A couple of (very) tenuous PSU tie-ins:

• Greg Carvel, the new full-time coach and a former Ottawa Senators assistant, interviewed for the Penn State job, although he wasn't a finalist.
• While recounting some favorite lines from the highly-quotable Marsh, CHN dropped this one, said after a shootout was used to decide the ECAC third-place game between the Saints and Princeton: "We'd have been better off if Guy and I played a game of Canasta at center ice." "Guy," of course, is Guy Gadowsky.
• In 1999-2000, St. Lawrence was the favorite NCAA team of many Icers fans. That season, they defeated now-defunct Wayne State 3-2 and 5-3, then advanced to the Frozen Four. Behind legendary players Joe McDudle, Rob Shamer, Todd Dukan and Nel Price (click the link if you don't get it), the Icers beat Wayne State by a more decisive 5-2 that same year. Before all of this NCAA stuff became a reality, people used to get excited over things like that.

@philedwards6
(Twitter)

Here's your Twitter drama of the week. On Wednesday, Icers Nittany Lions goalie P.J. Musico tweeted that he had made his first-ever trip to Wawa, and that he was "not impressed." Fair enough. As someone who has spent his whole life either at Penn State or west of State College (aka "Sheetz territory"), I've only been once myself. While I found it decent, I really don't see the big deal. Is Wawa better than Sheetz? No. Is Sheetz better than Wawa? No. Why? They're the same damn thing. You punch an order into a screen at a place that doubles as a gas station, you get food that is fantastic for gas station food, but below average for restaurant food. It's certainly not the type of place that should inspire a response to Musico's tweet like...

Really, Phil Edwards? That's how you're going to play that? A couple quick pieces of knowledge for you:

1. Matt Skoff is the only (known) goalie coming in next year to this point. Hockey teams have more than one goalie.
2. Musico doesn't suck either. He'll be fine.
3. Get to Home Depot and buy yourself some new hinges. The old ones have obviously come undone if you're pushing that button over someone giving your favorite gas station a "meh" review.

Three Stars: February 13-19

3. Blasting to begin at new ice arena site; disturbance to be minimal
(Penn State Live)

I'm starting to regret my life choices now that I know there are people out there who create explosions for the purpose of setting up an ice arena's foundation. Regardless, blasting began today and will continue for approximately six weeks.

2. Kerr Commits to Penn State
(College Hockey Inc.)

The biggest casualty of my breaking the TYT hard drive after an Ice Lions game on February 11th was the usual commit post on Team Comcast d-man Kevin Kerr. Fortunately, Paul Kelly's someone else's gang picked me up in that department. Kerr, who looks to join the program in 2014, is one of the bigger scores to date for Guy Gadowsky and his staff.

1. @VinnieChant
(Twitter)

I could have gone a lot of different routes in handing THON first star this week - the fantastic routines of both the men's and women's teams at Saturday night's pep rally, your garden-variety photo of a colorfully packed Bryce Jordan Center or, of course, the eye-popping final count of $10,686,924.83. Sometimes, though, the smaller moments have more impact - like when Icers forward Josh Daley played catch with Colton, the team's THON child.

Best of the Rest

@TYTBlog
(Twitter)

In terms of promotional impact, getting on the local telecast of a Lake Erie Monsters-Rochester Americans AHL game isn't really the pinnacle of...well, anything. Still, it's pretty cool.

PSU Hockey Eligibility Matrix
(Google Documents)

Friend of TYT Andrew Dzurita (of Lions 247 fame) has attempted to put together an eligibility matrix for the men's program, including current players and recruits entering in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Spoiler alert: things are getting packed quite tightly, with surely more players to follow.

Building has started on Penn State hockey rink
(philly.com)

A well-done article by an outlet with a large readership means some nice publicity. Works for me.

Mercyhurst senior Jill Szandzik, a refugee from Wayne State's defunct program, scored the first two goals in the Lakers' 3-0 win over Robert Morris to clinch first place in the CHA.

Mercyhurst women clinch 10th straight CHA regular-season title
(goerie.com)

The Lakers held off a strong challenge from Robert Morris and have now stood as the CHA's hegemon for an entire decade. MU will try to match that regular season run with a tenth consecutive tournament title on March 2nd and 3rd at RMU.

Time running short for MSUM hockey decision
(WDAY)

Minnesota State-Moorhead is still trying to start a DI hockey program and still doesn't have enough money to do so. A completely meaningless, self-imposed deadline will likely pass at the end of the month, at which time MSUM will either give up or create a new fake deadline. Enthralling, yes?

Should Kansas Add Division One Ice Hockey?
(Rock Chalk Talk)

No. Stop it.