Women's Jersey Countdown: #3 Cara Mendelson

Junior - Forward - 5'6" - Pittsburgh, PA

Cara Mendelson didn't play much in 2012-13 - just two games - but there's little doubt that she's an important part of the Nittany Lions' depth. She's adept at playing both forward and defense, a bit of flexibility that allows Josh Brandwene and his staff added security against the inevitabilities of hockey. And it has to be said that with Mendelson in the lineup, PSU did quite well last season: 2-0-0 with a 6-1 win at Sacred Heart on October 20, 2012 and a 4-0 home victory against Division III Chatham on January 5th. The Steel City Selects product spent her freshman season with the Lady Icers and was a key component of an outstanding group of blueliners that helped PSU to the ECWHL regular season championship. She scored her first collegiate goal on October 28, 2011 against California (PA) and was in the lineup for the Lady Icers' stunning upset of NCAA DI's Sacred Heart on January 14, 2012. Mendelson was one of six Lions to earn Academic All-Big Ten accolades last year.

Career Statistics (2011-12 with ACHA Lady Icers):
Season	GP	G	A	Pts.	PIM	PP	SH	GW	GT
2011-12	26	1	3	4	2	0	0	0	0
2012-13	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
ACHA Career	26	1	3	4	2	0	0	0	0
NCAA Career	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Three Stars: July 29-August 4

3. The Pipeline Show - Season #9 Clips
(The Pipeline Show)

Much as once-and-again teammate David Glen did a couple weeks ago, freshman defenseman and Vancouver Canucks draft pick Mike Williamson was in studio with TPS for a hour on Saturday (show 1, August 3rd at the link).

2. Using HARBORcenter to attract college hockey’s best
(Two in the Box)

Buffalo sports blog Two in the Box has an interesting idea for an in-season tournament hosted by the First Niagara Center/HARBORcenter complex - and Penn State is included through its Pegula connection, along with Canisius, Niagara and a rotating fourth team (preferably from PSU's league to make the thing an Atlantic Hockey-Big Ten showdown of sorts).

My initial instinct was to say that there's no way that the Nittany Lions would do both the Three Rivers Classic and the Pegula Challenge, but as long as we have roughly 64 non-con slots to play with, why not? And if it has to be one or the other, I have a hard time believing that PSU could say no to the $102 Million Man.

1. christivetter8 (1,2)
(Instagram)

@Cmen12
(Twitter)

It was a popular week for Pegula Ice Arena visits by current players and recruits, including junior women's forward Cara Mendelson and her brother Matt, an uncommitted forward with the USHL's Muskegon Lumberjacks (top photo). Christi Vetter, who is scheduled to hit campus next fall, also joined the party - both solo and with her sisters.

Best of the Rest

84 Lumber Arena will host the PSU men and women three times in 2013-2014

Men's and Women's Hockey Tickets Now on Sale
(rmucolonials.com)

Heads up for Pittsburgh-area Nittany Lions, or anyone who likes a good roadie: single-game tickets for the men's trip to Robert Morris on November 1st, as well as for the women's series there on February 21st and 22nd, are now on sale. I have no reason to think that the men's game won't be packed pretty tightly at the Ice Pavilion-sized 84 Lumber Arena, so you might want to jump on that now.

RIT coach Wayne Wilson receives contract extension
(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Speaking of Atlantic Hockey opponents, RIT coach Wayne Wilson has received a well-earned contract extension, through 2017. Wilson, in 15 years, has led the Tigers from Division III power to one of Division I's most respected mid-majors - including a Frozen Four appearance in 2010 that helped net him the Spencer Penrose Award as DI coach of the year.

Penn State athletic department loses two officials in Greg Myford and Brian Siegrist
(The Daily Collegian)

PSU lost two long-time athletic department employees on Friday in Greg Myford, the associate athletic director for marketing and communications and Brian Siegrist, who primarily was in charge of communications for men's basketball. Myford is leaving for a vice president position with marketing company IMG College, while Siegrist is headed to the University of South Florida to be their associate athletic director for communications.

From a hockey standpoint, Myford is the more notable of the two departures due to the department-wide scope of his job. It's likely that, as one of his last acts affecting hockey, he played a role in the decision to not retain broadcaster Steve Penstone for the 2013-2014 season.

How NHL owners can help grow the NCAA game
(The Hockey News)

It seems a bit wasteful to write an entire column when "give out money" is the essence of Ryan Kennedy's suggestion to NHL owners to help grow the NCAA game, but here you go. Of obvious interest: potential Big Ten connections between the Blackhawks and Illinois and the Capitals and Maryland are explored.

Pegula Ice Arena, July 2013
(Penn State News)

Random good-quality PIA bowl photo? Sure, why not (the version at the link is better than the one presented here, by the way)?

Penn State racks up first draft picks, and McAdam, Williamson await Big Ten baptism
(USCHO)

While this is not the best thing ever written about Eamon McAdam and Mike Williamson - their quotes are taken from a transcript of PSU's media event two days after they were drafted - it's what you're getting from what, generally, is the slowest period of the offseason if you don't have any pro signings, major junior defections or World Junior camp invites. No, I'm not in sales, why do you ask?

AU Hockey to join NCHA in 2014-2015
(aurora.edu)

It's not exactly the Fighting Illini, but Aurora University (based in the Illinois city of the same name) will be joining NCAA Division III and the NCHA for the 2014-2015 season. AU started its hockey program last year at the ACHA Division 3 level with the stated goal of NCAA status.

And yep, in case you're wondering, @USCollegeHockey had it all the way.

Jooris leaving Union for Calgary Flames
(Schenectady Daily Gazette)

Penn State's games against Union on November 30th and December 1st are now slightly less daunting thanks to the departure of Josh Jooris, who has forfeited his senior year with the Dutchmen to sign a two-way entry-level deal with the Calgary Flames. He registered 88 points in 117 collegiate games and had recently attended the Flames' development camp, apparently doing pretty well there. Jooris follows star goalie Troy Grosenick, who similarly departed Union with a year on the table to sign with the San Jose Sharks on April 8th.

Union got back on the horse a day later by announcing their solid 2013 recruiting class.

Group photo of Wisconsin's 2013 entering class

College Hockey Recruiting: Wisconsin
(Over The Boards)

OTB's look at the recruiting efforts of the various NCAA Division I programs continued last week, with the spotlight on the Badgers. UW's incoming group is headlined by Grant Besse, a forward from Benilde-St. Margaret's (MN) who was drafted by the Anaheim Ducks in the fifth round back in June.

Here's a link to catch up on the whole series, which has also included Penn State, Boston College and Minnesota.

Big Ten hockey teams draw well
(Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Minnesota (2nd, 9,950 fans per game), Wisconsin (3rd, 9,521), Michigan State (8th, 5,869) and Michigan (10th, 5,357) were all among the nation's top ten in attendance last season. Given where the bar is set and what we know about ticket sales at Pegula Ice Arena, don't be surprised to see Penn State crack the list for the coming season.

Megastar Sidney Crosby's sister helps women's hockey
(BBC)

Canadian goalie Taylor Crosby - sister of Sid, as the headline says - recently went over to the UK as part of a camp bringing players and coaches from 18 different countries together as part of an effort to grow women's hockey outside of traditional powers Canada, the U.S., Finland and Sweden. The women's game has frequently faced criticism for its lack of depth worldwide and is at risk of being kicked out of the Olympic lineup if things don't improve.

Crosby, because of her last name, got a good deal of press over the camp... but she is a remarkably mature 17-year-old who has a good shot of Cheryl Miller-ing big brother by establishing herself as a superstar in her own right. After looking it up, I see that Cheryl Miller is older than Reggie Miller. Whatever, you get my point.

End begins for North Dakota's old Ralph Engelstad Arena
(Duluth News Tribune)

Demolition of the original Ralph Engelstad Arena, home to the North Dakota Fighting Sioux from 1972-2001, is finally underway. And no, it's not at all dusty to leave a vacant ice arena sitting in the middle of your campus for 12 years, just ask UND I guess.

Penn State-Chatham Photo Gallery II

Photos from Saturday night's Penn State-Chatham women's game. All are by and courtesy of Steven Hass. Click for full size.

Sophomore forward Tess Weaver

Freshman forward Katie Zinn

Senior defender Lindsay Reihl

Freshman forward Emily Laurenzi

Freshman defender Paige Jahnke

Freshman forward Kendra Rasmussen

Freshman defender Stephanie Walkom

Sophomore forward Cara Mendelson

Sophomore forward Katie Murphy

Senior forward Kate Christoffersen

Murphy

Junior forward Jenna Welch (left).

Three Stars: December 24-30

3. Penn State Hockey Tailgate
(psu.edu)

College of Communications alumnus/alumna? Planning on going to the Penn State-Vermont game in Philadelphia on January 19th? Good news: you have a place to pregame.

2. How Stuff Works - College Hockey Edition, Part 3: NCAA and Junior Hockey
(Black Shoe Diaries)

IcersGuy continued his outstanding series explaining college hockey to the masses last week with a tutorial on the junior hockey system.

If you missed it, Part 1 outlined the differences between club and varsity hockey, while Part 2 discussed college hockey's ever-changing conference alignment.

1. PSU Moves Up in Season's Second Poll
(psuwihc.com)

The PSU Women's Ice Hockey Club finally has a website. It might look a little familiar, but hopefully the webmaster's grind can make up for it. Also, the team has a new Facebook page, and their not-new Twitter account is still there, so get after that.

Captain Carly Szyszko (pictured) and the fourth-ranked team are back in action on January 13th at Navy for a Sunday afternoon tilt.

Best of the Rest

@Cmen12
(Twitter)

Because the men's team didn't use their allotted morning skate time on the second day of the Three Rivers Classic, women's players Cara Mendelson and Katie Murphy did. Well played.

Penn State Smaller Sports Weekly Roundup
(Black Shoe Diaries)

It's a good thing that IcersGuy dropped the second-star post this week, because BSD needed to win some karma points back after this steaming pile. Not only is men's hockey a "smaller sport" in BSD's estimation (I mean, it's no wrestling, after all), but it gets treatment like:

Because the NHL is still locked out (LULZ @ U HOCKEY FANZ)...

...and proceeds from there with some lazy, predictable trolling of both Penguins and Flyers fans. Didja know, for example, that PSU has more wins than the Flyers this year?!?! Because they're locked out!!!! Get it?!??!?!?

Jenna Hendrikx Takes Time from NCAA Season to Attend Do It for Daron Event
(Bleacher Report)

As much (deserved, mostly) criticism as Bleacher Report takes, it actually does deliver pretty good women's hockey stuff, including this quick feature on Mercyhurst's Jenna Hendrikx. Hendrikx attended a Provincial Women's Hockey League game over the holiday break to benefit Do it for Daron, a foundation created to honor the life of Daron Richardson, the daughter of then-Ottawa Senators assistant coach Luke Richardson (and a PWHL player herself) who tragically took her own life in 2010. Do it for Daron supports teen suicide and depression awareness and causes.

NCAA 2012-13 Women's Hockey Midseason Report Card
(Bleacher Report)

Mercyhurst's Christine Bestland gets tabbed as college hockey's midseason MVP in this slideshow, while Rebecca Vint of Robert Morris scoring five goals against Penn State on November 10th is given best single-game performance so far. Someday we'll be on the other end of things like that, I promise.

Colonials Ink Seven for 2013-14 Season
(rmucolonials.com)

As long as we're on the CHA, Robert Morris released the names of a pretty strong group of signees for next season. Over one month after the early signing period closed, but hey, better late than never.

Kale Dolinski and his ASU teammates went 1-1 in British Columbia over the weekend, losing to UBC but beating Simon Fraser. Photo: Allyson Cummings/House of Sparky.

Sun Devils Get Big 5-3 Win, Split Canadian Series
(House of Sparky)

While Arizona State's SB Nation blog tends to be a little... uhhh... homertastic concerning the school's ACHA team, it does provide very good coverage, including of the Great Northwest Showcase over the weekend. The Burnaby, BC event involved games between ACHAers (and Penn State opponents) ASU and Oklahoma, and Canadian non-varsity power Simon Fraser as well as the CIS program from the University of British Columbia.

Long story short, the ACHA representatives were blasted by the Canadians to the tune of a combined 12-2 count on the showcase's first day. However, the Sun Devils bounced back with a win over Simon Fraser on Saturday after losing to UBC, while Oklahoma extended the Thunderbirds to overtime to follow up their loss to SFU.

MSU salvages 1-1 tie against WMU But Falls in Shootout
Spartans drop 3rd place game to Michigan 5-2
(The Munn Minute)

In another holiday tournament involving a future PSU opponent, Michigan State settled for a fourth-place finish at the Great Lakes Invitational after a third-period barrage boosted archrival Michigan to a 5-2 win in the GLI consolation game. On the first day of the tournament, Western Michigan and Michigan Tech (the eventual champion, for the first time since 1980) ousted the two Big Tenners from title consideration.

I guess I should point out that the GLI was originally scheduled for the Detroit Tigers' Comerica Park this year before being moved back to its customary Joe Louis Arena home. Thanks so much, NHL players and owners.

W: Penn State 6 at Sacred Heart 1

Box score // GoPSUSports.com recap // SacredHeartPioneers.com recap

Daily Collegian recap

Josh Brandwene's primary goal this season is to improve every day, and for the team to be playing its best hockey of the season at tournament time.

Things like "better" and "progress" aren't always easily measured. In fact, as recently as Friday's series opener, I argued that a 2-1 loss to Sacred Heart could be considered forward movement. No rationalization is needed, however, when the Nittany Lions move from that defeat into a 6-1 win the next day to snap a four-game losing streak and improve to 2-4-0 (0-2-0 CHA).

The offensive explosion from a team that had only scored seven times in the previous five games (and just twice after the season-opening 5-3 win over Vermont) was thanks mostly to a suddenly-lethal power play. After going 0-for-19 to start the season, it connected three times in the first 32 minutes of the game to give the Nittany Lions more than enough offense.

That's not to say that the game didn't have a few tense moments, though. Taylor Gross and Shannon Yoxheimer scored on PSU's first two attempts with the advantage to give the Nittany Lions a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. However, early in the second period, and on a SHU power play...

Casey Stathopoulos (Waltham, MA) knocked in loose puck on a scrum in front of the net, set up by Sara Hanna (Lino Lakes, MN) and Sarah Delaney (Whittman, MA) at 4:03.

Fortunately...

Penn State answered about eight minutes later, once again on the power play, as Jeannette Bateman knocked down a clearing attempt at the blue line and skated in for an unassisted goal at 12:00.

Jess Desorcie and Hannah Hoenshell tallied 26 seconds apart early in the final period to crack the game open, and Jordin Pardoski added a finishing touch with 1:39 remaining. Madison Smiddy and Jenna Welch each had a pair of assists in the contest.

Notably, Nicole Paniccia started in goal Saturday to break up what had been a straight rotation between her and Celine Whitlinger to this point. Paniccia didn't give Brandwene any reason to regret the move, stopping 25 of 26 Pioneer attempts.

While the flood of NCAA-era firsts has slowed significantly six games into the season, this game still provided a healthy share, including:

• As mentioned, the power play goals were the first three.
• Bateman, Hoenshell and Pardoski all scored their first collegiate goals.
• The game was Hoenshell's PSU and NCAA debut after she missed the early stages of the season with a sprained ankle.
• Desorcie's goal was her first at the NCAA DI level.
• Cara Mendelson also made her NCAA debut, and is now able to say that the Nittany Lions do quite well when she plays.
• Lindsay Reihl notched her first NCAA point, an assist on Desorcie's goal.

The Nittany Lions return to the Ice Pavilion Thursday and Friday for what should be a fascinating series with RIT, last year's NCAA Division III national champions who are also playing their first season at the DI level. The Tigers are 3-3-0 following a 3-0 win over Yale at Rochester's Blue Cross Arena Saturday afternoon, just before the PSU men upset RIT in the nightcap.

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.

PSU to Sponsor ACHA Women's D2 Team

Katie Vaughan might finally have a place in Penn State hockey.

Following rumors that scarce ice time was putting PSU's women's ACHA team in jeopardy for this coming season, the plan is apparently moving forward, according to a brief article posted to the ACHA's site:

As part of the on going NCAA advancement of the Ice Hockey program the Penn State Womens program will be moving into the Division 2 starting this upcoming year.

No details beyond that are known at this time, but they are expected soon.

That's certainly welcome news for the numerous players from last year's Lady Icers who did not make the NCAA roster, notably star goalie Katie Vaughan, along with Allie Rothman and Cara Mendelson on defense and Katie Murphy and Katharine Gausseres up front (I can't verify any participation - I'm simply naming significant players from last season who weren't seniors and aren't now on the NCAA team).

The "demotion" from D1 to D2 is probably a smart move, given the increasing wherewithal required to assemble a competitive D1 team on both the men's and women's sides, particularly in terms of travel and recruiting. It's largely axiomatic that a D2 team is the best way to go for a men's program seeking to co-exist with the NCAA. In fact, men's D1-NCAA setups are prohibited by an ACHA rule, although one that's never enforced. With the women, the evidence is a little less clear. NCAA DI schools Connecticut and Minnesota-Duluth have ACHA D2 teams, while Northeastern, Minnesota, Ohio State, Massachusetts, Vermont and Wisconsin were in D1 last year.

The differences between women's D1 and D2 include:

• Lower membership dues ($1050 vs. $1250)
• Lower games played requirements for tournament eligibility (six against three other D2 teams vs. 12 against six other D1 teams)
• D2 players do not need to be degree-seeking students, although all must pass at least six credits to be eligible
• Up to six years of total eligibility for players (D1 has a maximum of five)
• Shorter periods (17 minutes vs. 20 minutes)

D2 competition - introduced for women in the 2006-2007 season - would potentially give Penn State a much tighter geography than the Lady Icers' New England trips of seemingly every other weekend. Pennsylvania schools Slippery Rock, West Chester, California (a frequent Lady Icers opponent), Villanova and barely-out-of-state Delaware all played in women's D2 last year. Wisconsin-Stout defeated Alaska for the 2012 national championship, culminating a tournament featuring six of 23 teams.

Last season's Lady Icers, of course, went 12-7-1-0 against ACHA competition, part of a 13-14-3-1 overall record that included a historic upset of NCAA DI team Sacred Heart and the ECWHL regular season championship. Women's hockey at Penn State began for the 1996-1997 season and joined the ACHA in 2000 when it first added a women's division. Since then, it's enjoyed a highly-successful history that includes six national championship tournament appearances and a trip to the semifinals in 2002.

Three Stars: May 7-13

Cara Mendelson (right) requests your assistance.

3. @lukejuha04
(Twitter)

The star defense recruit, who struggled with injuries all season, has finally been cleared to play. Juha's last game action was November 13, 2011 at the World Jr. A Challenge and his last contest with the BCHL's Vernon Vipers was on October 28th, so this qualifies as both fantastic and long-awaited news.

2. Coaches Caravan
(Penn State Alumni Association)

To be honest, I'm kind of sick of hearing about the Coaches Caravan. But we're in the last week of it, highlighted by the entry of Guy Gadowsky and Josh Brandwene, so now-ish would probably be a decent time to register if you haven't already and want to attend (except the Altoona one, you probably missed that by the time you read this). Tickets for Nittany Lion Club and alumni association members are $40, non-members are $55. Here's the schedule. Get at me if you'll be in Cleveland.

Monday, May 14 - Altoona, PA (7:30 a.m.), Pittsburgh, PA (6:00 p.m.)
Tuesday, May 15 - Youngstown, OH (11:30 a.m.), Cleveland, OH (6:00 p.m.)
Wednesday, May 16 - Erie, PA (11:30 a.m.), Buffalo, NY (6:00 p.m.)

Gadowsky will attend all six of those stops, while Brandwene will only be in Pittsburgh and Buffalo.

1. Help the kids of Rwanda
(gofundme.com)

I'll let Lady Icer Cara Mendelson explain:

My friend Katelyn and I are taking a mission trip to Rwanda, Africa on May 23rd! We picked Rwanda because it is an extremely poor country that could really use our help. With the genocide just over 15 years ago, these people are looking to rebuild their lives. Any small donation can make a huge difference. In our case, the money raised is going to the funding of a school in which we will be working at while we are there. Thanks so much to all of you for your support!

You heard her - get on it.

Best of the Rest

Could Penn State help celebrate the groundbreaking for this edifice?

RIT's Shelby Vakiener raises bar
(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

While I'm sure Ms. Vakiener is an outstanding lacrosse player, I'm more concerned with the sidebar on this one, titled "RIT HOCKEY Arena Update."

More than $8 million in private donations have been secured for RIT’s Gene Polisseni Center, which has an estimated total cost of $30 million to $35 million. The school wants to raise $15 million through fundraising and will pay off the remainder of construction costs through revenue generated from the venue, [RIT director of university news Paul] Stella said. 

There is no official date for ground-breaking, though speculation is that it may take place during Brick City Weekend, RIT’s homecoming event Oct. 19-21. The Tigers men’s hockey team plays Penn State at Blue Cross Arena at the Rochester Community War Memorial on Oct. 20.

Heeeey...that's us! By the way, RIT plans to open their arena during the same 2013-2014 season as the PIA. They just now selected an architect, Canadian firm BBB Architects. Better get cracking, guys.

Replay: Chat with Michigan State hockey coach Tom Anastos
(Detroit Free Press)

Ever wonder why a program like Michigan State would schedule a first-year program when a) they don't have to, since the Big Ten doesn't start until 2013-2014 and b) they get no credit in the pairwise rankings for doing so? Wonder no more.

I believe that while we are always trying to do what's in the best interest of Michigan State, when you're at a school like ours, we also need to play a leadership role in helping our sport grow. Regardless of the impact of games with PSU next season on our PWR, we believe its the right thing to do...both for the good of the sport, as well as to help a new hockey-playing member of the Big Ten.

The entire chat is worth a read for Anastos' thoughts on the Big Ten, not to mention the interesting tidbits on a future opponent.

Bondra Commits to Michigan State
(The Munn Minute)

I'm thinking when Penn State and Michigan State get together this season, there should be a game beforehand for the hockey dads from the two teams. We already had 1984 Olympic teammates Chris Chelios (MSU's Dean and Jake), David Jensen (PSU's Nate) and Ed Olczyk (PSU's Tommy) in the mix. Now toss in Peter Bondra, who didn't play for Team USA but who did score 503 goals in the NHL.

Jon Gruden, John Lynch honor student athletes at Mile High
(Denver Post)

Yep, that's incoming women's recruit Jeanette Bateman receiving $10,000 of scholarship money from NFL legend John Lynch. Nicely done.

Derek Ross
(Google+)

From the "for what it's worth" department. I don't know Mr. Ross other than through his getting pinged by my network of Google Alerts. His StalkerNet entry lists him as a Systems Administrator in the PSU registrar's office.

Just came out of a presentation on the new Pegula Ice Rink at PSU. That facility is going to be pretty amazing. I'm not even a huge hockey fan like +Bradley Snyder is, but I'm excited to go to games.

Looks like Tim Hortons is 99% confirmed to be the facilities food vendor. (He said don't tweet that. I didn't. This is G+.)

He added this comment underneath:

Tickets are dirt cheap too 8 bucks. If you want high roller tickets that includes club access and an included meal its only 45 bucks. Would be a nice evening.

Anyone have a problem with $8 tickets? Didn't think so.

White should act fast to add hockey at UB
(Buffalo News)

UB-to-DI was a hot rumor a while back, but now it has been reduced to "this would be a great hockey school, and we should do it ASAP...now who's got some money?" columns. I think Penn State spent about 30 years in that phase, so don't hold your breath. Although, it would be a good idea for Buffalo to act now, because...

Report: Hockey East wants Connecticut as 12th member for 2013-14
(USCHO)

Hockey East, now at ten members, is adding Notre Dame from the dissolving CCHA in 2013-2014. UConn, on the other hand, would leave a still-in-existence conference behind, Atlantic Hockey. AHA would be down to 11 members, and is a perfect geographic and competitive fit for a new program at Buffalo. Everyone wins. Well, except Alabama-Huntsville, but that's a whole 'nother thing.

Wolverines Unveil Redesigned Jerseys for 2012-13 Season
(mgoblue.com)

If not for Michigan's tendency to tweak their unis (seemingly) every year, I'd say that this is what the Wolverines will look like the first time they play Penn State. Regardless, I love these. I already felt like UM's whites were one of the best jerseys in college hockey, and now they have blues to match, along with the addition of the Big Chill throwbacks to the regular set.

Niagara's no longer in the game
(Buffalo News)

Two Buffalo News articles in one Three Stars, neither of which really has anything to do with Terry Pegula? Sure. This one's the definitive word on the demise of the Niagara women's program, as far as I'm concerned.

National Collegiate Hockey Conference Names Joe Novak Director of Hockey Operations
(denverpioneers.com)

Zzzzz...suffice it to say that I wouldn't include this story in a January Three Stars post.

Three Stars: January 30-February 5

The Ice Lions seniors and head coach Josh Hand

3. Gadowsky says identity players are most important for Icers
(The Daily Collegian)

Sometimes it's tough to give the Collegian their due for the great work they're doing this year (on the men's side, anyway) because articles frequently become dated after the games over the weekend and before I run these posts on Mondays. Grinders, shot blockers, leaders and faceoff guys, however, never get dated.

2. Penstone marks decade as Icers’ voice
(Pennsylvania Puck)

PA Puck took a break from writing about the Hershey Bears' use of foam rollers to cover another team beyond the cursory "give the scores on Monday, and Mercyhurst had a couple CHA players of the week." Crazy, I know. The subject: new Icers Hall of Famer Steve Penstone.

1. On the Fly, Feb. 3
(hockeyyall.com)

First star goes to the Ice Lions, who beat Pittsburgh 4-3 Friday and Monmouth 9-0 Saturday to improve to 24-2-0, a record that includes an active 19-game winning streak. It wasn't easy though, particularly in that first game.

The Ice Lions, ranked No. 2 in the ACHA DII Southeast Region, found themselves trailing 3-0 to the No. 12 Panthers seven minutes into the second period. At that point, head coach Josh Hand made a goalie change to Ryan Demuth, and the Lions roared the rest of the way.

Mac Winchester fired a shot into the top corner of the Pitt net to trim the Panthers’ lead to 3-1 and set up another goal as the Lions closed to 3-2 at the second intermission.

Chris Lewis and Austin Wagoner scored in the third period to complete the comeback. No such drama was necessary the next night as PSU rolled to an easy senior night win.

The Ice Lions will next play St. Joseph's at home on Saturday. But more importantly, votes for the next D2 ranking are due that day. The significance of that particular poll is that the top two teams in each region earn an autobid to the ACHA national championships, while teams ranked 3rd through 10th play off February 24th-26th to determine the other half of the sixteen entries. Penn State, given its current position as the southeast's No. 2 team, its recent spotless record, and its head-to-head win over southeast No. 3 UMBC (3-1 on December 2nd) seems to be a lock to qualify for nationals.

Best of the Rest

@Cmen12
(Twitter)

Lady Icer fans Chris Kunitz and James Neal were at Boston's Prudential Center over the weekend. They ran into Jess Desorcie, Cara Mendelson and Tess Weaver, who graciously agreed to take a picture with them.

Former Wayne State women's players find home at Mercyhurst
(goerie.com)

It's nice to know that former Warriors Jill Szandzik and Gina Buquet are able to play out their college careers at one-time College Hockey America rival Mercyhurst. Others weren't quite as fortunate after the WSU program was ripped out from under them last May.

CBS Sports Network Signs Multi-Year Deal with National Collegiate Hockey Conference
(denverpioneers.com)

Well, there you go. The NCHC, the conference formed solely to attract a television deal, will be on a channel I don't get at least 18 games per year. And allegedly, the conference is paying for production costs. Congrats, guys.

More than anything I think, the NCHC was guilty of overestimating its value to broadcasters before nuking the college hockey landscape. Hockey people look at the conference and see some great programs. But most people look at the conference and see MAC teams, branch campuses, schools they've never heard of, and North Dakota. Fair? Probably not. But it's the hard reality of the situation. Hockey on TV in the U.S. has always been an uphill battle. Hockey played by Colorado College and St. Cloud State on TV in the U.S. is close to impossible.

Before you write off my opinion as Big Ten homerism, please note that I've questioned how lucrative hockey on Big Ten Network will be as well.

The Dark Side of Sports: Exposing the Sexual Culture of Collegiate and Professional Athletes
(amazon.com)

Former Icer Nick Pappas wrote a book that promises to be a pretty engaging (and topical) read.

Elite-level athletes are placed upon heightened pedestals in societies world-wide. At the same time, there is a dark side to these glorified competitors that remains hidden from those outside of exclusive athletic circles. Dr. Nick Pappas' athletic background in collegiate and professional sports has provided insider access, enabling him to uncover an array of disturbing sexually deviant and aggressive behaviors, which have silently thrived for decades in many athlete cultures. These findings, expressed through the athletes' own words, are the result of more than 10 years of cutting-edge research involving in-depth interviews with 142 collegiate, minor, and major league athletes from five prominent U.S. sports.

Tambellini Commits To North Dakota
(The College Hockey Blog)

PSU lost out on the son of Edmonton Oilers general manager Steve Tambellini.

Vernon Vipers (BCHL) forward Adam Tambellini took an official visit to North Dakota during the series with Minnesota and liked it enough to the point where he decided Grand Forks was the best place to continue his hockey career. He’ll enroll either next year or in 2013. Tambellini is third on the Vipers in both goals and assists, and picked UND over Minnesota, Michigan and Penn State.

Nichols 5, Western New England 1
(USCHO)

Ex-Icer Tim Carr played in his second game at NCAA Division III Western New England College on January 28th. Starter Eric Sorenson was run from the game early after allowing three goals on Nichols' first seven shots, but Carr settled things down in relief by stopping 32 of 34 shots in 52:35 of action.

@MarkHorgas
(Twitter)

Since it's now the week leading up to Icers alumni weekend, here's Hall of Famer Don Coyne with Jaromir Jagr at the Pittsburgh Penguins' 1999 training camp.

W: Penn State 3-3 at Sacred Heart (NCAA DI) 4-2

Sacred Heart Friday recap // Sacred Heart Saturday recap

Friday box score // Saturday box score

Forget next year. Penn State has a Division I women's hockey program right now.

To be sure, PSU's ascendancy isn't official just yet. But a 3-2 overtime triumph over NCAA Division I Sacred Heart Saturday afternoon showed that the Lady Icers - as resilient of a team as you'll find, steeled by ten previous games against NCAA opposition - have no intention of waiting any longer.

The best part? It's tough to call it in upset, despite the difference in sanctioning designation. This one didn't follow the usual upset formulae, including the one where a team hangs around and gets a fluky goal late or the other one where the underdog jumps out to a surprising lead and barely withstands a furious rally. Saturday's game was neither of those things. PSU outshot Sacred Heart 29-28 and never trailed. In fact, the Lady Icers held the lead for all but 23:16 of an overtime game. Sound like a scrappy upstart to you? Me neither.

Sara Chroman gave Penn State an early lead by burying a carom off the end boards that fooled Pioneers goalie Alexius Schutt. After maintaining that tenuous edge through the last half of the first period and most of the second (including through three PSU penalties), SHU leading scorer Nicole Palazzo won the draw immediately after a Lindsay Reihl tripping call and took it in herself to level things with just seven seconds remaining in the second period.

One way to beat a Division I team is to have a Division I-caliber scoring line on your side. PSU decidedly has that in the new Tess Weaver-Jess Desorcie-Taylor Gross alliance. It was "Descoresie" from Gross giving Penn State a 2-1 lead just 15 seconds into the third period - a gigantic goal that stemmed Pioneer momentum and kept the Lady Icers in control of the game. Palazzo's second, with 8:32 remaining, forced overtime.

However, that only set the stage for that line's third member, Weaver, to be the hero on this occasion. With a tie only 16 seconds down the road, she lifted Penn State to victory off of a scramble in front and the rebound of a Desorcie shot. Desorcie very nearly ended the game 3:08 earlier, but she was denied by Schutt on a rare overtime penalty shot after SHU defender Maura Leahy was whistled for throwing her stick.

Twitter reaction from the stopper and half of the defense that combined to hold Sacred Heart to two goals on 28 shots? You got it.

We probably should have seen that something special was in the works after Friday's game, despite a 4-3 setback, since Penn State was able to trade blows with the NCAA foe. After a scoreless first, Desorcie answered Leahy's opening goal within five minutes. Carly Szyszko (who will be in the teammate hall of fame someday if there is such a thing) gave PSU a brief lead late in the second, but it was answered by a barrage of three Pioneer goals in 114 seconds bridging the second and third periods. Desorcie pulled the Lady Icers within one on the power play with 16:11 remaining, but the comeback was left uncompleted. Mary Tonetti, who got the nod in net, made 39 saves.

The Lady Icers, now 6-11-2 overall and 5-3-0 in ACHA competition, will now focus solely on non-varsity competition the rest of the way. Next week, it's ACHA No. 1 Northeastern in Boston, followed by another trip to the Bay State to visit the Huskies on February 3rd and 4th. No. 4 Liberty comes to the Ice Pavilion January 28th and 29th, and a third trip to the Beantown, this time for No. 6 Massachusetts, is February 10th and 11th. Daunting? Maybe. But maybe not quite as much for an NCAA team.

Three Stars: December 12-18

3. NCAA suspends $2000 miscellaneous expense stipend
(USCHO)

Maybe the most underrated story in college sports this year takes another turn.

The new rule allowing Division I institutions to give select student-athletes an additional $2,000 miscellaneous expense allowance has been suspended until the Board of Directors convenes in January, according to the official NCAA website.

"Suspended?" Whatever do you mean?

As of Dec. 15, enough schools (125) have called for an override of the legislation to prompt the automatic suspension under NCAA bylaws...the Board will meet in Indianapolis on Jan. 14 and will have several options. It can do nothing, which keeps the suspension in place until an override vote occurs, it can reconsider its adoption and eliminate the rule, or it can alter the proposal in some way to try to address the concerns of those asking for the override.

This shouldn't affect the payments to those who signed with PSU (and other schools) in November while the rule was in force, but obviously, the spending money of those who sign during the regular period in April and beyond could be affected if quick action isn't taken. Or they could just use all the money they're not paying to go to school.

2. Taking It Outside
(B1G Ice Hockey)

I'm fighting every anti-Iowa State instinct in me when I say this, but...here's a blog, written by a Cyclone (one who has hosted the Al Murdoch show, no less), that's quite well done. This post is their preview of Penn State-Neumann, as well as Michigan-OSU, the other upcoming outdoor game involving future Big Ten teams.

1. Christmas Comes Early for Penn State Hockey
(YouTube)

In a little bit of synergy between people covering Penn State hockey, here's an interview about the Pegula Ice Arena with Joe Battista. Conducted on the site, in a nice touch.

Best of the Rest


#sick

@Cmen12
(Twitter)

Your Lady Icers twitpic of the week comes to us once again from Cara Mendelson and shows off the filthy team-issue pumped-up kicks. You know I'm going to be whistling that song the rest of the day now.

Metro Exposure – South Philly Style
(PSU Sports Blog by Lions Pride)

David Pressman's second (known) attempt at writing about PSU hockey didn't go much better than the first, in my opinion. Simply put, guy's a blowhard and seems to have little, if any, respect for the Icers legacy. But hey, it was a slow week.

Rumor: Jimmy John Liautaud could be looking at funding Illinois' jump from club to DI hockey
(illinoisloyalty.com)

Just so I'm not remiss, there's been a rumor floating around out there for a couple weeks that...well, the link pretty much says it. Just something to keep an eye on. Or not, because I'm pretty sure you'll find out if anything comes of it.

@RutgersHockey
(Twitter)

Speaking of program shifting, the Icers' old league apparently has a new member for next season. The corresponding Facebook post looks to have been deleted, however.

Delaware, Rhode Island, Stony Brook (which joined this year following PSU's departure), Rutgers, West Chester, Robert Morris. That's pretty sturdy - the four teams at nationals last year is unmatched by any current ACHA D1 conference, even the mighty CSCHL. Kind of a dumb factoid, considering that league doesn't exist this year, but whatever.

Puck Headlines: Giroux, Chara updates; how Kerry Fraser apologizes
(Puck Daddy)

TYT cracked the mother of all hockey blogs last week. And largely because of that, last Monday's post containing Pegula Ice Arena renderings has something like three times as many pageviews as anything else that's ever appeared on here. On one hand, yeah, it's kind of awesome. On the other, it makes me think everything else I put up is crap...

...then again, the first spike below is Puck Daddy, the third is when PSU's own Twitter celeb, Ben Jones tweeted a link, so maybe I'm assigning credit/blame for that in the wrong place.

Penn State vs. Neumann Tickets
(ComcastTix)

Yet another reminder to buy em up...they even got rid of the stupid need for a code to help you out.

Follow Friday

Liberty University disgusts me, for reasons that go well beyond hockey. So rather than talk about them more than I have to, I thought I'd try something different than a preview ahead of this weekend's semester-closing games.

Twitter is a gigantic part of what I do in that it allows me to stay on top of news relevant to Penn State hockey in a way that simply didn't exist before its creation, and it also helps me connect with all of you. If you're not on, I highly recommend getting there - even if you don't ever tweet and use it essentially as a personal news ticker for stuff you care about. Hopefully TYT (@TYTBlog) is on your ticker.

If you're unfamiliar, one Twitter tradition is called Follow Friday, and the idea behind what's called #FF in Twitterspeak is to recommend accounts that you find to be worthwhile follows. I almost never participate, but to make up for that, I'm taking things to the next level with the First (Annual? And Only? Who knows?) TYT Twitter Awards.

I'm going to assume you already know about official accounts @PSUMensHockey, @PSUWomensHockey, @HockeyValley, @psuicelions and the Daily Collegian's @TDC_Icers. Beyond that, here are the best of some categories I made up. This is by no means a comprehensive list. I follow 334 people, all of whom are great (I don't follow sucktitude), so if you follow TYT and are offended by your exclusion, let me hear about it. If I hear from enough of you, maybe I'll make this a two-parter.

Best Current Player (Men): Steve Edgeworth (@stedgeworth). Guy just cracks me up 100 percent of the time.

Sample tweet: What's the job application at Hooters? They hand you a bra and say "fill this out"?

Best Current Player (Women): Cara Mendelson (@cmen12). Mendelson gets the nod over close runners-up Abby Miller (@AbbyMiller17) and Sara Chroman (@sjchro) mostly on frequency. But she gets at it without sacrificing quality.

Sample tweet: After a semester long of my English prof asking me about hockey, he proceeded to tell me after my report that he thought I ran track #idiot

Best Current Player (Ice Lions): Creek Lewis (@creekaleak7). Lewis clinched the win here with his tweet about UMBC players cracking Jerry Sandusky jokes in the hotel after losing to PSU. However his body of work as a whole, while infrequent, is great.

Sample tweet: forgot to shave before november 1st #gonnabealongmonth

Best Future Player: 2012 men's recruit Jonathan Milley (@jonathan_milley). I think my favorite thing about Milley is that his genuine excitement over coming to Penn State next season comes through quite frequently.

Sample tweet: Living in Canada I don't get to watch much college hockey, but the game I just watched between CC and DU was #unreal #cantwait #PSU

Best General News Site: College Hockey News (@chnews). What separates CHN from chief rival USCHO in my book is that they use Twitter as more than a dumping ground for links to stories and get heavily into the retweet, interaction and opinion business as well.

Sample tweet: Not sure sports org. should have authority to implement dress code on the media, but the sentiment is admirable. Media should show respect.

Best Legitimate Reporter (Penn State Affiliated): Andrew Dzurita (@adzurita247). On Thursday, Dzurita broke the story of the outdoor game announcement a few hours ahead, which allowed me to have a post ready to go. This is me thanking him for that. But seriously, he's great for that kind of stuff. And for PSU basketball, if you're into that sort of thing.

Sample tweet: You know what I want to do in my free time? Illegally stream the Penn State - Lafayette hoops game on my computer. I've got a problem.

* Not meant as a slight to Collegian reporters James Nicol (@JamesSNicol) or Katie Montgomery (@k8emont), just an acknowledgement that they keep their personal accounts, well, personal. They're great follows too.

Best Legitimate Reporter (Non-Penn State Affiliated): Ryan S. Clark (@ryan_s_clark). The Fargo Force reporter for The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead knows more about what's going on in the USHL than anyone on the planet.

Sample tweet: I can confirm the Tri-City Storm has fired coach Drew Schoneck making him the second #USHL coach to be fired this season.

Best Legitimate Reporter (Freelance): Rachel Lenzi (@rlenzi). There's probably not a single person out there who understands the medium better, including its limitations (yes, it has some). Plus, I'm a huge fan of her blog, which I've already plugged on here.

Sample tweet: Even worse: Once had an editor who wouldn't handle a plagiarism situation. "Imitation is a great form of flattery," said editor told me.

Best Official Account of a Future Big Ten Team: Michigan State (@MSU_Hockey). Much like CHN, a big part of my recommendation comes from their willingness to interact and retweet, in addition to the standard fare for any official account. What clinches it though: their in-game tweets, without fail, begin with score, time, period. It sounds like a simple, obvious thing, but it can make all the difference in the world.

Sample tweet: Today's biggest surprise came in that none of @TomAnastos' children RT'd the link to the All-Access show.   #slacking?

Best Blogger Account of a Future Big Ten Team Coming From the CCHA: MichiganHockey.net (@MichiganHockey). Whenever my ego gets a little large, I look at these guys and crawl back to my place. Simply put, their ability to stay on top of everything to recruiting to UM's numerous NHL alumni is unparalleled. And they even have the Swedish Chef in their pop culture reference library.

Sample tweet: BORK! BORK! BORK! RT @mavanco Carl Hagelin scores on a backhand for his first NHL goal to make it 2-0 #NYR #GoBlue

Best Blogger Account of a Future Big Ten Team Coming From the WCHA: Nate Wells (@gopherstate). But only if you don't mind the Minnesota Wild. They're not my team of choice, but I don't hate them. Really, who does? Winnipeg maybe? I don't know. They might be the single least hated team in the league.

Sample tweet: Key word is "tournament." RT @fetch9 college hockey, flawed as it is, has a million times better method of picking its tournament field.

Best Official Account of a College Hockey America Team: Niagara (@NiagaraWHockey). Admittedly, there's not much to choose from, as there are only two teams with dedicated accounts and the other (Robert Morris) hasn't tweeted since last season. Still, NU does a great job getting beyond the usual dry official-ness.

Sample tweet: @ Ohio State, game 7pm tomorrow. The Blackwell Hotel's complimentary Lindt truffles on each bed were a thumbs up from the team. #greathotel

Best Penn State Hockey Blogger Who Isn't Me: IcersGuy (@hey_pono). Other than his recaps on Black Shoe Diaries, which I love, he's a solid guy in general, including his opinions on other PSU sports and the Flyers. You should want to know what he's saying.

Sample tweet: If Rinaldo had any balance on his skates, he might actually, you know, be able to play hockey or do his job occasionally.