Commit Cycle: April 23 (Men)

As the primary hockey season winds down, so too does Commit Cycle - once each future Nittany Lion concludes his quest for a 2012-2013 championship (or championships), he is removed from this bi-weekly post, with the series paused for the summer once they're all gone. Playing hockey at a high level is a year-round commitment of course, so information floating out there during the "offseason" will still be passed along, but through Three Stars (for the small stuff) or a stand-alone entry (for the big stuff) instead.

Here are the removed players and a quick look at how their seasons turned out. As always, check M Current Commitments for full stats.

• 2015 F A.J. Greer (Kimball Union Academy - New England Prep) enjoyed a highly-successful first year in New Hampshire after coming to the states from his native Quebec. The power forward finished sixth in scoring, with 16 goals on a 19 assists, on a stacked team that had ten Division I commitments and went 27-2-0 in the regular season - earning a second-team all-scholastic underclass team nod from Over The Boards. The season, however, ended in disappointment when the top-seeded Wildcats were stunned 4-1 by Gunnery in the opening round of the Stuart/Corkery Tournament, the New England prep championships.
• 2014 F James Robinson (Langley Rivermen - BCHL), despite a quick ouster from the playoffs at the hands of the Surrey Eagles, had a fantastic rookie season in the BCHL. He helped the Rivermen to a 24-26-6 regular season record with 42 points, good for third on the team in scoring, with his 33 assists rating second best among all first-year players in the league.
• 2014 D Bo Pellah (Alberni Valley Bulldogs - BCHL), after briefly teaming up with Robinson in Langley, was traded to the Bulldogs early in his second BCHL season. He transitioned seamlessly, leading the Bulldogs' blueliners in scoring with four goals and 29 assists. Alberni Valley qualified for the playoffs with a 29-20-7 record and went on a thrilling run, recovering from an 0-2 best-of-five hole against Nanaimo in the first round and a 1-2 deficit against Victoria in the second round to win both series. Powerful Surrey proved too much in the Coastal Conference finals, however, sweeping the Bulldogs out of contention.
• 2013 D David Thompson (Chilliwack Chiefs - BCHL) joined Robinson and Pellah in being knocked out of the playoffs by Surrey, with the Chiefs falling via a second-round sweep after taking out Prince George in five games in the opening round. The Pennsylvania native closed his junior career by captaining his team to a 33-21-2 regular season mark and, like Pellah, led his team in blueliner scoring with 27 points while also providing strong positional play and physicality.
• 2015 F Chase Berger (St. Louis AAA Blues 18U/Saint Louis University HS) very nearly reached the pinnacle with both of his teams, taking the Mid-States Club Hockey Association Challenge Cup title with SLUHS by topping rival Christian Brothers 2-1 in overtime. Berger assisted on the championship-winning goal then, with the AAA Blues, scored the Central District clincher to propel that team to the USA Hockey Tier I 18U national championships. At the tournament, his eight points in six games helped advance the Blues to the title game, but a 4-3 overtime loss to Neponset Valley (after leading 3-2 until eight seconds remained in regulation) forced Berger to settle for a silver medal.
• 2015 D Kevin Kerr (Team Comcast 18U/Holy Ghost Prep) also did well with both his school and club teams. Comcast took the Atlantic District bid to USA Hockey Tier I 18U nationals, and advanced to the quarterfinals before - in quite a case of foreshadowing, relative to Berger - losing to eventual champion Neponset Valley, 4-3 in overtime. Meanwhile, Holy Ghost enjoyed a typical winning season but succumbed 5-2 to La Salle College High School in the finals of the AAA Flyers Cup, the big-school eastern PA championship.
• 2013 F David Goodwin (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - USHL) didn't miss a beat following an early-season trade from Sioux City and posted his typically-robust stat line (13 goals and 30 assists in 64 games when combining totals from both teams) despite the Riders' anemic offense that contributed to a 25-30-9 record and missing the Eastern Conference playoffs by 13 points. The heady center, notably, finished his three-year USHL career with 118 points in 179 games.
• 2015 F Alec Marsh (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - USHL) joined Goodwin in an early trip to the golf course but still turned in a great rookie season in the USHL. The New Jersey native, after irregular appearances in the lineup early on, was more or less a fixture in the top 12 by the end of the campaign. Marsh finished with four goals and 11 points in 40 games and even made a cameo on SportsCenter, thanks to his assist on a spectacular goal by linemate Dylan McLaughlin back in October.

Ricky DeRosa

Forward
Port Huron Fighting Falcons (NAHL)
6'1", 189 pounds
Aston, PA
Entering 2013
DOB 2/9/1992

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/18	vs. Soo	L 1-4	1	1	2	0	Box Score

The Soo Eagles, up 2-0 in the best-of-five NAHL North Division semifinals at last week's update, completed the sweep of DeRosa's Fighting Falcons with a 4-1 win in Port Huron on Thursday... the Jr. Flyers product, despite the setback, had an outstanding playoff run with seven points in six games - including two during a third-period comeback leading to an overtime win at Johnstown in a decisive game three of the first round of the playoffs... perhaps even more significantly, Port Huron's captain and all-time leading scorer departs for Penn State after helping to push the Falcons from a dreadful expansion team in 2010-2011 to a successful organization that has now qualified for the playoffs in back to back seasons.

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Patrick Koudys

Defenseman
Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
6'3", 198 pounds
Smithville, ON
Entering 2013
DOB 11/15/1992

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/17	at Dubuque	L 1-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/19	at Dubuque	L 3-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/21	vs. Dubuque	L 2-3	0	0	0	0	Box Score

The Dubuque Fighting Saints, simply put, showed the form that generated a 45-11-8 regular season record and won the Anderson Cup as the USHL regular season champs in sweeping Muskegon out of the first round of the playoffs... still, thanks in part to Koudys' arrival from RPI for his NCAA-required sit-out year before heading to PSU, the Lumberjacks performed a remarkable about-face to the tune of a 31-23-10 regular season record after a dismal 17-35-8 mark in 2011-2012... the 2011 Washington Capitals draft pick will undoubtedly be a steadying influence on the Nittany Lions' blueline next season - he's composed and intelligent, with an ability to regulate the game with error-free defense play.

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Eamon McAdam

Goaltender
Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
6'2", 185 pounds
Perkasie, PA
Entering 2013
DOB 9/24/1994

Date	Opponent	Score	SA	GA	Sv%	GAA
4/17	at Fargo	L 2-3	--	-	---	---	Box Score
4/19	at Fargo	W 5-4	--	-	---	---	Box Score
4/21	vs. Fargo	W 6-4	--	-	---	---	Box Score

Despite closing the regular season with two strong starts in Waterloo's last four games, McAdam found himself backing up Notre Dame commit and fellow 2013 NHL Entry Draft hopeful Cal Petersen to open the USHL playoffs, and Peterson has helped the Hawks to a 2-1 best-of-five lead over Fargo, with game four scheduled for Tuesday... on a more positive note, the pride of Perkasie continues to enjoy the high esteem of NHL scouts - he has been invited to the NHL Scouting Combine from May 27th through June 1st in Toronto... NHL Central Scouting Services asked seven North American goalies to the combine, meaning it's extremely likely that McAdam will receive a sturdy position when CSS releases its final pre-draft ranking Wednesday morning.

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Dylan Richard

Forward
Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
6'0", 185 pounds
Sherwood Park, AB
Entering 2013
DOB 2/5/1993

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/17	vs. Brooks	L 1-3	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/19	at Brooks	L 5-6	1	0	1	0	Box Score

Spruce Grove, the North Division regular season and playoff champions, didn't have enough in the tank to stop the Brooks Bandits from taking a second straight AJHL Gas Drive Cup championship in five games (Brooks led the series 2-1 at last week's update)... a furious Saints rally from a 4-1 deficit late in the second period of game five - capped by Richard's goal with 2:31 remaining in regulation - forced overtime, but the Bandits R.J. Reed delivered the title to Brooks 3:10 into the extra period.

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Zach Saar

Right Wing
Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL)
6'4", 210 pounds
Plainwell, MI
Entering 2013
DOB 6/22/1993

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/17	at Dubuque	L 1-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/19	at Dubuque	L 3-4	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/21	vs. Dubuque	L 2-3	0	1	1	0	Box Score

Although the Lumberjacks were quickly bounced out of the USHL playoffs, it does need to be said that, thanks in no small part to Saar, they didn't go quietly... facing a 2-0 third-period deficit in a do-or-die game three, Muskegon dominated the last 20 minutes of regulation, outshooting heavily-favored Dubuque 15-4 and scoring twice to force overtime, thanks in part to Saar's assist on Cullen Hurley's 2-1 goal... the Jacks, through a frenetic 11:12 of sudden death, had quality chances to extend the series but just couldn't find a winner before Frank DiChiara punished a tired group of home team skaters (not including either of the PSU commits) that got pinned in their own end.

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Eric Scheid

Forward
Lincoln Stars (USHL)
5'9", 163 pounds
Coon Rapids, MN
Entering 2013
DOB 5/5/1992

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/16	at Sioux Falls	L 2-3	0	1	1	2	Box Score
4/17	at Sioux Falls	W 4-0	1	0	1	0	Box Score
4/19	vs. Sioux Falls	W 4-1	1	0	1	0	Box Score
4/20	vs. Sioux Falls	L 1-2	0	0	0	2	Box Score

The Stars recovered from an overtime loss to open their USHL playoff series with the Sioux Falls Stampede by winning two straight to take the lead in the best-of-five matchup... Scheid, Lincoln's leading point-getter during the regular season, scored in both of the wins, potting the 2-0 goal on a deflection in game two and adding a late power play strike in game three... Lincoln, however, missed a chance to close out the series on home ice and will now head back to Sioux Falls for a winner-take-all game five Tuesday night.

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Mike Williamson

Defenseman
Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)
6'3", 210 pounds
Leduc, AB
Entering 2013
DOB 9/5/1993

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/17	vs. Brooks	L 1-3	0	0	0	0	Box Score
4/19	at Brooks	L 5-6	0	0	0	0	Box Score

While the Saints failed to recover the AJHL crown they last won in 2011 before Williamson joined the team full time (he played in one game that year, while fellow Nittany Lions Richard and David Glen were regulars on the squad), the speedy blueliner who also can play forward showed his brilliance this season when not battling a series of injuries... in all, he played 23 regular season games and notched 11 points, adding four more in 15 playoff games - but beyond the scoresheet, Williamson's wheels provided space for the Saints' forwards to operate, including Richard, who led the 35-16-9 squad in both goals and points.