2013-14 Men's Roster Posted

Sophomore Kenny Brooks and 26 teammates will open the season against Army on October 11th

Penn State has posted a roster for the 2013-2014 Nittany Lion men's team that will play PSU's inaugural season in both Pegula Ice Arena and the Big Ten.

No	Name	Pos	Yr	Ht	Wgt	Hometown	Last Team
1	P.J. Musico	G	Jr.	6'1"	198	Orange, CA	Flin Flon (SJHL)
2	Connor Varley	D	So.	5'11"	195	Lansdale, PA	Des Moines (USHL)
3	Patrick Koudys	D	Jr.	6'3"	210	Smithville, ON	Muskegon (USHL)
4	Luke Juha	D	So.	5'11"	194	Mississauga, ON	Vernon (BCHL)
5	Mark Yanis	D	So.	6'3"	207	Grosse Pt. Woods, MI	Muskegon (USHL)
6	Peter Sweetland	D	Jr.	6'2"	205	Newtown, PA	Green Mtn. (EJHL)
7	Jacob Friedman	F	Jr.	5'9"	175	W. Bloomfield, MI	South Shore (EJHL)
8	Michael McDonagh	F	Sr.	6'2"	190	Wilmington, MA	Winchendon (Prep)
9	David Goodwin	F	Fr.	5'10"	179	Des Peres, MO	Cedar Rapids (USHL)
11	David Glen	F	So.	6'0"	180	Ft. Saskatchewan, AB	Spruce Grove (AJHL)
12	Dylan Richard	F	Fr.	6'0"	185	Sherwood Park, AB	Spruce Grove (AJHL)
13	Kenny Brooks	F	So.	6'1"	195	Las Vegas, NV	Tri-City (USHL)
14	Tommy Olczyk	F	Jr.	5'10"	185	Long Grove, IL	Sioux City (USHL)
15	Curtis Loik	F	So.	6'1"	205	N. Vancouver, BC	Penticton (BCHL)
17	Zach Saar	F	Fr.	6'4"	219	Richland, MI	Muskegon (USHL)
19	Eric Scheid	F	So.	5'9"	163	Blaine, MN	Lincoln (USHL)
20	Joseph Lordo	D	So.	5'10"	185	St. Louis, MO	Sioux Falls (USHL)
21	Ricky DeRosa	F	Fr.	6'1"	185	Aston, PA	Port Huron (NAHL)
22	David Thompson	D	Fr.	6'2"	200	Glen Mills, PA	Chilliwack (BCHL)
23	Jonathan Milley	F	So.	6'4"	220	Gatineau, QC	Pembroke (CCHL)
24	Nate Jensen	D	Sr.	6'0"	185	Shorewood, MN	Mercyhurst (NCAA)
25	Casey Bailey	F	So.	6'3"	195	Anchorage, AK	Omaha (USHL)
26	Mike Williamson	D	Fr.	6'3"	195	Leduc, AB	Spruce Grove (AJHL)
27	Max Gardiner	F	Jr.	6'3"	190	Deephaven, MN	Dubuque (USHL)
28	Taylor Holstrom	F	Sr.	5'9"	185	Yorba Linda, CA	Mercyhurst (NCAA)
31	Matthew Skoff	G	So.	6'1"	186	McKees Rocks, PA	Sioux City (USHL)
34	Eamon McAdam	G	Fr	6'2"	185	Perkasie, PA	Waterloo (USHL)

Given the announcement of Justin Kirchhevel's departure on Thursday, there aren't really any surprises here, as from the roster that closed last season, seniors Rich O'Brien, Michael Longo, Dominic Morrone, Eric Steinour, George Saad and Brian Dolan join Kirchhevel in departure. Now officially on board: an impressive seven-player freshman class including Eamon McAdam, Mike Williamson, David Thompson, Ricky DeRosa, Zach Saar, Dylan Richard and David Goodwin, as well as incoming transfers Patrick Koudys and Eric Scheid.

The other difference in the roster is the deletion of third-string goalie Matt Madrazo, who didn't play a single minute in 2012-2013. Despite never leaving his mark on the NCAA, Madrazo had a solid two years in the ACHA with the Icers. He burst on to the scene as a freshman in 2010-2011 to more or less steal the starting job from senior Teddy Hume while leading the team in crease time (although that's probably not true in a literal sense, if you're unfamiliar with his style). Madrazo was 10-7-1 with a 2.50 goals against average, a 0.923 save percentage and two shutouts in what was otherwise a very disappointing season. They say turnabout is fair play, however, and sure enough, P.J. Musico arrived in 2011-2012 to lead the Icers in most goaltending categories. Following the mid-season departure of freshman Tim Carr, Guy Gadowsky played Musico and Madrazo in a straight rotation, with the latter still offering sparkling numbers - a 12-1-0 record with a 1.90 goals against average, a 0.907 save percentage, and another pair of shutouts.

Matthew Skoff's arrival last season pushed Madrazo down the depth chart, and with the arrival of the touted McAdam this year... well, Gadowsky wasn't about to carry four goalies. Without Madrazo, senior Michael McDonagh stands as the last remaining "original Icer" (players who arrived at Penn State prior to the Terry Pegula donation announcement) on the roster.

With that out of way, the only remaining news is the assignment of jersey numbers to the new players, with most of the freshmen getting numbers either identical to or reasonably approximating those worn in junior. Two returning players have elected to take over jersey numbers vacated by last year's seniors - Connor Varley has moved from 3 to 2, while leading scorer Casey Bailey will don 25 after wearing 18 as a freshman.

Kirchhevel Departs, Personal Reasons Cited

On Thursday afternoon, Penn State announced that Justin Kirchhevel, who would have been a fourth-year junior forward in 2013-2014, has left the program. Here's the full PSU release.

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Penn State men's hockey forward Justin Kirchhevel (Brookings, S.D.) has left the program due to personal reasons, head men's hockey coach Guy Gadowsky announced Thursday. The Brookings, S.D., native will return home and finish his Penn State degree through online classes.

"I want to thank the coaching staff and my teammates for an amazing experience over the last two years. It truly was an honor to represent the Nittany Lions and help set a solid foundation for the program," said Kirchhevel. "I've learned invaluable life lessons at Penn State that I will take with me forever."

"Justin was a significant part of our program's foundation and a consummate Nittany Lion on the ice, in the locker room and in the classroom," added Gadowsky. "I want to thank him for all his contributions during his time at Penn State. Justin made this decision with his family's best interests in mind. He will be missed, and we wish him well."

During the Nittany Lions' inaugural NCAA Division I season, Kirchhevel collected two goals and four assists in 16 games. The junior registered the first shorthanded goal in program history Nov. 9 against Air Force and recorded a season-high three-game point-scoring streak Jan. 15-25.

Kirchhevel began in his collegiate career at the University of Alaska Anchorage in 2010-11 and registered three points (2g, 1a) in eight games. In 24 career games between the two schools, he recorded four goals and five assists.

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While "personal reasons" tend to be a catch-all in these types of announcements, given the amicable separation and Kirchhevel's apparent quitting of college hockey altogether, it may be an accurate label in this situation. TYT extends its best wishes to Justin and his family.

Kirchhevel follows Bryce Johnson, who left the program over winter break last season and transferred to Oklahoma for "personal reasons" without getting a press release with glowing words from Guy Gadowsky, as the second rostered player to voluntarily leave the Nittany Lions program prior to Senior Day. Curiously, both Kirchhevel and Johnson were once celebrated, along with Taylor Holstrom and Nate Jensen, as the first players in Penn State's NCAA history back in 2011.

The status given those four was due primarily to their being NCAA Division I transfers who played their NCAA-mandated year in residence with the Icers in 2011-2012 before transitioning to the Nittany Lions last season. In the cornerstone ACHA program's final season, Kirchhevel was a scoring dynamo, leading the team in scoring with 19 goals and 37 assists in 29 games but also impressing with his penalty killing and willingness to do other thankless tasks.

Arguably, his two most memorable performances at Penn State both involved Johnson's present squad. On February 4, 2012, and with the Icers facing a 3-0 hole at the 14:59 mark of the third period, Kirchhevel scored with 5:00 remaining, and again with 32 seconds to go, with those tallies sandwiching an assist on a Tommy Olczyk goal. The burst enabled George Saad to win it in overtime, capping an incredible comeback that this blog rated as the fourth-best game in Greenberg Ice Pavilion history.

Exactly one month later, the storyline was not quite as positive. At the ACHA National Tournament in Strongsville, OH, a bizarre altercation between Kirchhevel and Oklahoma goalie Nick Holmes as the second-period horn sounded (and at the opposite end of the ice from the play at the time) resulted in a head butting major to Holmes and an unsportsmanlike double minor to Kirchhevel. With Holmes required to serve his penalty, the Icers took advantage of cold backup Colin Fernandes, scoring two decisive goals in the first 61 seconds of the third period. PSU took the quarterfinal matchup 6-3 (including an empty-netter) in what would be the final victory of the Icers era, but Gadowsky benched Kirchhevel for the fateful semifinal contest against Oakland.

Thanks largely to the surprising competitiveness of the Nittany Lions in 2012-2013, Kirchhevel took a smaller-than-expected role, but was still a valuable presence when in the lineup thanks to his hockey IQ and quiet leadership.

Penn State's roster, at present, includes three goalies, nine defensemen and 15 forwards.

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 Confirms Koudys, Richard, Williamson and DeRosa Additions

Patrick Koudys, an RPI transfer, becomes PSU's second NHL draft pick (Washington, 5th round, 2011)

Penn State officially announced the additions of forwards Rick DeRosa (Port Huron - NAHL) and Dylan Richard (Spruce Grove - AJHL), as well as defensemen Patrick Koudys (Muskegon - USHL) and Mike Williamson (Spruce Grove - AJHL) on Monday afternoon.

Given that we've been talking about these guys for a few months - they committed between November (Koudys) and March (DeRosa) - I'll assume that you already know something about them. But if not, here's the post on each from the time of their pledges.

Koudys: PSU Lands Former Engineer Koudys
Richard: Richard to Join Linemate Glen in 2013
Williamson: All Saints Day
DeRosa: Philly Native DeRosa Picks PSU

For status checks and updates throughout this past season, refer to the Commit Cycle series as well.

With that in mind, we'll skip to what's new, specifically Guy Gadowsky's first public comments on the four.

On the group as a whole: "This group will be a great addition to the incoming student-athletes we added during the early-signing period. Patrick Koudys and Mike Williamson add size and strength to our blue line, while both Dylan Richard and Ricky DeRosa bring high levels of character and hockey-IQ to our forwards."

On Koudys: "Patrick has experience at the NCAA level and is a big, solid defenseman who takes pride in being a tough person to play against. He takes care of his own zone first and fits a need very well for us."

On Richard: "Dylan has an extremely high hockey-IQ both offensively and defensively. He's a winner and a tremendous leader who always plays for the team. His habits will quickly transition to Penn State."

On Williamson: "Mike has great feet with a huge shot from the point. He will be a welcomed addition to our blue line."

On DeRosa: "Ricky's known as a high-character guy. He has a great work ethic and is known for being a 200-foot player who will work hard in all three zones."

These additions join November's early-period signings - goaltender Eamon McAdam, defenseman Dave Thompson, forwards David Goodwin, Zach Saar and Eric Scheid - to form a robust incoming class (Koudys and Scheid, the two transfers, will be a junior and a sophomore respectively, the others will be freshmen of course). Ahead of any possibly-on-the-way subtractions, the roster presently sits at 29: 4 goalies, 9 defensemen and 16 forwards.

Reihl to Return in 2013-14

The women's team will hold a Senior Day ceremony on Saturday before its game against Lindenwood, but will only honor half of its senior class, forward Kate Christoffersen.

It's not an oversight. TYT has learned that this season's other senior - defender Lindsay Reihl - will continue with the Nittany Lions in 2013-2014 as she pursues graduate studies in kinesiology.

In bringing Reihl back, Penn State is taking advantage of NCAA Bylaw 14.2.1, which states that student-athletes have five years from the time they first register for classes to complete their four years of NCAA eligibility. Reihl, of course, started her five-year clock in 2009, giving her through the end of next year to get four NCAA seasons in. While the Connecticut native played for the ACHA Division 1 Lady Icers from 2009 through 2012, those campaigns don't count against her NCAA eligibility - essentially, in the NCAA's eyes, she'll be a sophomore next season, but one whose eligibility will expire before becoming a "junior" due to the five-year rule.

It's really quite a story if you think about it: while Reihl is one of ten players on the inaugural NCAA women's and men's teams who came to Penn State before September 17, 2010, the date of the Terry Pegula donation announcement, she will likely be one of just two who preceded elevation and will get to play in the Pegula Ice Arena (men's forward Michael McDonagh, a junior this year, is the other).

This move is just the latest piece of evidence proving Reihl's value. This season, she is one of just nine players to dress for each of PSU's 27 games, and she collected an assist in a 6-1 win over Sacred Heart on October 20th. Reihl has been one of the Nittany Lions' sturdiest blueliners this season, and the A on her sweater nicely reflects her status as a team leader on an extremely young squad. As a Lady Icer, she was named the team's defensive player of the year in each of her three seasons, and helped Penn State to the 2010 ACHA national championship tournament as a freshman. She was also a member of Team USA for the 2011 World University Games - the first women's team sent to the event by USA Hockey - helping the squad to a fourth-place finish in Erzurum, Turkey.

As things stand now, and barring any cuts, the women's team roster will grow to 30 next year (18 forwards, 9 defenders, 3 goaltenders). That unusually large size for a women's team, bolstered by the retention of Reihl, offers some Title IX flexibility to the men, who - again, without cutting anyone - are at 29 (16 forwards, 9 defensemen, 4 goaltenders).

Johnson Departs, 'Personal Reasons' Cited

Just when it seemed as if Penn State had survived the dreaded holiday break without any personnel moves, Bryce Johnson, a forward initially hailed as one of the first varsity players in PSU's NCAA history, has left the team.

As a transfer from established NCAA Division I program St. Cloud State where he played three games in 2010-2011, Johnson was expected to immediately jump in as a top contributor. Perhaps owing to the surprising competitiveness of the first-year NCAA team, Johnson was not a significant part of Guy Gadowsky's forward rotation. While he did appear in roughly half of the team's games, it was usually without significant ice time, and despite his vaunted speed, he was generally not an impact player on this season's inaugural NCAA squad.

Johnson was a member of the Icers in 2011-2012, playing in 22 games (he missed significant time in the middle of the season with a concussion) and posting 34 points, including two goals each in blowouts of Pittsburgh, Mercyhurst (ACHA version) and Kent State. But his undisputed biggest moment of the season - and ultimately at Penn State - was his two goal, two assist outing in a 6-3 win over Oklahoma on March 4, 2012 at the ACHA National Tournament in what turned out to be the last-ever Icers win.

Before PSU, Johnson played for the USHL's Omaha Lancers in 2010-2011 after leaving St. Cloud, and for the NAHL's Topeka Roadrunners in 2009-2010 prior to his first college stop.

Despite his recent struggles, everything seemed fine as recently as one week ago, when the Iowa native tweeted his excitement to return from break.

Johnson did not appear in either Three Rivers Classic game, although he was listed as a game-time decision for the Ohio State game December 29th, with Kenny Brooks eventually getting the nod for that forward spot. Officially, Johnson's last Nittany Lions appearance was against Robert Morris on December 15th, when he was -2 in a 3-2 loss to Robert Morris.

While it's not my place to speculate as to the nature of the personal reasons involved (they could almost literally be anything), should something leak out in that department, I'll be sure to pass that along.

Morrone Joins NCAA Roster

Last month, former Lady Icers Cara Mendelson and Katie Murphy were rewarded for a summer of hard work with spots on the inaugural women's NCAA team. Now, the men's team has also made a late addition in the form of former Icers forward Dominic Morrone.

Morrone was in a similar position as Mendelson and Murphy, in that he was left off of the initial 2012-2013 roster announcements, but was given the team workouts in order to stay prepared for the possibility of...well, this. Evidently, he has satisfied whatever concerns led to his exclusion and will join 15 other Icers in varsity play this season.

While the New Jersey native can be a chirp artist's dream at times (his hotheadedness did improve last season in my assessment), Morrone has also been a tremendously productive offensive player. The former Boston Jr. Bruin put up 77 points in his first two seasons before slumping a little bit last year, with seven goals and 16 assists in 27 games. After skating on a good early-season line with once-again teammates Jake Friedman and Bryce Johnson, Johnson's broken thumb suffered December 9th of last year threw things into flux and probably hurt Morrone indirectly.

Despite that, he bounced back to be involved in the defining moments of the Icers' last-ever win, over Oklahoma at the ACHA National Tournament. With Sooner goalie Nick Holmes serving a major penalty following his altercation with Justin Kirchhevel at the end of the second period, Morrone and Tommy Olczyk took turns assisting each other in the first 61 seconds of the third period against cold backup Colin Fernandes. Those two goals broke a 3-3 tie as PSU went on to win 6-3.

Morrone, an accounting major, won ACHA Academic All-American honors last season, which requires a 3.2 grade point average. He becomes the 28th player, 17th forward and sixth senior on the team, which opens its schedule October 12th against American International.

Mendelson, Murphy Added to Women's NCAA Team

Katie Murphy will be part of a large Honeybaked connection on the inaugual NCAA women's team.

While Penn State are excitedly returning to campus en masse this weekend, sophomore defender Cara Mendelson and sophomore forward Katie Murphy had a little bit more waiting for them in Happy Valley than most: a spot on Josh Brandwene's inaugural NCAA team.

The news, which was first shared by Murphy and Mendelson's former Lady Icers teammate Lisa Frank, has been confirmed by their addition to Penn State's roster. Mendelson will wear number 3, up one from her number two of last season, while Murphy switches from 5 to 25.

They join forwards Tess Weaver, Taylor Gross, Jess Desorcie and Kate Christoffersen, as well as defenders Madison Smiddy and Lindsay Reihl as NCAA players who also played for the ACHA Division 1 Lady Icers last season. The road for Murphy and Mendelson to get to this point was a little tougher than the others though - they were not named to the initial NCAA roster back in May and instead were placed on sort of a wait list. The pair were given the team workouts and trained all summer as if joining the team, effort which has now paid off with a historic status.

As freshmen on the Lady Icers in 2011-2012, Mendelson and Murphy were both key components of the final ACHA-era team, which won the ECWHL regular season championship.

Murphy already has a DI point in a sense, as her assist of Carly Szyszko against Sacred Heart on January 13th helped give PSU a short-lived 2-1 lead over the Pioneers. She is a native of Novi, MI and a product of the legendary Honeybaked program that also helped develop teammates Smiddy, Jordin Pardoski and Birdie Shaw. Murphy, Smiddy and Pardoski all played for Honeybaked's 19U team in 2010-2011, coached by Pardoski's father Ryan (a former Michigan player and New Jersey Devils draft pick) and managed by Pardoski's mother Julie. That's quite a pipeline.

Mendelson, who joins Reihl and Smiddy as the only members of the Nittany Lions' defense with college experience, comes from a different pipeline - to the Pittsburgh area, joining Weaver, Steph Walkom, Darby Kern and Jill Holdcroft (who is from Centre County, of course, but played for the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite in addition to State College Area High School) in that regard. The right-handed shot will provide steadiness on the back end and will fit in well with what looks to be a very diverse defense group. Perhaps most importantly, I'll get to keep using this photo, of (left to right) Weaver, Brandwene and Mendelson:

The Nittany Lions, now numbering 27 strong, open the season October 6th and 7th at Vermont. Their home debut will be October 13th and 14th vs. CHA opponent Syracuse.

Call Me Maybe?

Sources have informed TYT that several players not included on the initial NCAA roster releases for the men's and women's teams have been given "maybe" status, and might be added to the team as the season approaches.

Two of last season's Lady Icers, Cara Mendelson and Katie Murphy, as well as Icer Dom Morrone are definitely on call. Others might be (and probably are) as well, but their identities aren't known.

According to one source, players have been given the NCAA team's workouts and have been training as if they were on the team.

Mendelson and Murphy, both freshmen last season, were vital in helping the Lady Icers capture the ECWHL regular season championship while Morrone, who will be a senior this year, has 100 career points in 93 games - including a goal and an assist over a vital 12 second stretch to help the Icers to their last-ever win in the ACHA quarterfinals against Oklahoma.

The reasons for adding women's players at this stage are obvious. The Daily Collegian's Christine Newby reported in April that...

Penn State’s vice provost for affirmative action, Ken Lehrman, also in charge of Title IX, said the average size of a men’s NCAA Division I roster is 26.

“We are in balance [with Title IX] now,” Lehrman said. “So we reasoned that if we’re going to add 26 more participants on the male [hockey] side, we have to get to approximately 26 [women’s players]. Maybe we can get by with 25 and it wouldn’t throw us out of whack, but something very, very close to that.”

As things stand right now, the men's roster is at 27 and the women's roster is at 25. This would seem to place things in the Title IX danger zone according to Lehrman, as he said "maybe we can get by" with 25 women if the men's roster was at a smaller number than it is. That situation becomes magnified further if the men were to add Morrone or any of the other Icers not originally included (one, forward Josh Daley, has already elected to transfer).

Basically, don't be surprised to see some more roster tweaking ahead of the first DI games for both the men's and women's programs.

Inaugural NCAA Women's Roster Announced

Jess Desorcie (left) and Taylor Gross are two of the six members of last year's Lady Icers who will be making the jump to this year's NCAA team. Photo: PennStateWomensHockey.com

Head coach Josh Brandwene has announced Penn State's 25-player 2012-2013 roster, PSU's first at the NCAA Division I level.

Defenders (7)       Yr Hometown            Previous Team
Paige Jahnke        Fr Oakdale, MN         Roseville HS
Taylor McGee        Fr Pearl River, NY     Taft School
Jordin Pardoski     Fr Rochester Hills, MI Honeybaked
Lindsay Reihl       Sr Cheshire, CT        CT Polar Bears
Madison Smiddy      So Grand Rapids, MI    Honeybaked
Stephanie Walkom    Fr Moon Township, PA   Pgh. Penguins Elite
Sarah Wilkie        Fr Ashby, MA           Williston N'hampton

Forwards (15)       Yr Hometown            Previous Team
Jeanette Bateman    Fr Greeley, CO         Colorado Select
Micayla Catanzariti Fr R. Santa Mrgta, CA  Gilmour Academy
Kate Christoffersen Sr Trumbull, CT        CT Polar Bears
Jess Desorcie       So Westford, VT        Connecticut College
Taylor Gross        Jr Colo. Springs, CO   Univ. of Connecticut
Hannah Hoenshell    Fr Plano, TX           Alliance Bulldogs
Jill Holdcroft      Fr PA Furnace, PA      Pgh. Penguins Elite
Darby Kern          Fr Venetia, PA         Pgh. Penguins Elite
Emily Laurenzi      Fr Townsend, DE        Nat'l Sports Academy
Kendra Rasmussen    Fr Sartell, MN         Sartell/Sauk Rpds. HS
Birdie Shaw         Fr Troy, MI            Honeybaked
Tess Weaver         So Windber, PA         Pgh. Penguins Elite
Jenna Welch         Jr Austin, TX          Univ. of Connecticut
Shannon Yoxheimer   Fr Jackson, MI         NAHA - White
Katie Zinn          Fr Coquitlam, BC       Gilmour Academy

Goaltenders (3)     Yr Hometown            Previous Team
Brooke Meyer        Fr Naperville, IL      Chicago Huskies
Nicole Paniccia     Jr Oakville, ON        Univ. of Connecticut
Celine Whitlinger   Fr Garden Grove, CA    Gilmour Academy

Because freshmen make up the vast majority of the team (17 of 25), let's start there. Here are some previous TYT posts with more information on several of them:

Laurenzi: Laurenzi Becomes First 2012 Recruit // A Conversation with Emily Laurenzi

Wilkie: "Exactly What I Was Looking For"

Holdcroft/Kern: Brandwene Snags Two More

Whitlinger/Catanzariti/Zinn: Gilmour Girls

Bateman: Brandwene Brings In Bateman

Rasmussen: Rasmussen Delivers Horsepower, Brainpower

Of that massive freshman class, Laurenzi, Holdcroft, Whitlinger, Catanzariti, Zinn, Bateman, Hoenshell, Jahnke, McGee, Pardoski, Shaw, Wilkie and Yoxheimer signed their National Letters of Intent during the early signing period back in November, so they've been on everyone's radar for a while. Walkom, Kern and Rasmussen either committed after the early period or are recruited walk-ons (Kern definitely is the latter), but the three of them were already known as well.

Goalie Meyer is the remaining freshman. She played with the boys on the 2012 USA Hockey nationals participant Chicago Huskies, but also on Neuqua Valley High School in Illinois with her brother.



One obvious highlight beyond the newcomers, of course, are the six players who were Lady Icers last year. Weaver, Gross and Desorcie were offensive dynamos after being united during the second half of the season and finished as the team's top three scorers. Smiddy, Reihl and Christoffersen were equally effective in their different roles. Additionally, Reihl and Christoffersen will hold a special place in team history as the only "club originals" who made the jump to NCAA hockey, since the other four members of last year's team on this year's roster came to PSU with full knowledge of the coming transition. An added dimension to Christoffersen's story is that her career was "ended" by concussions in early 2011. Now she's playing NCAA hockey. That's pretty special.

The small number of club players, of course, means that 16 players from last year's team still in school will not make the jump. They are forwards Abbey Dufoe, Kirsten Evans, Katharine Gausseres, Denise Rohlik, Sydney Sherman, Carly Szyszko, defenders Lisa Frank, Paige Harrington, Julie Horn, Cara Mendelson, Katie Murphy, Allie Rothman, Ashton Schaffer and goalies Katie Vaughan, Sarah Eisenhut and Mary Tonetti. Of that group, Vaughan comes as the biggest surprise. She was named the Lady Icers' MVP last season and was often spectacular in net, keeping PSU in games where they may have otherwise been blown out. Regardless, here's hoping that this group forms the core of what should be a good ACHA women's program this season.

Nicole Paniccia will team up with Gross and Jenna Welch at a second DI program.

Gross, who was named the team's captain by Brandwene Wednesday night after transferring from Connecticut in the middle of 2011-2012, will be teammates with incoming transfers Welch and Paniccia for a second time. Paniccia, an Ontario-native goalie, played in 24 games for the Huskies in 2010-2011 and 2011-2012 and has a career 2.51 goals against average, to go with a .924 save percentage. Welch, a forward from Austin, TX, has seven career points in 67 games over those same seasons. The trio were at their best on November 27, 2010 in a blowout of Sacred Heart, when Gross had a hat trick plus an assist and Welch added another assist to give Paniccia and her 21-save shutout more than enough offense. On January 9, 2011, Paniccia stopped 26 of 28 and Welch and Gross each had two points in a 6-2 win over Robert Morris. Paniccia has also shut out both Vermont and Union before. Basically, the three UConn transfers, who will all be juniors this year, do good work against teams on Penn State's schedule this year, which is nice.

Despite playing for a brutal team last year - UConn was seventh place of eight Hockey East teams - Paniccia was fourth in the league in GAA, with a 2.00 in conference games. Her .942 save percentage ranked third.

"Nicole and Jenna are terrific additions to our program, and I appreciate their enthusiasm and excitement for being a part of the Penn State community," said Brandwene. "The skill level and Division I experience they possess are tremendous assets to our young team, and I am looking forward to working with them."

In case you're wondering (I certainly did as a relative novice in the women's game and looked it up), women's hockey transfers are able to get exemptions from the NCAA's year-in-residence (before playing for a new school) rule unlike their male counterparts or those who play other high-profile sports like football and basketball, courtesy of NCAA Bylaw 14.5.5.2.10. In addition to Welch and Paniccia, that rule also benefits Gross, since she's still less than a year removed from UConn as well.

This Nittany Lions roster will make its debut on October 5th and 6th at Vermont before playing its first home games on the 13th and 14th against CHA foe Syracuse. Click here for the full schedule.

Making the Jump

Today, Penn State hockey introduced 11 members of the 2011-2012 Icers ACHA team that will play for the school's inaugural NCAA Division I team beginning this fall. They are (links are to Facebook videos of the players introducing themselves):

• Junior goaltender Matt Madrazo
• Sophomore goaltender P.J. Musico
• Sophomore forward Tommy Olczyk
• Sophomore forward Jake Friedman
• Senior forward George Saad
• Senior forward Michael Longo
• Senior forward Eric Steinour
• Junior forward Michael McDonagh
• Sophomore defenseman Peter Sweetland
• Senior defenseman Rich O'Brien
• Senior defenseman Brian Dolan

The excluded non-senior players listed on last season's Icers roster are forwards Tim Acker, Josh Daley, Dan Meiselman, Dominic Morrone and Forrest Dell as well as defensemen Ryan Seibolt, Steve Edgeworth and Brandon Russo. While it's obviously of little consolation to them at this point, and in my opinion, the coaching staff is to be commended for for making the transition as painless as possible on the ACHA players. I, along with several others, predicted a much more dire fate for the "true Icers" than what actually transpired last season and this season.

Recall, of course, that defenseman Nate Jensen and forwards Justin Kirchhevel, Bryce Johnson and Taylor Holstrom were previously introduced as "the first members" of Penn State's NCAA team back in September. Furthermore, in November, ten incoming players signed National Letters of Intent for the coming season, including forwards Casey Bailey, Kenny Brooks, David Glen, Reed Linaker, Curtis Loik and Jonathan Milley, defensemen Luke Juha, Connor Varley and Mark Yanis and goaltender Matt Skoff. With all three announcements in mind (and an extra boost from the known unsigned but committed players), here's a very, very early first draft of Penn State's 2012-2013 roster.

Defensemen (8)    Yr Ht   Wgt Hometown         Previous Team
Brian Dolan       Sr 6-1  175 Havertown, PA    Monsignor Bnnr. HS
Nate Jensen       Jr 6-0  185 Shorewood, MN    Mercyhurst (NCAA)
Luke Juha         Fr 5-11 180 Mississauga, ON  Vernon (BCHL)
Joseph Lordo      Fr 5-11 185 St. Louis, MO    Sioux Falls (USHL)
Rich O'Brien      Sr 5-10 180 Furlong, PA      Team Comcast AAA
Peter Sweetland   So 6-2  205 Newtown, PA      Green Mtn. (EJHL)
Connor Varley     Fr 6-0  190 Lansdale, PA     Des Moines (USHL)
Mark Yanis        Fr 6-2  195 Gr. Pt. Wds., MI Muskegon (USHL)

Forwards (16)     Yr Ht   Wgt Hometown         Previous Team
Casey Bailey      Fr 6-3  195 Anchorage, AK    Omaha (USHL)
Kenny Brooks      Fr 6-2  195 Las Vegas, NV    Tri-City (USHL)
Jake Friedman     So 5-10 170 W Bloomfield, MI South Shore (EJHL)
Max Gardiner      So 6-2  175 Minnetonka, MN   Dubuque (USHL)
David Glen        Fr 6-0  175 Ft. Sask., AB    Spr. Grove (AJHL)
Taylor Holstrom   Jr 5-9  185 Yorba Linda, CA  Mercyhurst (NCAA)
Bryce Johnson     Jr 5-10 165 Grimes, IA       Omaha (USHL)
Justin Kirchhevel Jr 5-10 187 Brookings, SD    AK-Anch. (NCAA)
Reed Linaker      Fr 5-9  165 Edmonton, AB     Brooks (AJHL)
Curtis Loik       Fr 6-1  205 N. Vancouver, BC Penticton (BCHL)
Michael Longo     Sr 6-1  180 Allison Park, PA Youngstown AAA
Michael McDonagh  Jr 6-1  180 Wilmington, MA   Winchenden (Prep)
Jonathan Milley   Fr 6-4  220 Ottawa, ON       Pembroke (CCHL)
Tommy Olczyk      So 5-8  184 Long Grove, IL   Sioux City (USHL)
George Saad       Sr 6-2  200 Wexford, PA      Youngstown (NAHL)
Eric Steinour     Sr 6-3  195 Carlisle, PA     Boston (AtJHL)

Goaltenders (3)   Yr Ht   Wgt Hometown         Previous Team
Matt Madrazo      Jr 5-10 165 Sea Cliff, NY    Kent (Prep)
P.J. Musico       So 6-2  185 Orange, CA       Flin Flon (SJHL)
Matt Skoff        Fr 6-0  186 McKees Rocks, PA Sioux City (USHL)

Carr Transfers To Western New England College

When the Icers announced that everyone was to dress for the game at Citizens Bank Park Wednesday, it was a great gesture. But when those numbers didn't include goaltender Tim Carr, it raised an obvious question.

Today, that question has been answered, as Carr confirmed to Lions 247's Andrew Dzurita that he has transferred to Western New England College, an NCAA Division III program.

This would normally be the part of the post where I'd write a eulogy on Carr's Penn State career, but the reality is, there's not that much to write. Carr played three games as an Icer, the first of which was October 28th at Rhode Island when he stopped 19 of 21 in a 6-2 win. He followed that up with a 15-save shutout of Rutgers on December 3rd and a 4-3 loss at Liberty on December 9th (a game in which the issues extended well beyond the goaltender). He also leaves us with one of the great PSU masks of all time.

Carr, of course, committed to Penn State last February 28th and, along with Jake Friedman, was considered one of PSU's first recruits with NCAA potential. It's probably worth noting that this happened nearly two months prior to Guy Gadowsky's hiring, so it was a likely "no promises" situation, and it became apparent rather quickly that Carr was buried behind Matt Madrazo and P.J. Musico. With guys like USHL goalies Matt Skoff and Eamon McAdam coming in the next couple years (and with Madrazo, a sophomore, being the furthest into his career of the group), the depth chart wasn't getting any better for him in the future, either.

He came to PSU from the EJHL's New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs, where he carried a 2.40 goals against average for the league champs. Now though, that NCAA potential will be played out at the DIII level where he'll join 14 other former EJers with the Golden Bears. The Pine Bush, NY native's old and new schools actually have a small bit of series history, with the Icers taking 12-3 and 6-1 decisions in 1999-2000 and 2001-2002.

Same here. Best wishes, Tim.

Lady Icers Release 2011-2012 Roster

The Lady Icers have released a roster for the final season of ACHA competition. This roster also constitutes official acknowledgement of a massive fourteen-player recruiting class for this season. We'll get into them a little more as we go, but for now, here is this season's team.

Defenders (10)       Yr.   Hometown         Previous Team
Kate Christofferson  Jr.   Trumbull, CT     CT Polar Bears
Sara Chroman         Sr.   Livingston, NJ   N.J. Rockets
Lisa Frank           Fr.   Hopewell, NJ     N.J. Rockets
Paige Harrington     Fr.   Mansfield, MA    Boston Jr. Terriers
Julie Horn           Jr.   New Windsor, NY  Brewster Bulldogs
Cara Mendelson       Fr.   Pittsburgh, PA   Steel City Selects
Allie Rothman        So.   West Chester, PA West Chester Quakers
Ashton Schaffer      Fr.   Midlothian, TX   Alliance Bulldogs
Lydia Scott          Sr.   Paoli, PA        West Chester Quakers
Madison Smiddy       Fr.   Grand Rapids, MI Detroit Honeybaked

Forwards (17)        Yr.   Hometown         Previous Team
Kassidy Augustine    Sr.   Harrisburg, PA   Hershey Jr. Bears
Chelly Deiling       Sr.   Hummelstown, PA  Hershey Jr. Bears
Elizabeth Denis      Gr.   Durham, NH       Brown University
Abbey Dufoe          Fr.   Malvern, PA      West Chester Quakers
Kirsten Evans        Jr.   Damascus, MD     Damascus
Katharine Gausseres  Jr.   Rockville, MD    Washington Pride
Dana Heller          Sr.   Kittanning, PA   Ohio Flames
Christina Hurle      Fr.   Bedminster, NJ   N.J. Rockets
Abby Miller          Sr.   York, PA         Susquehanna Rapids
Katie Murphy         Fr.   Novi, MI         Detroit Honeybaked
Lindsay Reihl        Jr.   Cheshire, CT     CT Polar Bears
Denise Rohlik        Jr.   Raleigh, NC      Car. Jr. Hurricanes
Sydney Sherman       Fr.   Flanders, NJ     N.J. Colonials
Samantha Summers     Jr.   Ellicott Cty, MD Susquehanna Rapids
Carly Szyszko        So.   Bensalem, PA     N.J. Colonials
Alex Warren-Caldwell Fr.   Arlington, MA    Boston Jr. Terriers
Tess Weaver          Fr.   Windber, PA      Pgh. Penguins Elite

Goaltenders (3)      Yr.   Hometown         Previous Team
Sarah Eisenhut       Fr.   Lansing, NY      Ithaca Shooting Stars
Mary Tonetti         Fr.   West Chester, PA West Chester Quakers
Katie Vaughan        So.   Pittsburgh, PA   Pgh. Penguins Elite

Only two of last year's players with remaining eligibility - Michelle Clarke and Lindsey Shuler - are not on this year's team.

Regardless, the nucleus of what was already a pretty good team (with just two departing seniors from last year's squad) will join with the large recruiting class to give the Lady Icers something that was sorely lacking at times last season - depth. It's probably fair to say that we've seen the end of the skaters-playing-goalie era at Penn State, and this is no longer a team that needs to stay healthy to compete. Just as on the men's side, this is a group that should jump from the second half of the top ten to national championship contender this season.

One more quick note in case you glossed over the roster: the group of incoming players includes Elizabeth Denis, who comes to Penn State from NCAA Division I Brown. She will undoubtedly bring the expertise and leadership of someone who has tasted the big time, a crucial asset to have during this transitional period.

The Lady Icers begin the final ACHA season, before joining the NCAA and College Hockey America next year, September 23rd at NCAA DI Robert Morris.

Icers Announce 2011-2012 Roster

Following months of guessing, hand-wringing and projection by fans and observers (and more importantly last week's tryouts), the Icers have released the names of the players who will participate in the final season of ACHA competition.

Before we go any further, let's take a moment to acknowledge those Icers who were squeezed out by what's purely a numbers game brought about by a situation that couldn't have been foreseen by anyone not named Battista or Pegula at the time they decided on a college. They deserved a better fate than to have to light up Ice Lions tryouts next week to continue to play hockey at PSU. They are Mac Winchester, Andrew Duval, Ryan Erbe, Kevin Miller, Mike Broccolo, Joe Zitarelli, Alan Clark and Dan Ivanir. Some played a lot, some didn't, some left before tryouts, some simply didn't make the cut, but those things are beyond the point. They wore blue and white with distinction and honor. Mark Polidor is also on that list, although he's a little bit of a special case as someone who took his senior bow (a year early), then decided to come back, then changed his mind.

Credit is due the coaching staff as well. They didn't have to keep a 30-man roster, but to the benefit of a couple returning Icers, they did.

The other noteworthy, and perhaps more surprising, development is the exclusion of a couple of the players recruited for this season before Guy Gadowsky, Keith Fisher and Matt Lindsay came to town. Creek Lewis and Matt Venoit, we hardly knew you. We do know that Venoit was injured (I've heard with a broken leg) and never really had a chance. Lewis, presumably, was healthy and just didn't live up to the promise of his torrid numbers in the Atlantic Junior Hockey League.

The rest of the roster - which includes 12 freshmen, and six each of sophomores, juniors and seniors - features all of the recruited players and NCAA Division I transfers for 2011 other than the two mentioned above, as well as 15 returning Icers from last year, including Chris Cerutti, who was parked for tryouts with a wonky MCL.

Along with the roster from the Icers side, GoPSUSports.com put out sort of an oddly-timed release today referring to the four transfers as "the first members of the men's ice hockey team." If you're not familiar, it's standard fare for those sort of things. Biographicals, quote from the coach, et cetera. The interesting thing to me is the singling out of those four at this time, although it could be related to scholarship offers, which would make sense for established DI players.

In any case, this roster, combined with what we've already seen (and will see) from our 2012 and 2013 recruiting, really adds a lot of clarity to the direction of the program during the transition to NCAA status in that the guesswork of a major variable is now out of the picture. But that all still seems like a long way off - for now, we have a Blue-White Game 25 days from today, followed by the opener against Washington & Jefferson in 32.

Defensemen (9)     Yr.   Ht.   Wgt.  Hometown
Brian Dolan        Jr.   6'1"  175   Havertown, PA
Steven Edgeworth   Fr.   6'0"  180   Phoenix, AZ
Nate Jensen        So.   6'0"  185   Shorewood, MN
Dan Loucks         Sr.   6'2"  205   Collegeville, PA
Rich O'Brien       Jr.   5'10" 180   Furlong, PA
Dan Petrick        Sr.   6'1"  180   State College, PA
Brandon Russo      Fr.   5'8"  163   Fairfield, CT
Ryan Seibolt       So.   6'3"  220   Westlake, OH
Peter Sweetland    Fr.   6'2"  205   Newtown, PA

Forwards (18)      Yr.   Ht.   Wgt.  Hometown
Tim Acker          Fr.   6'0"  188   Apex, NC
Chris Cerutti      Sr.   5'10" 170   Export, PA
Kurt Collins       Sr.   6'2"  195   Port Matilda, PA
Paul Daley         Sr.   6'2"  190   Toms River, NJ
Josh Daley         Fr.   6'0"  185   Pittsburgh, PA
Forrest Dell       Fr.   5'11" 185   Evergreen, CO
Jacob Friedman     Fr.   5'10" 170   West Bloomfield, MI
Taylor Holstrom    So.   5'9"  165   Yorba Linda, CA
Bryce Johnson      Fr.   5'9"  165   Grimes, IA
Justin Kirchhevel  So.   5'10" 190   Brookings, SD
Michael Longo      Jr.   6'1"  180   Allison Park, PA
Michael McDonagh   So.   6'1"  180   Wilmington, MA
Dan Meiselman      Fr.   6'2"  205   Winnetka, IL
Dominic Morrone    Jr.   5'11" 195   Sewell, NJ
Tommy Olczyk       Fr.   5'8"  184   Long Grove, IL
George Saad        Jr.   6'2"  200   Gibsonia, PA
Nick Seravalli     Sr.   5'8"  175   Ivyland, PA
Eric Steinour      Jr.   6'3"  195   Carlisle, PA

Goaltenders (3)    Yr.   Ht.   Wgt.  Hometown
Tim Carr           Fr.   5'10" 170   Pine Bush, NY
Matt Madrazo       So.   5'10" 165   Sea Cliff, NY
P.J. Musico        Fr.   6'2"  185   Orange, CA