Three Stars: June 24-30

3. Hockey or Football on Homecoming weekend? Penn State question of the day
(PennLive)

The brand-new Pegula Ice Arena will open its doors for the first NCAA hockey contest in its history, featuring the Nittany Lions against Army Friday night, Oct. 11. The next day is State's annual Homecoming game, and it should be a must-see game, as well, with Michigan coming to town for a 5 p.m. kick.

If you could only attend one game that weekend, which would it be? That is the Penn State question of the day.

Yes, I'm biased, but how is this even a question? Penn State football will play Michigan at home again in 2015. Penn State hockey will not be opening the ice arena that the university has needed for 100 years again in 2015.

2. A look back at highlights from the 2012-13 Penn State ice hockey season
(Stack the Pads)

Nothing wrong with a peek back before plowing forward, and Derek Meluzio has you covered in that department with photos, videos and memories galore.

1.Gibsonia’s Saad celebrates as Stanley Cup champion
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

As I'm sure you know, the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup last Monday with a stunningly quick game six rally in Boston to flip the result of a contest that previously looked like it would push the championship series to a seventh game. You probably also know that rookie Hawks forward Brandon Saad, a Pittsburgh-area native, is the younger brother of George Saad, who just completed his senior year with the NCAA Nittany Lions after three with the ACHA Icers. Regardless, it's not every day that a Penn Stater gets to celebrate on the ice with the Cup, so you can stand to hear it again.

Here's hoping the scene is duplicated someday, except with the Penn Stater in the beard and uniform. And involving pretty much any team besides the Blackhawks. The Islanders, Blues, Caps and Canucks would all work under the right circumstances.

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@BattistaJoseph
(Twitter)

Your weekly PIA photo, combined with some news:

Successful test of the Ice plant at Pegula Ice Arena & raised scoreboard to the rafters! 72 days until we move in!

Seventy-two days from the June 26th tweet is Friday, September 6th. Going to go ahead and guess that not a whole lot of work is getting done on University Drive that afternoon.

Ohio State recruits Tyler Sheehy, Jack Dougherty decommit after Mark Osiecki firing
(Bucky's 5th Quarter)

Have I mentioned lately that I think the Buckeyes' stunning ejection of head coach Mark Osiecki a couple months ago was a huge mistake? Thanks to some great reporting from B5Q's Andy Johnson, we now know that OSU is up to five decommits since the coaching change. Zach Stepan, a teammate of Eamon McAdam with the Waterloo Black Hawks last season and a 2012 Nashville Predators draft pick, was the big blow in my opinion, but based on what I know about Tyler Sheehy, Jack Dougherty, Cliff Watson and Nolan Valleau... well, Osiecki wasn't a terrible recruiter, put it that way.

2013 NHL Mock Draft: NCAA Women’s Hockey Edition
(The Hockey Writers)

Hypothetical funsies: What if NHL teams were only allowed to draft women's NCAA players? The sole CHA player to be "selected" was Mercyhurst forward/conference player of the year Christine Bestland, as she went off the board 19th to Columbus, using the pick acquired from the Rangers as part of the Rick Nash trade. Don't ask me why trades of male players still count in a women-only league.

Arena's ice rink test hits its goal
(Lincoln Journal Star)

Pinnacle Bank Arena, the soon-to-be-open palace for Nebraska men's and women's basketball, is able to maintain a sheet of ice. If you need it. Anyone still want to argue for Illinois being the next Big Ten school to add hockey?

There actually is a counterpoint, though. At a listed capacity of 12,700 with the ice in, it's a little large for college hockey, and as a multi-purpose arena, Huskers hockey wouldn't have it whenever it wants. Wisconsin recently built a pricey ($27.9 million) auxiliary ice facility to combat similar issues with the Kohl Center. Ohio State suffers from that issue as well with Value City Arena, but with a less luxurious back-up, the OSU Ice Rink. In a world where Pegula Ice Arena is the new bar, is it really smart to enter NCAA hockey with a less-than-ideal facilities situation?

Gophers' Condon Talks Big Ten Hockey
(WSAW)

Someone affiliated with the University of Minnesota men's hockey program, senior center Nate Condon, is excited about the Big Ten. I don't really expect him to survive the week up there, but good luck bud.

The Meek Shall Inherit The Ice: Small colleges making it to the NCAA Frozen Four
(USA Hockey Magazine)

A nice look at how the little guys get it done on the game's biggest stage despite the presence of behemoth programs.

It's bound to change at least a little bit in time, but the article is interesting to me in part because Penn State reads more like a small-school program right now. The Lions are still heavy on mid-range prospects and four-year guys and light on the one-and-dones that characterize schools like Michigan and Wisconsin.



Eamon McAdam 2013 NHL Draft Prospect
(YouTube)

Generally, I'm taking a pass on NHL Entry Draft stuff here - most of the pre-gamers are out of date, the aftermath has and will be covered in other posts - but hey, highlights are timeless.

Goalies coach and Lancaster native Darren Hersh celebrates Kelly Cup title with Reading Royals
(lancasteronline.com)

Darren Hersh, the Icers' goaltending coach from 2000 through 2003, has had quite an interesting career - including a recent ECHL championship with the Reading Royals.

"I feel incredibly lucky to have been a part of the special team that the Royals had this past season," Hersh said. "I hardly remember hoisting the Cup, because everything was a blur during the on-ice celebration. Honestly, there have been only a few other times in my life that I can remember being as happy as I was at that moment."

Oh, and because you can do things like this in hockey: two degrees of Eamon McAdam. Jay Williams, mentioned in the article and now at Miami University, is a former student at Hersh's goalie academy. McAdam and Williams were Waterloo Black Hawks teammates from 2010 through 2012.

2013-2014 Arizona Wildcat Hockey Schedule
(arizonawildcathockey.org)

The ACHA Division 1 Arizona Wildcats' schedule for the coming campaign includes a home series against York University, a CIS school. That one should be a nice measuring stick for both the rebuilding program and for the ACHA as a whole. The Icers lost to the then-Yeomen (they're called the Lions now, unfortunately) 6-1 on January 3rd, 2001. More recently, the CIS' University of British Columbia beat the ACHA's Arizona State and Oklahoma 8-2 and 4-3 (OT) in a holiday showcase on December 28th and 29th of last season.

Brianne McLaughlin named to 2014 Olympic hockey roster
(City of Champions)

Finally, congratulations to Robert Morris alumna-turned-assistant coach Brianne McLaughlin, who will once again serve as the CHA's only representative on the United States' Olympic entry for women's hockey next year in Sochi, Russia. The goalie was on the silver medal winning squad at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and also has a pair of gold medals from the Women's World Championships (2011 and 2013).

Three Stars: February 11-17

PSU signee Laura Bowman - a Minnesota Ms. Hockey semifinalist - propelled Minnetonka to states.

3. Penn State Women's Ice Hockey Feature
(BTN)

I tend to avoid things that were tweeted or otherwise distributed by the fine folks in PSU athletic communications (figuring most of you have probably already seen said things), but this one's worth ignoring that guideline. Hats off to BTN for spotlighting women's hockey despite it not technically being a Big Ten thing, and hats off to Josh Brandwene, Lindsay Reihl, Nicole Paniccia and others for letting the camera zoom about half an inch from the side of their faces.

2. Penn State hockey team has plenty of Pittsburgh flavor
(WTAE)

Speaking of video features, here's one on the men's team, with a focus on the Pittsburgh connections of several players. The story also comes with a photo gallery, as well as the extended version of the interviews with George Saad, Tommy Olczyk and Michael Longo. Oh, and a Pegula Ice Arena tour.

1. Minnetonka girls' hockey roars back on Benilde
(Minneapolis Star Tribune)

For those who don't follow this blog's Twitter account, I'm unapologetically really, really into the Minnesota girls high school playoffs. And why shouldn't I be? The legendary state tournament, at St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center this Wednesday through Saturday, will feature four Penn State recruits: Laura Bowman (Minnetonka) and Amy Petersen (Minnetonka), who are signed for next season, as well as Hannah Ehresmann (Minnetonka) and Christi Vetter (Lakeville North) who are committed for 2014-2015. A fifth PSU recruit, Edina's Sarah Nielsen, lost in her sectional final for the right to join the other four.

Anyway, Minnetonka reached the state tournament in dramatic fashion Friday night, by rallying from a late 2-0 hole against powerful Benilde-St. Margaret's to win 3-2 in the Section 6AA championship game. PSU recruits were key to to comeback, as Petersen had a goal and an assist on the Skippers' first two goals, and Bowman scored the winner on the power play with less than three minutes remaining. Both are quoted in the linked recap.

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Photo: Jim Rosvold/USCHO

Wisconsin defeats Minnesota at Soldier Field
(uwbadgers.com)

The latest in an (over?) saturated schedule of outdoor games: Wisconsin topped Minnesota 3-2 at Chicago's Soldier Field Sunday night in front of 52,051. The game was the back half of the Hockey City Classic doubleheader, which featured a Notre Dame win over Miami in the opener.

The Badgers' next games, of course, are on the 24th and 25th when they host Penn State, in the season-capping series for the Nittany Lions. UW will then close out their regular season with four games against the present first (St. Cloud State) and second (Nebraska-Omaha) place teams in the WCHA. In other words...

Bringing another sport tradition to Indiana
(The Exponent)

Husker Hockey isn't Coming to The B1G Anytime Soon, But It Does Exist in Club Form
(Corn Nation)

Elsewhere in the Big Ten, last week was unofficially "we're not starting hockey" week in the conference, as articles from both Purdue and Nebraska - the Huskers are generally considered one of the more likely candidates - threw cold water on the hopes of puck fans at both schools.

I continue to be of the belief that anyone waiting for the conference to grow beyond the present six will be on that for quite a while, but feel free to argue with me in the comments. Not all discussions interest me but this one does, maybe because Penn State was central to it for so long.

2013 M1 National Tournament
(achahockey.org)

The field for the first ACHA Division 1 national championship tournament without Penn State - I'm sorry, but you're wrong if you don't feel at least a little strange about that - was announced last Wednesday via a streaming broadcast that, in one of the most #ACHAproblems moments ever, was cut short by technical difficulties an hour in. The three ACHA opponents from this season all made it of course, with Arizona State seeded second, Ohio fourth and Oklahoma sixth. Delaware, which has had an up-and-down title defense season, is tenth, and other familiar foes like Illinois (seventh), Oakland (11th), Iowa State (12th), Rhode Island (17th) and Rutgers (18th) are sprinkled throughout.

For whatever its worth, ISU and Ohio are now tied with Penn State with a record 21 nationals appearances. The Icers appeared at every tournament from 1992 (the first season for it) though 2012, while the Cyclones previously missed in 2011 and the Bobcats were absent in 1993.

HWAA 2013: State-by-State MVPs
(College Hockey Inc.)

This past Friday through Sunday was Hockey Weekend Across America, and to celebrate, CHI put together a state-by-state list college hockey MVPs. PSU's not represented (Boston College goaltender Parker Milner, a Pittsburgh native, is PA's MVP), but I'm more interested in the table below the map, which shows the total numbers of DI players by state. Pennsylvania's 69 are fifth, behind the three Ms (Minnesota, Michigan, Massachusetts) and New York. Not too shabby.



High School Goalie Scores on Own Net, Flips Off Bench, and Leaves
(Western College Hockey Blog)

Simply put, one of the more bizarre things I've ever seen. Austin Krause, a goaltender at Farmington High School in Minnesota, used the occasion of his Senior Day to express how he felt about losing playing time to a sophomore this year. It's all there in a glorious video, but with his team up 2-1 with about three minutes remaining, Krause deliberately played the puck into his own net to tie the game, then left the ice while flipping his bench the Birdie Shaw. The own-goal proved pretty important, as Krause's backup gave up a late power play goal, and Farmington lost 3-2.

I kind of want to know what happened afterwards, though. There is absolutely no way Krause got undressed and out of there before someone followed him back to the locker room, is there?

Three Stars: October 15-21

Penn State's mastadonic win over RIT Saturday night boosted the Nittany Lions in the meaningless early-season PWR. Photo: Omar Phillips/USCHO

3. Another Great Night in Hockey Valley
(statecollege.com)

Do I put Joe Battista's column in the top three every single week? Sure seems like it. But why wouldn't I?

2. Shaw brings multiple aspects to women's hockey squad
(The Daily Collegian)

I've been very impressed with the work of both the men's and women's writers at the Collegian so far this season, including this feature on freshman women's forward Birdie Shaw.

So how does someone get to be known as "Birdie?"

Shaw was born Samantha Shaw but never went by that name. Shaw said her brother struggled to pronounce her name and it came out something like “Manta-bird.” Her father picked it up and kept referring to her as Birdie since she was three months old.

Is it just me or do a ridiculous number of sports nicknames start with a sibling mispronunciation?

1. Men’s Division I PairWise Rankings
(USCHO)

Eventually, when it's needed (or when I'm less lazy about it), I'm going to write a post explaining the PairWise Rankings (often called PWR) for Penn Staters who are either new to college hockey or only familiar with the ACHA's coaches poll as a method for national championship tournament selection.

The essential knowledge, for now, is that PWR is an objective means used to award NCAA Tournament at-large bids. It takes every team in the country with an RPI over .500 (called Teams Under Consideration or TUC in PWR parlance) and compares them to each other in four different categories: RPI, record against other TUCs, record against common opponents and head-to-head record. The number of comparisons won by each team are then counted up, and the TUCs are then ranked in that order. Here's how that process stood after the games of this past weekend:

Luckily, DIII games don't count towards PWR.

Penn State won 19 comparisons of the 25 possible (there are 26 total TUCs, I'm not showing all of them) to rank seventh in the country. So the Nittany Lions would be in the 16-team NCAA Tournament if the teams were picked right now.

As with many statistically-based endeavors, the PairWise relies on a sufficient volume of data, which simply doesn't exist at this point of the season. Basically, don't take it too seriously - and taking it at all seriously is "too" seriously - it's just for fun right now. But it is fun, so first star to that.

Best of the Rest

Three Rivers Classic
(consolenergycenter.com)

Well, the Three Rivers Classic has a logo. It's black and gold yellow and incorporates a bridge. Didn't see that coming.

Diaper Line Reunites In Dallas
(usahockey.com)

PSU hockey dad Ed Olczyk was formally inducted into the U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame last Monday, as you probably know by now. He was joined at the ceremony by Dave Jensen, his linemate on the 1984 U.S. Olympic Team and yep, another PSU hockey dad. The third member of the line was a guy named Pat LaFontaine.

Nittany Lion goalie Matt Skoff talks about historic first game for Penn State
(Stack the Pads)

A quick Q-and-A with Matt Skoff regarding his experience starting the first game of the NCAA era.

New chapter for Tiger hockey begins with construction of Gene Polisseni Center
(rit.edu)

I've mentioned it a few times already, but one more (with renderings) won't hurt: RIT officially broke ground on their new arena on Friday afternoon, the day before playing (and losing to!) Penn State in their homecoming game. The Polisseni Center will open for the 2014-2015 season, cost $35 million and hold 4,150 fans.

UNO to seek $10 million from city, 'others' toward cost of arena
(Omaha World-Herald)

Meanwhile, UNO looks like they want in on the arena party as well, although they're still way back in the "get the money straightened out" phase of the process.

NCAA Reduces Nic Kerdiles' One-Year Suspension to 30% of Season
(Bucky's 5th Quarter)

I stopped caring about this story at some point last week, but just to close the book on it (since it received an entry in each of the last couple Three Stars posts), Nic Kerdiles' season-long suspension handed down by the NCAA was reduced to 10 games on appeal. He's most likely staying at Wisconsin, as opposed to jumping to the WHL. Oh, and the issue may not have been the blurry photos of Kerdiles holding Sheetz coffee BioSteel tweeted by agent Ian Pulver, it might have been Pulver's paying for Kerdiles' hotel room at the NHL Entry Draft.

Could Nebraska Start a B1G Hockey Team?
(Corn Nation)

Nebraska's SBNation site generated a lot of buzz last week with this roundtable discussion on the possibility of the Huskers starting a DI hockey program which would, of course, play in the Big Ten. Spoiler alert: if you're looking for definitive answers, you're in the wrong place. If you're looking for as thorough of an exploration as you'll ever see on the issue, then click through.

In my opinion, Nebraska will get NCAA hockey eventually, but among Big Tenners, I think Ohio State, Indiana and Illinois are ahead of the Huskers in line.

UPDATE: I'm told Ohio State actually has a DI team already. Sorry for the confusion.



Dylan McLaughlin Goal vs Green Bay- October 13, 2012
(YouTube)

2015 Penn State commit Alec Marsh assisted on this ridiculous goal (he's the center who kicks it wide to McLaughlin), which made SportsCenter's Top 10. SportsCenter, not SportsCentre, so you know it's legit.

Frozen Four 2014: Philly one step closer to also hosting D3 college championship
(Broad Street Hockey)

We're very, very close to making what I'll call the Weekend of Face-Melting Awesomeness (DIII and DI national championships at the same site on the same weekend) official. Philadelphia, as a face-meltingly awesome city, is appropriately in line to host the inaugural edition.

Bucs Forward Commits to St. Lawrence University
(ushl.com)

Fortunately, PSU recruiting misses haven't come up too often to the best of my knowledge. However Michael Marnell, a forward with the USHL's Des Moines Buccaneers who has two points in six games so far this year (as a 17-year-old, it should be said), committed to St. Lawence last week after considering the Nittany Lions.



You Can Play - Miami University Hockey
(YouTube)

Know what would make my year? If Penn State joined numerous other hockey teams in producing a video in support of the You Can Play Project, which promotes acceptance of gay athletes in sports.

Thanks for reading
(Inside College Hockey)

Finally, Sunday night was a sad one for college hockey's internet presence, as Inside College Hockey - commonly called INCH - announced that it was shutting down full-time operations after ten years. The move, while unfortunate, was not particularly surprising. The site had struggled to produce fresh, consistent content for the last couple seasons, to the point where referring to the "Big Three" college hockey sites (as was generally done, with USCHO and College Hockey News being the other two) had become a little generous to INCH. Still, at its peak, the site was unsurpassed in quality, and its podcast was essential for college hockey aficionados.

The writers have set up a new site - inchwriters.com - which will continue to be updated with some content, although "posts (and podcasts) there may be sporadic, at least relative to what you’re accustomed to [on INCH]."

Three Stars: February 20-26

3. Pegula Ice Arena Construction - Feb. 22
(YouTube)

Here's a quick look at the PIA site as it appeared last Wednesday, on day three of blasting. You're welcome for my linking directly to YouTube and bypassing Tony Mancuso.

2. Icers' Jensen inspired by his mom's cancer
(The Daily Collegian)

Simply put, a must read from Christine Newby on defenseman Nate Jensen's motivation to become involved with THON - his mother.

1. Icers Primer: The ACHA Tournament (Part 1, Part 2)
(Black Shoe Diaries)

IcersGuy is in the midst of a fantastic ACHA national championship tournament preview over on BSD. The first installment of the TYT version drops tomorrow, but while you're waiting, read the first two parts of his. And make sure you check back over there on Thursday for the conclusion to the trilogy.

Best of the Rest

Paul Kelly will now find a new banner to hang behind him.

College Hockey Inc. needs quick rebound
(Shooting for the Show)

Unquestionably, the biggest story in college hockey last week was the sudden resignation of Paul Kelly from his post as head of College Hockey Inc. amidst whispers that he and the college hockey conference commissioners (who formed CHI and hired Kelly) had drastically different views about the direction of the organization. Here's reaction from a blog that you need to be reading, if you aren't already. Also be sure to follow SftS's proprietor on Twitter.

[Quick note: CHI hired Nate Ewell to replace Kelly on an interim basis subsequent to this post's publishing.]

Paul Kelly Explains Surprise Resignation, What May Come Next
(The United States of Hockey)

Another great blog scored an exclusive with Kelly. Riveting stuff that helps illustrate a growing rift between the business people and the hockey people.

Pegula Ice Arena construction ahead of schedule
(WJAC)

A "meh" article typical of anyone who tries to cover something they don't on a regular basis, but beneath the banality lies this gem:

Blasting at the construction site, near the intersection of University Drive and Curtin Road, started this week and portions of the steel structure could start going up as early as Blue-White weekend this spring.

Wait, Blue-White weekend? In light of this news, I'm hoping that the athletic department's marketing people are working on a name other than the "groundbreaking ceremony" scheduled for April 20th. Erection ceremony? Sorry, had to. I'm still 12 on the inside.

Cassel, 10 seniors prepare for final home game as Illini hockey faces EMU
(Daily Illini)

Best wishes to Illini coach Chad Cassel in retirement (following the national tournament, of course). If every program was run like Illinois, the ACHA would be a much better place.

Amsoil Arena newbies hope to test UMD
(Duluth News Tribune)

Alex Iafallo: good hockey player, horrible at choosing a college.

Fargo (N.D.) Force left winger Alex Iafallo of Eden, N.Y., made an oral commitment last week to attend UMD, probably in 2013-14.

Iafallo, 18, is 6-feet-0 and 170 pounds, and in his first U.S. Hockey League season. He has 11 goals and seven assists for 18 points in 47 games. Last season he played Tier I midget hockey for the Buffalo Regals, and had 36 points in 39 games. He’s noted as a good skater and has been on Fargo’s No. 2 line with Gabe Guertler and Dave Gust.

Iafallo made two unofficial visits to UMD and said he had a difficult choice after also making trips to Nebraska-Omaha, Michigan State and Penn State.

“I’ve wanted to play in Division I and I knew UMD was a great hockey school. After seeing Duluth and the school, it felt more like home and is a great fit for me,” said Iafallo, whose home is a suburb of Buffalo, N.Y.

Where Will the Big Ten Stack Up in Hockey Conferences?
(B1G Ice Hockey)

Good question. And make sure you read the comments, especially the third one.

BU's Nicastro Suspended After Arrest
BU Task Force Has Parker's Blessing
(College Hockey News)

A big, fat "no comment" is my position on stories like this until further notice.

Congratulations to the powers that be at Nebraska for having roughly 12 tons more foresight than those at Penn State circa 1995 - yep, they're putting ice in their new multipurpose arena, which is set to open in September 2013.

Minnesota's Lucia Calls Husker Hockey a "Natural" 
(Corn Nation)

For the second week in a row, we close with an SB Nation blog's post about the possibility of an unconventional school adding an NCAA hockey program, although this one seems much more plausible than the Kansas pipe dream. And hey, Nebraska's in the Big Ten now. I keep forgetting that, even though it's coming up on two years since their admission.