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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

NHL Pre-Draft Rankings Include Four Penn Staters

Here's a rundown of how Penn Staters and Penn Staters-to-be have fared in the various pre-NHL Entry Draft guides.

In all, ten rankings of reasonable depth (one-round mock drafts - who doesn't have one of those - need not apply) were checked for this post. Rankings are often constructed a little bit differently from each other, so to help with context and comparison, here's how everyone listed the prospects.

NHL Central Scouting Services: 210 North American skaters, 130 European skaters, 35 North American goalies and 10 European goalies, with no combined list.
International Scouting Services: 200 skaters and 20 goalies, with no combined list.
Future Considerations: 210 players in a combined list.
HockeyProspect.com: 210 players in a combined list.
The Hockey News: 100 players in a combined list.
McKeen's Hockey: 120 players in a combined list.
The Hockey Writers (War Room): 120 players in a combined list.
The Hockey Writers (The Next Ones): 210 players in a combined list.
Bob McKenzie: 75 players in a combined list, plus five honorable mentions.
Craig Button: 75 players in a combined list

All rankings are the respective organizations' final pre-draft issuance.

First, the usual caveat: 30 different NHL teams do the drafting, not McKeen's, The Hockey News, or any single entity unilaterally ordering all available players.

With that out of the way and in summary, incoming goalie Eamon McAdam stands as the only player where it can be said that selection is considered likely. In the six guides that assigned him a numerical rank against all other players, his average placement was 104th, or in the middle of the fourth round. NHL Central Scouting considers him to be one of their top 101 overall, as evidenced by McAdam's invitation to the NHL Scouting Combine. International Scouting Services labeled him as a second-rounder.

Rising sophomore defenseman Mark Yanis (in his second year of draft eligibility), along with incoming defenseman Mike Williamson and 2014 defense commit Bo Pellah have also received attention. However, as each only appears close to the end of one ranking, their being picked has to be viewed as something of a longshot. At the same time, it does need to be said that only five lists are deep enough to incorporate the conclusion of the draft and a Penn Stater not named McAdam appears in three of those. So while individually, their chances might not be fantastic, the odds of one of the three going may be fairly decent.

All seven rounds of the draft will take place on Sunday, June 30th at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ. Any PSU-affiliated picks will join forward Max Gardiner (2010, 3rd round/74th overall by St. Louis) and defenseman Pat Koudys (2011, 5th round/147th overall by Washington) as NHL prospects on the Nittany Lions.

Eamon McAdam's performance in showcase events has boosted his draft stock

Eamon McAdam

Goaltender
6'2", 185 pounds
2012-13 Team: Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)

NHL Central Scouting Services: 6th North American goalie (additionally, McAdam was one of 101 players invited to the NHL Scouting Combine by CSS, which would seem to place him in their top 101 overall)
International Scouting Services: 3rd goalie
Future Considerations: 106th, 7th goalie
HockeyProspect.com: 144th, 8th goalie
McKeens Hockey: 97th, 10th goalie
The Hockey Writers (War Room): 113th, 7th goalie
The Hockey Writers (The Next Ones): 92nd, 7th goalie
Craig Button: 74th, 7th goalie

Scouting Reports

International Scouting Services: McAdam is a good sized goaltender with good upside for the future. He is not the most athletic goaltender but does a good job of keeping his shoulders back and playing consistent angles. He can struggle at times by making his own mess. He needs a lot of polish but his upside is very intriguing and will be a good investment for the NHL club who selects him. McAdam is verbally committed to Penn State University however the London Knights still own his OHL rights. Size/Strength: Very Good; Athleticism/Ability: Good; Glove: Very Good; Blocker: Good; Lateral Movement: Average.

Future Considerations: McAdam is a big stopper with some very interesting professional upside. Immediately, you notice his great size; seals off his posts very well but altogether he doesn’t utilize his frame all that effectively. He arcs out toward the top of the crease when he goes to move post to post, pulling away from the goal line. He challenges the shooter and his size will force puck carriers into taking lower percentage shots. He can have nights where he struggles fighting the puck and having a hard time nabbing it clean, kicks out numerous rebounds, scrambles and flops around in the crease. McAdam really battles and never gives up; gets his mind right after letting in a bad goal. He shows impressive resiliency. His vision and tracking of the puck is great and compliment great athleticism and reflexes. His athleticism is key to his professional upside. He could stand to just play more positionally and let his size do more of the work instead of over committing and rolling around in his crease. NHL Potential: Starting Goaltender

HockeyProspect.com: Eamon got his developmental push out of Team Comcast in 2009-2010 where he made the jump to the junior hockey ranks splitting time between the USHL’s Waterloo Blackhawks and the NAHL’s Austin Bruins. Eamon received a fair amount of starts for a player who was just 16 to start the season in 2011-2012 and increased his starts again this year getting a lot of exposure and recognition early thanks to his participation at the Junior Club World Cup in August. Eamon has proven to cover the lower part of the net very well. He gets around post to post moderately well and shows good second effort on rebounds. He struggles a little with high shots because he has a tendency to go down a little too early. McAdam also benefited from playing at the World Jr. A Challenge. Eamon is slated to join Penn State University this fall of 2013. January 23, 2013, USHL Top Prospects Game (Muskegon, MI): Had a great night. Very athletic goaltender. Positionally sound and showed the ability to make desperation saves including one unbelievable goal-line glove stop. Communicated well with his teammates, barking commands and warnings to help.

McKeen's Hockey: Set career highs in his second season - sharing duties with fellow draft-runner Cal Petersen .. led the Black Hawks to the final of last summer’s World Jr. Cup in Russia - and Team USA to gold at the World Jr. A Challenge (4-0, 2.18, .927) .. made biggest impression at the USHL Top Prospects Game, claiming MVP honours and delivering one of the year’s best saves .. Perkasie, Pennsylvania native will attend Penn State University this fall .. SCOUTING REPORT .. quick, hybrid goalie casts a solid net presence .. effectively deploys a good-sized frame to manage shooting angles - aided by efficient footwork and deceptive agility .. methodical and structured - reacts and makes decisions relying on his natural instincts and strong anticipation .. style blends poise and competitiveness .. persistence and hard working - won’t give up, sticks with plays .. patient staying up and not over-reacting prematurely .. mostly does a good job of tracking the puck, sustaining solid positions, and not losing the middle of his net .. moves easily post to post and is tough to beat down low .. flashes instantly into a wide and flexible butterfly .. can go flat when down and fully extended - and expose the upper corners .. stays aware - directs teammates about threats - and comforts with positive body language and the mental strength to bounce back after a bad goal.

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Mark Yanis' outstanding freshman year at PSU has earned him some draft consideration

Mark Yanis

Defenseman
6'3", 207 pounds
2012-13 Team: Penn State (NCAA)

Future Considerations: 164th, 59th defenseman

Scouting Report

Future Considerations: Yanis is a big, physical blueliner who uses his size to his advantage. He’s shown some flashes of offensive ability and moves well, but could improve his feet. By doing so, he can shore up some coverage lapses in his own end.

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HockeyProspect.com views Bo Pellah as a high-end puck mover

Bo Pellah

Defenseman
5'11", 150 pounds
2012-13 Team: Alberni Valley Bulldogs (BCHL)

HockeyProspect.com: 198th, 67th defenseman

Scouting Report

HockeyProspect.com: Pellah is a poised puck moving defenseman who provided a very strong offensive presence from the backend this season and made the power play look quite impressive with his smart decisions with the puck. Pellah does most of his damage offensively with his hockey sense and very impressive passes. He reads the play quite well, and displays good vision from the blue line. He can thread passes through small seams and be mobile to create some space and time to make a play. Pellah does not have a great shot, but he does a good job of getting them on net and creating rebounds by shooting low. He does not carry the puck too often, but does limit the turnovers that he commits and makes a pass or simply dumps the puck in when he feels pressure.

The issue with Pellah’s game his is lack of strength and defensive game. He still has a lot of weight to put on, and really lacks the upper body strength to physically handle players along the walls and in the slot. He has to become much stronger to have any sort of a chance to be a professional player one day. Defensively, Pellah is not particularly great without the puck. He does a good job of positioning himself, but when he has to engage physically, he gets beat time and time again, and bigger players easily get positioning around him.

Pellah is not heading to the NCAA until 2014, so he has a lot of time to develop physically and improve on his defensive game. He is definitely another project, and teams may pass on him this year, but if he can get stronger and be a better presence without the puck to go with his impressive offensive skills, an NHL team may sign him to a rookie contract in the future, or draft him this year and give him a lot of time to develop.

Sept 9, 2012, Prince George Spruce Kings vs. Langley Rivermen (BCHL): A smooth puck moving defenseman who had a very good game. So smart with the puck, and uses time and patience to his advantage. Not afraid to stickhandle and try to beat opponents one on one. Definitely has the skills to do so. A very good skater, could turn from one direction to another in a hurry. Pushes the pace of the game very well. Needs to bulk up and get much stronger. Was listed as 5’11, 139 lbs last year, but this year listed as 6’1, 165 lbs. Defensively, above average in terms of positioning, but play along the walls could improve a lot.

Really impressed with Bo Pellah (2013). His puck moving skills were by far the best out of any 2013 NHL Entry Draft eligible defensemen from this weekend. I was able to talk to his old major midget coach and he said Pellah has moments once in a while where he tries to put on a stickhandling clinic and gets caught and pays for it. Did not see that today, but could be evident later.

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Mike Williamson's versatility probably helped him get a nod from NHL Central Scouting

Mike Williamson

Defenseman
6'3", 195 pounds
2012-13 Team: Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL)

NHL Central Scouting Services: 183rd North American skater, 71st defenseman

Three Stars: March 4-11

3. College Hockey Roundup: UMass-Lowell owns Hockey East; Penn State Holds NCAA Attendance Mark
(Flyers Faithful)

Yeah "Penn State Holds NCAA Attendance Mark" kind of caught my attention when this one came across.

In its first year as an NCAA program, Penn State actually set the mark for the highest-percentage of seats filled. Before moving over to the state-of-the-art 6,000-seat Pegula Ice Arena (above) next season, the Nittany Lions call Greenberg Ice Pavilion and its 1,400-seat capacity home. Despite the seating limitations, Penn State sold out every home game and averaged over 120% attendance.

In the NCAA records, PSU is given nine home games - two against AIC, Air Force and Alabama-Huntsville, and one against Buffalo State, Neumann and Robert Morris. Seven of the nine ended up as Ice Pavilion sellouts of 1,300 in a building that never has the same capacity listed in two different places. The Tuesday night Neumann game was just under a sellout at 1,071. The last one? The 5,389-person crowd in Wilkes-Barre against AIC on October 13th. Divide something like that against the Ice Pavilion's capacity (instead of counting Wilkes-Barre's 8,050 capacity for hockey for that game), and you end up with 128.1 percent capacity over the season.

There are plenty of reasons to be excited about the potential fan base for PSU hockey - that Wilkes-Barre game, as well as those in Hershey, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh chief among them. It seems kind of silly to pump ourselves over something like a falsely-calculated "attendance mark."

2. TMQ: Assessing the candidates for coach of the year
(USCHO)

Guy Gadowsky's name comes up in this coach-of-the-year discussion - then is fairly quickly dismissed for vague reasons ("I don't know if it'll gain a lot of traction"). Why? Find me one person who, before the season started, thought Penn State would even be competitive with major-conference programs - I'm an unapologetic homer, and I didn't think that - let alone actually beat four of them. With all due respect to guys like Rand Pecknold and Bob Motzko, who have done amazing things this season, there's really no argument in my mind. People thought Penn State would be a whipping boy for years, perhaps forever. Penn State surged well past "whipping boy" in its first year.

1. Rapid Fire 37 - Bo Pellah
(YouTube)

2014 commit Bo Pellah doesn't know Bill Murray. But is really into Taylor Swift. If I didn't secretly (not anymore, eh?) plow through two TayTay albums on every single road trip, I'd say something about how horrible that is. Regardless, a quick and highly entertaining interview - I always love anything that shakes players out of the hockeybot mindset in public.

Best of the Rest

@SeanTFrazier
(Twitter)

Hey look, you guys - Big Ten championship trophy. The conference isn't noted for commissioning quality designs, but I really like this one, as it looks like a bunch of skate blades and a puck. Kinda. Well done. Also, according to a photo tossed on Facebook by UNO message board MavPuck.com, we may have a Big Ten Tournament logo as well. Good times.

Jack Parker and the complicated legacy left behind at Boston University
(Puck Daddy)

Allow me to be the last to tell you that legendary Boston University coach Jack Parker is retiring at the end of the year after 40 seasons, 894 wins (and still counting for now), three national championships, boatloads of NHLers (including Mike Grier, a nephew of PSU football legend Rosey Grier) and a bunch of other impressiveness. When I first got into college hockey, BU was my favorite NCAA program, and while it probably wasn't any longer by September 16, 2010 (the last day before PSU was in that category), I've always generally rooted for the Terriers except against a handful of schools, with Parker being a huge reason why.

There's been a lot written about Parker's "complicated" legacy in light of the last couple of years of off-ice issues. Kind of reminds me of another coach, different sport, more familiar to readers of a Penn State blog. I believe history, ultimately, will be kind to both, but we'll see.

Going to go take a shower after linking something written by Ryan Lambert. Be right back.

High octant offense powers Minot State to first National Championship
(achahockey.org)

First off, congratulations to Minot State on the ACHA Division 1 title, as they beat Lindenwood 9-5 in the championship game in Bensenville, IL on Wednesday. The Beavers had developed a reputation as tournament flameout kings over the years, but I like their program, so I'm happy to see that one buried. Second off, "octant?" Never change, ACHA.

The three ACHA opponents of Penn State (Arizona State, Oklahoma and Ohio) all saw their seasons end in disappointment at nationals, with the eventual champs taking out both the Sooners (in overtime in the quarterfinals) and the Bobcats (in the semifinals). ASU fell to Lindenwood in the other semifinal. A team that beat Penn State this year wasn't even the second-best team in the ACHA, as things turned out. ACHA hockey is good hockey, people.

The NCAA Division III opponents of the Nittany Lions are also done with their seasons, by the way. Buffalo State wound up 13-12-2 overall with a loss to Oswego in the SUNYAC semifinals. Fredonia was 7-16-3 overall and lost to the Bengals in the SUNYAC quarterfinals (the two teams finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the league standings). Neumann was the best of the three at 19-6-3. The Knights won the ECAC West tournament with a 3-0 victory over Manhattanville but missed out on an NCAA tournament at-large bid, becoming one of those rare teams to end their season with a win.

Mercyhurst defeats Syracuse 4-1 to win the 2013 CHA Championship
(chawomenshockey.com)

Meanwhile, on the women's side, congratulations to Mercyhurst, which recovered from last season's blip (a tournament championship game loss to Robert Morris) to continue their quest to win everything ever in the CHA. MU topped Syracuse in the final on Saturday, after the Orange took out RIT (which ended Penn State's season, of course) 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals. Mercyhurst beat Robert Morris 2-1 in the other semifinal.

The Lakers were also the only one of Penn State's opponents this season to earn a bid to the NCAA tournament, and they'll open with Cornell on Saturday.

Went with Matt Mendelson for the photo, because Cara Mendelson is not an enemy you want to have

In the Locker Room - Matt Mendelson
In the Locker Room - Zach Saar
(Muskegon Lumberjacks)

A couple of quick player profiles from the USHL franchise including one men's signee (Saar) and one women's team sibling (Mendelson). Toss in incoming RPI transfer Pat Koudys, and yeah, I'll admit that the Jacks are my favorite team in the league, at least right now.

Stork Commits To Ohio State
(youngstownphantoms.com)

Forward Luke Stork, a Pittsburgh native, visited Penn State but according to Phantoms coach Anthony Noreen:

“He had a lot of options but Ohio State was his No. 1 choice from Day One and I’m glad it worked out for both sides.”

So basically, he's wrong.

PS. I picked the one article I found about it that didn't use the word "delivers" in some way. You're welcome.

UAH releases 2013-14 hockey schedule; opens home slate with Bemidji State
(al.com)

Remember when Alabama-Huntsville played at the Ice Pavilion a month ago and head coach Kurt Kleinendorst let it slip that the Chargers were returning next year in one of his postgamers? Looks like that's off, thanks (probably) to the fact that the WCHA was able to accommodate the no-longer-independent school with a full conference schedule a year earlier than planned.

Today in Charger Hockey History: 1983 National Club Championship
(uahhockey.com)

Speaking of UAH, March 5th was the 30th anniversary of an epic national club championship game between the Chargers and Penn State. Here's a fantastic look at it from the FoTYT down south including, for the first time that I've seen, a full box score of the game.

Ice Zone to close for good May 15
(Youngstown Vindicator)

This news is a couple weeks old, but the Ice Zone in Boardman, OH, the site of the 2006 ACHA D1 Showcase and 2007 national championships, is closing in May. For whatever it may be worth, it hosted the Icers' last-ever ACHA championship game appearance, which capped a run of ten in a row as well. Somewhere, former Oakland forward Will McMahon, who scored four times and added an assist in the Grizzlies' 5-1 win over the Icers in that title game, is crying.

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And finally... here, once more, are your ACHA Women's Division 2 national runners-up. Thanks again for the ride, guys.

Front row (left to right): Mandy Mortach, Ashton Schaffer, Mary Kate Tonetti, Nina Elia, Tara Soukup. Middle row (left to right): Allie Rothman, Katie Vaughan, Carly Szyszko, Devon Fisk, Jackie Saideh. Back row (left to right): Associate Head Coach Tom Vaughan, Taylor Nyman, Georgia Foulds, Elizabeth Denis, Sarah Eisenhut, Head Coach Patrick Fung.

Three Stars: January 21-27

Laura Bowman (white) is part of a rapidly-growing Minnesota pipeline.

3. Weekend Recap: Spartans split with Penn State
(The Munn Minute)

I occasionally break my "no recap-ish stuff" rule for stuff from FoTYT IcersGuy and Mary Clarke, so I figured I could do it for The Munn Minute as well. Sometimes it's interesting to get an opposing perspective on your big moments, like Saturday's win at Michigan State.

Some people might call it the low point in the season, but I guess we'll have to see. You can't really sugarcoat this, MSU shouldn't lose to Penn State - even with the season the Spartans have been having this year. Heck, the Spartans won Friday without two of their three leading scorers. With that said, Penn State wasn't going to make it easy. They did beat Ohio State earlier in the year, and they rallied a couple of times this weekend to make MSU work for it. The Spartans had a 2-0 lead disappear on Friday as well as a 3-2 lead.

2. Trio Flourishing for Nittany Lions
(PSU ComMedia)

The latest in a series of outstanding Ross Insana features on the women's team - this one hits on the team's top line of Yox, Descoresie and... Gross. I need to come up with a nickname for her.

1. Lake Conference girls' hockey rivals to unite
(Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Because I missed Women's Commit Cycle last week (the latest of about 60 plans is to get it out this week, then stagger them going forward to spread out the agony of doing them), I didn't get to share this great piece on women's signees Amy Petersen, Laura Bowman and Sarah Nielsen. So I'm fixing that.

"Laura and I knew of each others' [college] options, but we came to our decision to go to Penn State on our own," Petersen said. "It was pretty cool when we told each other that we had decided to go there. We'll have the chance to make our own traditions and write our own history."

The independent decisions of Petersen and Bowman weren't lost on Nielsen.

"I had been thinking about Penn State and a few other schools, but when I heard that they committed there, I thought, 'This could be a really good thing,'" Nielsen said. "I respect them so much that I knew I wanted to be a part of it when I heard they were going there."

Best of the Rest



Bo Pellah Goal on Jan 16th 2013
(YouTube)

Speaking of Commit Cycle, this goal by 2014 defenseman Bo Pellah was mentioned in last week's men's post, but before we had the available video to go with it.

Club teams faring well against NCAA hockey this year
(Arizona Daily Wildcat)

The ACHA is a respectable 4-5-0 against the NCAA, according to this article. I'm not entirely sure that's accurate: Alabama-Huntsville beat Alabama twice, Vanderbilt once and Oklahoma twice, while PSU beat Arizona State once. So that's six NCAA-over-ACHA games right off the top of my head. Fair to include ACHA D3s in that calculation? Not really, but I didn't come up with the parameters. Regardless, ACHA hockey is good hockey, remember that kids.

Jack Ham on Tomahawks: ‘I’m glad to be involved’
(Johnstown Tribune-Democrat)

PSU football legend Jack Ham is a minority owner of the NAHL's first-year Johnstown Tomahawks (as is Shane Conlan, another product of Linebacker U). Here's a nice story on the former Pittsburgh Steeler's ties to the junior hockey team, which will honor him with a bobblehead on Thursday night.

@BattistaJoseph
(Twitter)

Joe Battista has had this Twitter account for a while, but he finally started using it this past weekend, in order, among other things, toss up a photo of himself with former Icers player and assistant coach Andrew Strasser in front of the Munn Ice Arena scoreboard.

VIDEO: Soldier Field Begins Transition to Hockey Rink
(Bucky's 5th Quarter)

Remember obsessing over a similar video taken at Citizens Bank Park about 13.5 months ago? Those were good times. The Miami-Notre Dame, Minnesota-Wisconsin doubleheader at Soldier Field will be played on February 17th.

LVC ice hockey survives the conditions, but fall to Delaware 6-2 in Outdoor Classic
(Stack the Pads)

Speaking of outdoor hockey, ACHA D1's Lebanon Valley College and Delaware took advantage of the ice installed at HersheyPark Stadium for an AHL game between Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton last week.

Williamsport minor league hockey team folds
(PennLive)

Finally, one of the more intriguing stories in Pennsylvania hockey came to a premature end as the Williamsport Outlaws of the Federal Hockey League suspended operations about six weeks before the end of their first season in the Little League capital. The "intriguing" part stems from the fact that they attempted to play all of their home games outside at Bowman Field, which usually hosts baseball's Williamsport Crosscutters. As it turned out, they made it through all but one of those games, which were frontloaded relative to the season as a whole to account for the start of baseball season.

McAdam Seventh in NHL CSS Midterm Rankings

Eamon McAdam, a goalie scheduled to begin his freshman year at Penn State next season, has taken the latest step towards doing so as a 2013 NHL pick. On Tuesday morning, NHL Central Scouting Services released their midterm rankings, with McAdam - presently of the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks - listed as the seventh-best North American goaltender ahead of June's NHL Entry Draft.

The ranking actually represents a mild step down for McAdam, as he was rated as the top USHL goaltender in Central Scouting's preliminary rankings, released in November. This time around, he's rated behind Cal Petersen, his Black Hawks teammate who is committed to Notre Dame. McAdam and Petersen, as you might expect, have split time virtually down the middle for Waterloo this season, with the Penn Stater carrying a 11-3-0 record, a 3.42 goals against average, an 0.896 save percentage, and two shutouts.

Recent results are decidedly mixed on what it means to be the seventh-best North American goaltender. In last year's draft, 24 goaltenders were selected. Fifteen were North American, with the seventh such player being Matt Murray of the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Murray was taken in the third round with the 83rd overall pick by the Pittsburgh Penguins. In 2011, widely considered a down year for goalies, nine North Americans were drafted of the 19 total, with Nathan Lieuwen, then of the WHL's Kootenay Ice, seventh. He was picked in the sixth round, 167th overall, by the Buffalo Sabres.

McAdam is easily the most posted-about Penn State recruit, but not without reason. In November, he helped Team USA to a gold medal at the World Junior A Challenge, while on September 29th, he played in the inaugural CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects Game, allowing three goals on 14 shots. McAdam was named the top goaltender at the Junior Club World Cup in Russia in August and helped the Black Hawks to a silver medal in the tournament.

Next Wednesday, January 23rd, he'll have a chance to improve his status, as he'll play in the second USHL/NHL Top Prospects Game in Muskegon, MI.

Notably, 2014 commit Bo Pellah, a defenseman now with the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs, is absent from the midterm rankings after being listed as a C skater in the preliminary rankings.

Three Stars: November 19-25

2014 defense commit Bo Pellah is getting a serious look from NHL scouts.

3. Gadowsky Lands 2013 Transfer
(Lions 247)

Recent commit Eric Scheid, an Alaska-Anchorage transfer, gets the Andrew Dzurita treatment. Your money quote:

“I expect us to really surprise some people. I think a lot of people have been writing Penn State off to not be competitive for the first couple of years, but people don’t understand how easy it is for Penn State to recruit with their facilities and coaching staff. With the guys they have now, I think next year we’re going to make a big jump and turn a lot of heads.”

2. Union-Penn State postgame report
(Schenectady Daily Gazette)

I don't normally include recap-ish stuff in Three Stars, but I'm making an exception as a way to give a stick tap to Ken Schott, who covers Union hockey and is easily the hardest-working opponent beat writer I've encountered this season. He made my life ridiculously easy this past weekend with his in-game updates and with his postgame content (including players and coaches from both sides).

This is Schott's blog post about Sunday's PSU-Union game. Be sure to read it, watch the linked videos, and give him a follow on Twitter as well, you won't be disappointed when doing any of those things.

1. 14 BCHLers, plus one alum, listed in latest Central Scouting rankings
(bchl.ca)

Halifax's Fucale tops Central Scouting's list of goalies
(nhl.com)

In 2011 and 2012, Penn State sort of flirted with the NHL Entry Draft in the form of Luke Juha and Mark Yanis, both of whom were considered at different points of the process but ultimately passed over. However, it's starting to look more and more likely that PSU will finally have a player drafted (while associated with the school, apologies to Max Gardiner) in 2014, with Eamon McAdam and Bo Pellah standing as the top two candidates for the distinction of being the first.

The latest evidence: the listing of both Pellah and McAdam in the NHL Central Scouting Service preliminary rankings. McAdam was named the USHL's best goaltending prospect, while Pellah received a C rating, which loosely translates to fourth, fifth or sixth round consideration.

McAdam was also named one of five draft-eligible goalies worthy of first or second round consideration by The Pipeline Show.

Best of the Rest

What If? BC To The Big Ten: A Hockey Perspective
(BC Interruption)

With the Big Ten drastically lowering its standards to chase television sets of late... hey, why not Boston College? Added bonus:

While joining the Big Ten would put BC in a stable football conference and make the athletics department more secure financially, it would be absolutely catastrophic for the hockey program and would effectively destroy BC hockey as we know it.

Get on the phone, Jim Delany.

Wildcats vs Buckeyes (in Paint)
(Deadly Nuts)

Deadly Nuts is absolutely one of my favorite blogs because it's sort of what I wish I could be if I was a) funnier and b) less inhibited. Oh, and c) could recap hockey games using MS Paint. Seriously, take a look at this post covering OSU's sweep of Northern Michigan two weekends ago, it's unreal.

Duxbury's Amie Varano commits to play ice hockey at Sacred Heart
(wickedlocal.com)

A recruiting miss for the women, as Varano considered the Nittany Lions, along with DIII schools Norwich, Castleton State and the University of New England. And picked Sacred Heart, which would be my last choice of the group.

New hoop event at NHTI will replace Jacob's Bridge
(unionleader.com)

Here's some insight on a possible St. Anselm move to NCAA Division I for both men's and women's hockey - and why it may be more likely now than nine years ago, when a previous batch of serious rumors hit. St. Anselm's women would likely join Penn State in College Hockey America, should DI status become a reality.

@MarkHorgas
(Twitter)

Former Icers player and coach and long-time sponsor and booster Mark Horgas found a couple quality teammates at the rink last Monday night in the form of women's players Jill Holdcroft (left) and Kendra Rasmussen (right).

Daily Dish: Should USA Hockey's Dave Ogrean Resign?
(juniorhockey.com)

This column calls for a high-ranking official in an organization to resign because he allegedly didn't do enough to stop abuse. Never heard of anything like this happening before, that's for sure.

What do I think? I don't know, ask USA Hockey fanboy Chris Peters what he thinks. Then I'll take the opposite position, because he's probably wrong.

Huntsville’s biggest concern is off ice
(Omaha World Herald)

I like to toss something in about Alabama-Huntsville once in a while, just because. This one's a nice update on their present status, which is...

In January, the WCHA is expected to discuss whether to extend an invitation to Alabama-Huntsville to join the league.

“Without a conference, it’s going to be difficult to keep the program, without a doubt,” Chargers coach Kurt Kleinendorst said. “I don’t think the WCHA is looking at it that way — the WCHA needs to do what’s best for the conference. But I think Huntsville has a lot to offer. I don’t see the downside.”

It goes without saying by now, but best of luck to our brothers in non-varsity origins. UAH visits the Ice Pavilion on February 8th and 9th.

Hockey withdrawal
(hockeybuzz.com)

I started the year by watching the Rochester Americans, and that lasted for awhile, but it's just not the same. It's not NHL hockey. It's not the Buffalo Sabres. I also covered the Buffalo State men's hockey team and that was very intense, especially in the season opener when they defeated Penn State, but still, after some time, it didn't make up for NHL hockey.

What's "NHL hockey?"

As Good As Gold

Eamon McAdam locks down the post during the WJAC gold medal game against Canada West.

When goaltender Eamon McAdam arrives at Penn State next year, he'll already have something in common with future teammates Luke Juha and Curtis Loik beyond the usual two degrees of separation in hockey: a World Junior A Challenge gold medal. McAdam's Team USA defeated Canada West in the final by a 6-3 count Sunday evening in Yarmouth, Nova Scotia to recapture WJAC supremacy. The U.S. had won three straight gold medals from 2008 through 2010 before being interrupted by the Canada West squad of the two current PSU freshmen last year.

How important was McAdam to the championship? He started and won all four of Team USA's tournament games. His goals against average (2.18) and save percentage (.927) were tops among all tournament goaltenders who played in at least two games. So yeah, he was pretty important.

Statistically, the final wasn't his best game, but it was still a highlight to me. Team USA carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission thanks to goals from J.T. Stenglein (who was recruited by PSU but recently committed to Michigan State) and Notre Dame-bound Vince Hinostroza. Canada West responded to take a 3-2 lead 9:31 into the second. At the risk of sounding like I'm homering the Perkasie, PA native, there wasn't much he could have done about the Canadian rally. The first goal was a centering attempt that deflected in off a skate in front, the second came off a turnover and an effective 3-on-1 down low and the third was a well-placed deflection. From there, though, McAdam shut the door, including during a full two minutes of 3-on-5 play early in the third period of what was then a one-goal game.

On the other end, goals by Boston College commit Austin Cangelosi, future Michigan Wolverine Alex Kile, Stenglein's second and a spectacular finish from tournament MVP Hinostroza completed the rally.

McAdam makes a save against Switzerland

Team USA plowed through its two Group B games on the first two days of the tournament, blasting Canada East 9-1 and edging Switzerland 4-3 last Monday and Tuesday.

Winning the group, which gave the Americans a bye to the semifinals, combined with a pre-determined schedule that saw Team USA as the odd squad out on the last day of group games, led to a rarity: consecutive off days right in the middle of a seven-day tournament. Rest, not rust, turned out to be the order of that situation, as the U.S. again dispatched the Swiss (who would go on to take the bronze) by a much more decisive 7-4 count in Friday's semifinals. McAdam only played the first two periods, saving 23 of 24 and giving way to Michael Bitzer with a 6-1 lead through 40 minutes.

Of note: former Penn State commit Thomas Welsh, a defenseman, skated for fourth-place Canada East in the tournament. Welsh had no points and 26 penalty minutes in five games. Despite 15 goals against in bookend losses to the U.S. and Switzerland, Canada East only allowed four in the middle three games.

Pellah, West Take CJHL Prospects Game

Bo Pellah (front row, third in from the right) helped West to a CJHL Prospects Game "win" Sunday.

In addition to McAdam and the WJAC proper, 2014 defense commit Bo Pellah participated in the 2012 CJHL Prospects Game, a showcase event for NHL draft prospects held in conjunction with the WJAC. The "game" - actually a two-game total goals series between players from the five eastern and five western CJHL leagues - was won by Pellah's West team 8-6.

West took the first half on Saturday 5-0, but came actually blew that huge cushion in game two on Sunday just prior to the WJAC gold medal game when East stormed out to 6-1 third-period advantage. Pellah was the primary assist on West's only goal to that point, a shorthanded effort from Ryan Berlin early in the second period that temporarily halted momentum after East had scored four consecutive to open the game. Goals from Merrimack commit Austin Plevy and Berlin in the last three minutes of the game - window dressing in most cases, but vital here - cut East's final margin of victory to 6-3, not enough to flip the series result.

McAdam, Pellah Make NHL CSS Watch List

Eamon McAdam has had quite an offseason - a silver medal at the Junior Club World Cup, the award for top goaltender from that tournament, a spot in the inaugural CCM/USA Hockey Top Prospects Game on the 29th, and now a B rating from NHL Central Scouting.

With all due respect to Max Gardiner, who was the 74th overall pick of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft by the St. Louis Blues while committed to Minnesota, the sentiment that Penn State hasn't really had a draft selection yet is somewhat justified.

Gardiner, of course, will go down as the first NHL pick ever on a PSU roster, but at the same time, Nittany Lions fans haven't experienced the feeling of hearing someone's name called in June and having that "wait...he's one of our guys!" epiphany.

Next June 28th and 29th in Newark, NJ, and assuming the NHL hasn't completely imploded by then, Penn State will have another shot at rectifying that situation. According to the NHL's Central Scouting Service, 2013 goalie commit Eamon McAdam and 2014 defense commit Bo Pellah are now the two most likely players to become the first drafted while associated with PSU. On a CSS watch list of North American prospects released today, McAdam was rated as a "B goaltender," while Pellah was a "C list" skater.

A previous CSS watch list (PDF link) defines those ratings as follows:

A Rating -- A 'must see' player who is predicted to be a potential First or Second Round Draft selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft

B Rating -- A player to note if you are in the area, a potential selection in the Third to Fifth Round Draft Selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft

C Rating -- A player that Central Scouting is tracking, a potential late round selection in the upcoming NHL Entry Draft

Since that 2010 watch list, and according to Western College Hockey Blog, the ratings have been adjusted so that an A rating is only given to those seen as potential first-round selections.

It's noteworthy that the USHL didn't have any A goaltenders on the list, while McAdam was the only B goaltender - meaning, of course, that he's seen as the most worthy draft-eligible goalie in the U.S.' best junior league right now. Pellah was one of just six BCHL players listed.

While an obvious statement, it's worth pointing out that McAdam and Pellah will need to continue to rate well over the next nine months to stay in the NHL's good graces, because they're not the first Penn Staters to appear on a watch list. That distinction belongs to freshman defenseman Mark Yanis, who was awarded a B rating at this time last year but slid off of the radar by the time of the 2012 draft.

Bo Knows Hockey

One of the difficulties Penn State faces in building an elite program is in recruiting. While Guy Gadowsky and company are trying to fill out an NCAA roster, most good programs with NCAA talent already in the fold are recruiting several years down the road. Every other Big Ten club, for example, has at least one player in their 2014 class already, with Michigan State having three. However, according to the website of the BCHL's Langley Rivermen, via Chris Heisenberg, PSU has joined the club as well, thanks to 16-year-old defenseman Bo Pellah becoming Penn State's first 2014 commit.

Bo Pellah

Defenseman
Langley Rivermen (BCHL)
5'11", 150 pounds
New Westminster, BC
DOB 5/25/1995

EliteProspects.com

Season   Team                   Lge    GP    G    A  Pts  PIM
-------------------------------------------------------------
2010-11  Vancouver NW Giants    BCMML  39    3   17   20   59
2011-12  Langley Rivermen       BCHL   32    0   15   15   31

Despite his slender build, the left-handed shot has had a fantastic rookie season in the BCHL playing against people sometimes four years his senior. The league's media voted him best 16-year-old in the Coastal Conference (with 88 percent of the vote) at the season's halfway point, and he's leading Rivermen defensemen in scoring.

Last year, Pellah wrapped up a great midget run with the Vancouver NW Giants (the same organization that produced 2012 signee Curtis Loik) in the Telus Cup, Canada's national midget championships. At the event Pellah registered three assists in seven games, although the Giants didn't place.

Count the WHL's Spokane Chiefs among those who knew about Pellah before that, as they selected him in the sixth round of the 2010 WHL Bantam Draft. Said Spokane Director of Player Personnel Chris Moulton at the time:

"Bo is a smooth skating, smart defenseman who keeps his game simple and will make a lot of plays."

He's also been described by observers as playing a "steady game" and "composed with the puck." Sounds very Juha-esque. Such knowledge may have come from the 2010 Western Canada Bantam Championships, where Pellah helped his Burnaby Winter Club Bruins squad to a third-place finish with a goal and three assists in five games.

Incidentally, Edmonton Oilers standout rookie Ryan Nugent-Hopkins also played for both the BWC and the NW Giants. Here's hoping Pellah elects to skip the whole "play in the WHL" part.