Ice Lions Announce Challenging 2013-14 Schedule

Taylor Vincent was PSU's second-leading goal scorer as a freshman last season

The ACHA Division 2 Ice Lions have posted the team's 2013-2014 schedule, notable as the lid lifter in Pegula Ice Arena. But it's also notable for its brutality. Consider:

• Two in-season tournaments are on tap, including the ACHA Showcase in October and Navy's storied Crab Pot in February. At the former, PSU will face Michigan State, the defending national champion, as well as Grand Valley State, the D2 runners-up in each of the last two seasons (GVSU ended the Ice Lions' season on the way to the 2012 finals). Penn State, in the form of the Icers, is a four-time Crab Pot champion (1982, 1985-1987).
• As in the case of the Women's Ice Hockey Club, which has to play a couple home games in Altoona this season, the Ice Lions were victimized by an ice time crunch at PIA and will only play 11 home games. Thought we were supposed to be done with that type of thing now.
• A reshuffled Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Hockey Association once again promises to provide some of the stiffest conference competition in the ACHA, with Maryland-Baltimore County, Virginia Tech and Rowan typically among the contenders.
• Out of the MACHA, one highlight is a November road trip to New York University and William Paterson, both perennially strong programs.
• Eight games against ACHA D1 competition are on the docket. Those opponents include Indiana (PA), Washington & Jefferson, Lehigh, Towson and Penn State Berks. Should PSU play host Navy on the Crab Pot's second day, the number will jump to nine.

Could that last bullet predict an eventual move to the top division? While the Ice Lions have always challenged themselves in scheduling, eight (or nine) is an abnormally high number of D1 games - over 2011-2012 and 2012-2013, Penn State played in a combined five such contests. Should a jump be in the cards, an ECHA that includes the Berks campus team as well 2013-2014 opponents Lehigh, Towson and Navy and 2011-2012 opponent Drexel would seem to be a logical conference fit.

Regardless of that blind speculation, D2 is the team's home this season as PSU attempts a first-ever national title by building off of appearances at the ACHA National Tournament in each of the last two seasons. With returning stars like Creek Lewis and Brandon Russo - both of whom have been named All-Americans before - leading the way, Penn State was 27-6-1 a year ago and won the MACHA North Division title. However, a loss to eventual semifinalist Illinois State during the group stage at nationals crippled the team's chances for advancement.

In addition to the schedule, the Ice Lions also announced tryout information, with off-ice meetings on August 27th (returning players) and 29th (new players) preceding the on-ice evaluation from September 3rd through 6th. The Ice Pavilion will host tryouts, as they take place before personnel officially moves in to Pegula Ice Arena.

Here's the full slate, with an asterisk marking MACHA games:

Date	Time	Opponent	Location
9/27	7:35 p.m.	Indiana (PA) (D1)	S&T Bank Arena // Indiana, PA
9/28	3:15 p.m.	Indiana (PA) (D1)	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
10/4	10:15 p.m.	St. Joseph's*	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
10/5	3:15 p.m.	Temple*	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
ACHA Showcase, October 11th-13th
10/11	9:30 p.m.	SIU-Edwardsville	Kalamazoo, MI
10/12	7:00 p.m.	Michigan State	Kalamazoo, MI
10/13	1:00 p.m.	Grand Valley State	Kalamazoo, MI
10/18	10:15 p.m.	Rider*	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
10/26	10:15 p.m.	Monmouth*	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
10/27	TBD	Wash. & Jeff. (D1)	Ice Mine // Connellsville, PA
11/2	4:45 p.m.	Delaware*	Rust Arena // Newark, DE
11/3	TBD	Temple*	Flyers Skate Zone NE // Philadelphia, PA
11/8	8:30 p.m.	New York	Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers // New York, NY
11/9	2:15 p.m.	William Paterson	Ice Vault Arena // Wayne, NJ
11/15	7:45 p.m.	Lehigh (D1)	Steel Ice Center // Bethlehem, PA
11/16	1:00 p.m.	Lehigh (D1)	Steel Ice Center // Bethlehem, PA
11/17	2:00 p.m.	Wash. & Jeff. (D1)	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
12/6	9:00 p.m.	Delaware*	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
12/8	5:00 p.m.	UMBC*	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
12/13	8:30 p.m.	Rider*	Loucks Ice Center // Lawrenceville, NJ
12/14	8:15 p.m.	Rowan*	Hollydell Ice Arena // Sewell, NJ
1/10	8:00 p.m.	Liberty*	LaHaye Ice Center // Lynchburg, VA
1/11	7:30 p.m.	Virginia Tech*	Roanoke Civic Center // Roanoke, VA
1/17	9:00 p.m.	Rowan*	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
1/18	2:00 p.m.	Boston Univ.	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
1/19	7:00 p.m.	Boston Univ.	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
1/25	TBD	Monmouth*	Jersey Shore Arena // Wall Twp., NJ
2/1	4:30 p.m.	UMBC*	Reisterstown Sportsplex // Reisterstown, MD
2/2	5:20 p.m.	St. Joseph's*	The Skatium // Havertown, PA
Navy Crab Pot Tournament, February 7th-8th
2/7	4:30 p.m.	Towson (D1)	McMullen Hockey Arena // Annapolis, MD
2/8	TBD	Navy (D1)/Maryland	McMullen Hockey Arena // Annapolis, MD
2/9	2:00 p.m.	PSU Berks (D1)	Body Zone // Wyomissing, PA
MACHA Playoffs, February 14th-16th
2/14	TBD	First Round	TBD
2/15	TBD	Semifinals	TBD
2/16	TBD	Finals	TBD
ACHA National Tournament, March 21st-25th
3/21	TBD	Round Robin	New England Sports Ctr. // Marlborough, MA
3/22	TBD	Round Robin	New England Sports Ctr. // Marlborough, MA
3/23	TBD	Round Robin	New England Sports Ctr. // Marlborough, MA
3/24	TBD	Semifinals	New England Sports Ctr. // Marlborough, MA
3/25	TBD	Finals	New England Sports Ctr. // Marlborough, MA

WIHC Unveils Second Schedule

Returning stars (left to right) Allie Rothman, Katie Vaughan, Carly Szyszko, Mary Kate Tonetti

The ACHA Division 2 Women's Ice Hockey Club has revealed its schedule for the 2013-2014 season, the team's second since it was born out of the massive reshuffling of PSU's hockey teams that resulted from the Icers and Lady Icers transitioning to varsity status.

First and foremost, some welcome news for those familiar with the club's scheduling woes in its inaugural campaign: PSU is now part of a conference and will be a charter member of the women's half of College Hockey East along with West Chester, Delaware and California (PA). Given that each of the four qualified for the ACHA National Tournament last season, CHE should immediately become one of the ACHA's toughest conferences in any division. The league slate will involve one home series and one away series (four games total) against each rival.

Notably, the men's side of CHE includes Penn State's commonwealth campus teams at Behrend and Altoona, as well as the top men's team at Cal.

Out-of-conference teams Michigan State, Liberty and Slippery Rock fill the remaining seven slots of 19 total. Overall, the WIHC saw four of its six opponents in 2012-2013, going a combined 4-4-0 against WCU, Cal, SRU and MSU.

Following the 2013-2014 regular season, which opens at home against Liberty on September 27th and closes at Slippery Rock on February 9th, the CHE playoffs will take place from February 21st through 23rd. The 2014 ACHA National Tournament follows and will be hosted by Delaware from March 13th through 16th.

Penn State's debut last year, of course, was one of the ages. The team battled through a light schedule, an ice time crunch at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, several game cancellations and the occasional opponent forgetting about a match (yeah you, Navy) to complete a 6-3-0 regular season and qualify for nationals in Ashburn, VA as the east region's fourth seed. A stirring run followed, as PSU mowed down west top seed Alaska and defending champ Wisconsin-Stout in the group stage, followed by another win over Stout in the semifinals on Nina Elia's overtime goal. West Chester, behind ACHA Player of the Year Becky Dobson's natural hat trick, proved too much in the national championship game though.

The WIHC is expected to return virtually its entire roster, making head coach Patrick Fung's squad an easy call as one of this season's title contenders. Included in that count: goaltender Katie Vaughan and forwards Mandy Mortach and Devon Fisk, who were named ACHA All-American honorable mentions back in March, with Vaughan (second team) and Fisk (first team) also collecting ACHA All-Tournament recognition. Forward Mary Kate Tonetti, also returning, was named the ACHA's Off-Ice MVP for community work.

Here's the full schedule:

Date	Time	Opponent	Location
Fri. Sept. 27	10:15 p.m.	Liberty	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat. Sept. 28	6:30 p.m.	Liberty	Galactic Ice Rink // Altoona, PA
Fri. Oct. 11	9:30 p.m.	California (PA)	Rostraver Ice Garden // Belle Vernon, PA
Sat. Oct. 12	4:15 p.m.	California (PA)	Rostraver Ice Garden // Belle Vernon, PA
Sat. Oct. 19	3:15 p.m.	Michigan State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sun. Oct. 20	8:30 a.m.	Michigan State	Galactic Ice Rink // Altoona, PA
Sat. Nov. 9	9:00 p.m.	West Chester	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sun. Nov. 10	5:00 p.m.	West Chester	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat. Nov. 16	6:15 p.m.	Delaware	Rust Ice Arena // Newark, DE
Sun. Nov. 17	3:15 p.m.	Delaware	Rust Ice Arena // Newark, DE
Fri. Nov. 22	9:00 p.m.	Slippery Rock	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat. Dec. 7	2:00 p.m.	Delaware	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sun. Dec. 8	11:30 a.m.	Delaware	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat. Jan. 18	3:30 p.m.	West Chester	Ice Line // West Chester, PA
Sun. Jan. 19	11:00 a.m.	West Chester	Ice Line // West Chester, PA
Fri. Jan. 31	10:15 p.m.	California (PA)	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat. Feb. 1	3:15 p.m.	California (PA)	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat. Feb. 8	9:00 p.m.	Slippery Rock	TBD
Sun. Feb. 9	10:30 a.m.	Slippery Rock	TBD
Fri. Feb. 21- Sun. Feb. 23	TBD	CHE Playoffs	TBD
Thu. Mar. 13- Sun. Mar. 16	TBD	ACHA National Tournament	Rust Ice Arena // Newark, DE

D-Day in DC for WIHC

To say the least, it's been quite an interesting inaugural season for the ACHA D2 Women's Ice Hockey Club. The light schedule that is the norm for any first-year outfit was hammered by circumstances - Winter Storm Nemo wrecked a scheduled series at D1 Buffalo on February 9th and 10th, and a scheduled game against Slippery Rock at the Ice Pavilion on February 22nd was called off when SRU couldn't assemble a team to make the trip (put that together with a cancelled game on December 15th, and the WIHC never got to use the orange barn for a competitive game in its final season). The result of all of this: the team has played just nine games this year, none since January 27th, and will now attempt to win five in four days at the 2013 ACHA National Championships, which will run from Thursday through Sunday in Ashburn, VA, near Washington, DC.

The good news is that based on the games that were played, PSU earned one of the eight bids to nationals by finishing in the top four of the East Region (the top four from the East and West Regions in the season's final poll are invited). And they've also proven that they deserve to be taken seriously as a title contender, with exhibit A being their 2-1 win at East No. 1 West Chester on January 26th. Familiar names from the former Lady Icers D1 program like Carly Szyszko, Katie Vaughan, Allie Rothman and Ashton Schaffer have merged with dynamic newcomers like Devon Fisk, Mandy Mortach, Tara Soukup and Taylor Nyman to form one of the division's best teams.

The first step in turning contention into reality will come during the preliminary round on March 7th and 8th. Each team will play three of the four squads in the opposite region during this round, with the matching seed on the other side off of the schedule. So for East No. 4 Penn State, this means games against West No. 1 Alaska (Thursday, 1:00 p.m.), West No. 2 Wisconsin-Stout (Friday, 10:45 a.m.) and West No. 3 North Dakota State (Friday, 5:30 p.m.). After the preliminaries, the four best-performing teams will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, with the championship game on Sunday.

Here is a capsule look at each of the teams blocking PSU's road to glory. For more on nationals, including a full schedule, standings and a link to FastHockey.com's webcasts of the games, be sure to visit the WIHC website's ACHA Tournament Central.

Note: All records and statistics below only include ACHA-sanctioned games.

East Region

1. West Chester

Record: 13-2-0
Head coach: David Japchen
Goals scored per game: 5.87
Goals allowed per game: 1.13

Versus Penn State:
Lost 1-2 on January 26th
Won 3-1 on January 27th

Preliminary round schedule:
March 7 vs. Minnesota-Duluth, 1:15 p.m.
March 8 vs. North Dakota State, 8:45 a.m.
March 8 vs. Wisconsin-Stout, 8:00 p.m.

DVCHC website team page:
http://womens.dvchchockey.org/page/show/748376-west-chester-univ-?subseason=101512

Leading scorers (goals-assists-points):
Becky Dobson (44-21-65 in 15 games)
Kirsten Baron (14-11-25 in 15 games)
Lindsay Howard (7-12-19 in 15 games)
Colleen Tweedy (6-7-13 in 15 games)
Amanda Vito (6-7-13 in 15 games)

Goaltender:
Aly Golia (13-2-0, 1.13 GAA, 0.941 Sv%)

Simply put, it's impossible to find a more impressive-looking team headed into the tournament than WCU. Although Cal was ranked first in the East Region for most of the season, the Rams split a pair of regular season games with the Vulcans, then dominated a semifinal meeting in the Delaware Valley Collegiate Hockey Conference playoffs en route to the league title (their only other loss, of course, was to Penn State). They boast D2's leading scorer in Becky Dobson, who averages just under a hat trick per game, as well as goalie Aly Golia, who joins PSU's Katie Vaughan and Sarah Eisenhut in D2's top three for both goals against average and save percentage.

---

2. California

Record: 14-2-0
Head coach: Gregg Kaminski
Goals scored per game: 3.56
Goals allowed per game: 1.44

Versus Penn State:
Won 2-1 (OT) on October 6th
Won 2-0 on October 7th

Preliminary round schedule:
March 7 vs. North Dakota State, 3:30 p.m.
March 8 vs. Minnesota-Duluth, 11:00 a.m.
March 8 vs. Alaska, 7:45 p.m.

Team website:
http://calu.zonethemes.com/womens/

Leading scorers (goals-assists-points):
Megan Cooper (11-14-25 in 16 games)
Alli Paratore (8-17-25 in 16 games)
Kelsey DeNardo (17-6-23 in 15 games)
Dana Bowersox (9-6-15 in 16 games)
Melissa Heisler (5-8-13 in 16 games)

Top goaltender:
Maria Sciacca (13-2-0, 1.32 GAA, 0.939 Sv%)

The Vulcans, an emerging power in D2, gained the nation's top spot in the poll this season for the first time in program history but, as mentioned, faltered in two of three meetings with West Chester (as well as against Delaware last month) to drop to second in the east in the final ranking. Impressively, Cal has earned a sweep at D1 Buffalo by 2-0 and 3-2 scores on October 20th and 21st, as well as a 4-2-0 ACHA record against teams at the tournament - the two wins over Penn State are joined by 1-1-0 marks against WCU and UD.

---

3. Delaware

Record: 11-3-0
Head coach: Bobby Crystle
Goals scored per game: 4.64
Goals allowed per game: 2.07

Preliminary round schedule:
March 7 vs. Wisconsin-Stout, 3:15 p.m.
March 8 vs. Alaska, 8:30 a.m.
March 8 vs. Minnesota-Duluth, 5:45 p.m.

Team website: http://www.udelhockey.com/w2/

Leading scorers (goals-assists-points):
Danielle Malysa (16-5-21 in 13 games)
Mari O'Leary (7-7-14 in 13 games)
Kimberly Blasnik (7-7-14 in 13 games)
Kaitlyn Smith (4-10-14 in 13 games)
Kelley Philbin (7-6-13 in 13 games)

Goaltender:
Sarah Ehrlich (10-3-0 record, 2.21 GAA, 0.888 Sv%)

Delaware joins Penn State as a team that, while claiming one of the east's bottom seeds, is still worthy of contender status - although they'll face a tough preliminary schedule that includes Alaska and UW-Stout, the top two western teams. Like PSU, Delaware has played tight games against West Chester and Cal this year, and in fact, gave the Vulcans one of their two losses February 9th on the strength of Danielle Malysa's goal with four seconds left in overtime (similar to how Penn State hung WCU with one of their two losses). A UD-Cal rematch at the DVCHC tournament resulted in a 2-1 Vulcans win despite Kelley Philbin's third period goal.


West Region

1. Alaska

Record: 6-0-2
Head coach: Scott Vockeroth
Goals scored per game: 4.38
Goals allowed per game: 1.25

Preliminary round schedule:
March 7 vs. Penn State, 1:00 p.m.
March 8 vs. Delaware, 8:30 a.m.
March 8 vs. California, 7:45 p.m.

Team website:
http://www.uafwomenshockey.com/

Leading scorers (goals-assists-points):
Cayla Wiita (7-9-16 in 8 games)
Rackell Kowalchuk (10-5-15 in 8 games)
Shawna Jusczak (5-2-7 in 8 games)
Brittany Stahle (2-5-7 in 7 games)

Goaltender:
Katrina Lydon (6-0-2 record, 1.25 GAA, 0.924 Sv%)

Alaska has played a pretty light schedule this season, due of course to their geographic isolation (they did play several games against local U19 teams to supplement their eight ACHA games). It would be unfair to say the Nanooks are not battle-tested, however. Six of their eight games have come against tournament teams Stout, Minnesota-Duluth and North Dakota State - and all were on the road, with none resulting in losses. UAF, which lost last season's national championship game to Stout, certainly has to be considered one of the favorites, particularly with Katrina Lydon, one of the ACHA's best stoppers, in net.

---

2. Wisconsin-Stout

Record: 11-5-1
Head coach: Matt Morin
Goals scored per game: 3.60
Goals allowed per game: 2.13

Preliminary round schedule:
March 7 vs. Delaware, 3:15 p.m.
March 8 vs. Penn State, 10:45 a.m.
March 8 vs. West Chester, 8:00 p.m.

Team website:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/UW-Stout-Womens-Hockey-Team/236134433101216

Leading scorers (goals-assists-points):
Lily Cranston (19-8-27 in 16 games)
Ashley Gibson (14-13-27 in 11 games)
Kara Fritsche (6-5-11 in 16 games)
Kerry Blomberg (8-2-10 in 9 games)
Alex Westman (3-3-6 in 16 games)

Goaltender:
Kaye Collier (9-5-1 record, 2.13 GAA, 0.903 Sv%)

The defending ACHA national champions have a little something to prove after a loss-tie home weekend against Alaska on January 26th and 27th cost them the West Region's top seed, but otherwise, they have performed well against a tough schedule that included several D1 teams, including Minnesota and Wisconsin. The Nanooks, however, were the Blue Devils' only D2 tournament opponent, as scheduled games against Minnesota-Duluth in December were forfeited in Stout's favor.

---

3. North Dakota State

Record: 14-4-1
Head coach: Garrett Gulsvig
Goals scored per game: 5.16
Goals allowed per game: 2.21

Preliminary round schedule:
March 7 vs. California, 3:30 p.m.
March 8 vs. West Chester, 8:45 a.m.
March 8 vs. Penn State, 5:30 p.m.

Team website:
http://www.hometeamsonline.com/teams/?u=NDSUHOCKEY-2&s=hockey&t=c

Leading scorers (goals-assists-points):
Kacie Johnson (29-18-47 in 15 games)
Kaylee Lothspeich (14-21-35 in 17 games)
Jacqueline Johnson (8-22-30 in 19 games)
Ellie Dahl (13-6-19 in 19 games)
Brittany Johnson (11-8-19 in 19 games)

Goaltender:
Hannah Seitz (14-4-1 record, 2.21 GAA, 0.912 Sv%)

Following early-season struggles - NDSU started off 3-4-1 thanks in part to games against Alaska and Minnesota-Duluth - the Bison enter the tournament as one of the nation's hottest teams, as they ticked off 11 straight wins to close the regular season. They have one of the ACHA's highest-powered offenses, as Kacie Johnson's goal and point totals are second only to West Chester's Becky Dobson in D2, while Jacqueline Johnson (the leader), Kaylee Lothspeich and Johnson are all in the top five in assists.

---

4. Minnesota-Duluth

Record: 10-9-1
Head coach: Paul Kessler
Goals scored per game: 3.30
Goals allowed per game: 2.80

Preliminary round schedule:
March 7 vs. West Chester, 1:15 p.m.
March 8 vs. California, 11:00 a.m.
March 8 vs. Delaware, 5:45 p.m.

ACHA website team page:
http://achahockey.org/team_roster.php?team_id=14140&league_id=1066

Leading scorers (goals-assists-points):
Liz Smith (7-12-19 in 18 games)
Katherine Johnson (7-12-19 in 14 games)
Steph Hale (12-5-17 in 16 games)
Allison Jonas (9-7-16 in 16 games)
Mia Marturano (9-4-13 in 18 games)

Top goaltender:
Katie Gilderman (6-0-1 record, 2.00 GAA, 0.905 Sv%)

Despite an unimpressive-looking record (that is artificially deflated due to the aforementioned forfeits to Stout), UMD can boast decisive wins against North Dakota State - 9-2 and 6-1 on November 10th and 11th - have played competitively with both Alaska and D1 power Minnesota, and also carry a roster that runs 21 deep. Mia Marturano had two goals in each of the NDSU wins, but a balanced offensive effort saw eight different goal scorers in the first game, and five in the second.

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.

Club Sandwich: December 12th

Senior Joe Zitarelli opened the game's scoring on Saturday against Temple.

Men

Box score

It's not often that great passing gets headline status, although through the Ice Lions' performance against Delaware it probably earned the privilege, as PSU's first three goals were all the product of pretty set-ups.

Neil Laessig opened the scoring 4:14 into the game by snapping one past Delaware goalie Joe Marshall after a nice Will Vaeth indirect pass started a rush. He was quickly answered by Matthew Gumina on the power play, but the Ice Lions would surge back ahead with a three-goal second period.

Two minutes into that frame, Taylor Vincent finished a 2-on-1 with Reluzco. That was followed with Chris Lewis going five-hole on a give-and-go and Joe Bonazelli's backhand-forehand-shelf goal. The Blue Hens did pull within two in the third period thanks to Trevor Richmond slamming one home from the back door, but Ryan Urban squelched any comeback notion by finally finishing a shorthanded breakaway, after PSU had been denied on two attempts earlier in the game.

In goal, Teddy Steinhart turned in a workmanlike 21-for-23 effort, while - and how's this for balance - 12 different Ice Lions registered points, but none had more than one.

Box score // Daily Collegian recap

Penn State didn't waste any time jumping all over Temple in a key MACHA North matchup, as Vincent put back Reluzco's rebound 4:03 into the game, and after a long stretch of PSU dominance (the Ice Lions won the first-period shot count 25-5) Joe Zitarelli made it 2-0 ten minutes later from Mike Broccolo. Another pair of goals - Urban, from a Reluzco feed that deflected in off of his skate and Brandon Russo through traffic - in the first 3:18 of the second period effectively sealed the game's outcome.

Temple did escape being shut out in the highly-physical contest that saw 14 minor penalties handed out, as well as injuries to Laessig and Vaeth from a scary first-period collision. With five minutes remaining in the second period and Chris Dinsmore off for tripping, the Owls' David Brewer connected on the power play to make the score 4-1. However, goalie Ryan Demuth and a defense that only forced him to make four third-period saves shut the door the rest of the way.

The Ice Lions, now 11-4-1 (4-0-0 MACHA North) and ranked fourth in the Southeast Region of ACHA Division 2, will close their fall semester schedule this coming weekend with two very tough games at Division 1 Penn State-Berks (Friday) and at the Southeast's second-ranked team, Rowan (Saturday).

Women

I covered the ACHA women's team's 8-0 blasting of Slippery Rock in its first-ever home game Sunday morning separately, so here are those posts one more time:

ACHA W: Penn State 8 vs. Slippery Rock 0
12/9 Postgame: Mary Kate Tonetti, Allie Rothman, Carly Szyszko
Penn State-Slippery Rock Photo Gallery

The short-notice game (it was just announced just five days before it was played) may prove quite important for No. 5 PSU, now 4-1-1. ACHA Women's Division 2's next poll is due out Sunday, and the win over No. 11 SRU will stand as the team's only contest since the release of the current ranking, dated November 18th. In other words, without it, Penn State would have been in the unenviable position of trying to tread water without playing a game between polls.

Furthermore, among a tightly-packed cluster of teams, co-No. 3 Delaware is just four points clear of Penn State for fourth place overall and (more importantly, given the format of the national tournament) third among East Region teams. The Blue Hens are 1-1-0 since the present poll came out, and only beat The Rock 6-3 on November 17th. Could Sunday's result trigger upward movement for PSU? Here's hoping.

The women resume their schedule after break with a game at Navy on January 13th.

Club Sandwich: October 16th

Junior captain Carly Szyszko scored the game-winning goal for the ACHA women Sunday.

Women

Saturday box score // Sunday box score

While the NCAA men's and women's teams were stockpiling a list of firsts at the Ice Pavilion and in Wilkes-Barre, the ACHA women collected a few of their own in East Lansing, MI over the weekend - most notably, a first win and a first sweep. Thanks to those pieces of history, the team is now 2-1-1 overall.

The victim was Michigan State, which managed only one goal on the weekend, thanks largely to Katie Vaughan's 13-save shutout on Saturday and Sarah Eisenhut's nearly-as-perfect start on Sunday. MSU's Amanda Tapp was also excellent in the opposite crease in both games, but freshman Devon Fisk, set up by fellow freshman Nina Elia, gave PSU all the needed offense on Saturday midway through the second period.

Fisk, clearly unfazed by a quick turnaround that saw PSU playing at 10:00 a.m. Sunday after Saturday night's tilt, also opened the scoring in the second game. The Spartans had an answer this time though, as just eight seconds into a slashing call to Tara Soukup, Dana Ovsjannikovova brought things level at one. Amidst an increasing amount of chippiness that led to 20 penalty minutes over the last 5:25 of the second period, junior captain Carly Szyszko restored the PSU advantage with 30 seconds remaining in that middle frame, and the Nittany Lions survived the final 17 minutes to hold on for the victory.

Men

The ACHA Division 2 Ice Lions (4-2-1, 2-1-0 MACHA) dropped a 5-3 decision to the Delaware Blue Hens Saturday evening at the Fred Rust Ice Arena in Newark, DE.

Brandywine transfer Peter Daley tallied in the first and third periods, while freshman defenseman Rob Fauth added one in the middle stanza to help keep the Ice Lions within striking distance before a Blue Hens empty-netter sealed the result. Chris Lewis and Neil Laessig each had two assists for Penn State, and Ryan DeMuth stopped 17 of 21 in net.

Stunningly, PSU now has more blemishes on its regular season record than it did though all of last season. While it's always a little disingenuous to point a finger solely at injuries, the fact of the matter is that with two vital guns on the shelf - Mike Broccolo (ribs) and Ryan Urban (shoulder) - the Ice Lions might simply be in survival mode for a stretch.

That stretch continues back at the Ice Pavilion, with a match against Virginia Tech on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Five Things To Watch In ACHA D1

For long-time Penn State hockey fans, this season will certainly be exciting, but also a little awkward because, as hard as it may be to believe, the ACHA will continue to march forward without the Icers.

Maybe it's just the fact that old habits die hard or maybe it's a sincere desire to see an organization PSU helped initiate do well, but despite our finally achieving the long-dreamt-of NCAA status and despite no longer having a dog in the hunt, I'm still going to keep tabs on ACHA D1. Men's D1, not the women - for the latter it's pure schadenfreude across the board after how the Lady Icers ended their run by being shafted out of nationals twice in a row.

(Men's and women's D2, of course, are a different story with the Ice Lions and the new women's team maintaining Penn State's ACHA presence.)

Naturally, I'll keep an eye on Ohio, Arizona State and Oklahoma due to their being 2012-2013 opponents, and I'll also keep crushing Jimmy John's in the hope that Let's Play Hockey's bold speculation concerning Illinois is more than a rumor. But let's go a little deeper and look at five other things I'll be tracking in the ACHA this season.

Senior captain Brian Slugocki was a key figure in Arizona's transition. His jersey now features fewer cacti, but more official logos.

1. Arizona

The Wildcats - yes, Wildcats - are entering the second year of a drastic and long overdue reorganization. That, of course, entailed the ouster of program founder Leo Golembiewski and his private company (Icecat Hockey LLC) that actually ran the team independently of the university for 32 years. While there's nothing inherently wrong with that setup, and the Icecats certainly enjoyed a lot of success in their day, it became increasingly clear in the last decade of Golembiewski's reign that Arizona wasn't built to compete in the modern ACHA. Perhaps most insulting of all has been archrival Arizona State's concurrent rise to become the alpha program of the southwest.

I wrote a post about the Icecats/Wildcats transition last April, which surprisingly was quoted in the Arizona Daily Wildcat a few days ago. The Daily Wildcat piece is good reading that sort of illustrates the present state of things. Sean Hogan, who was the video coordinator at Western Michigan (NCAA version) during their turnaround under Jeff Blashill (now the head coach of the AHL's Grand Rapids Griffins after assisting with the Detroit Red Wings last year), was an impressive hire as the new coach last summer. In his second year in charge, he'll attempt to navigate a daunting schedule worthy of the Icecats' glory days with an roster that, on paper anyway, won't give up much to their opponents.

Undoing a decade of damage isn't something accomplished overnight, but monitoring the progress of the program, and hoping they finally take Arizona State down a peg or several - the Icecats/Wildcats are winless in their last 24 against ASU - will definitely draw some of my attention this season.

2. Delaware

I have no problem admitting that I like Delaware, partially for the completely selfish reason that their players and coaches noticed this blog before even most of the Penn State community. But more significantly, I think it's fair to say that the Fightin' Blue Hens represent everything top-level ACHA hockey is supposed to be: perpetually great talent on the roster, top coaches, a packed Fred Rust for home games. And now, finally, the hardware to go with it.

UD loses some great players for their title defense, including Icer alumnus John Conte's brother David and Andre Menard, who is now playing professionally in France for second-division side Courbevoie. Still, the Hens will have a stacked roster that should still be considered a Murdoch Cup favorite, and it's easy to envision them stringing together a run like Lindenwood's four straight championship game appearances between 2008 and 2011.

A bonus reason to follow Delaware is the fact that it was none other than Josh Brandwene who first led the program out of second-tier status with a surprise run to the 2001 ACHA championship game. He was assisted by former Icers teammate John O'Connor - who is still in Newark and set to begin his 16th season on staff, which includes one year as head coach following Brandwene's departure for Michigan-Dearborn in 2003.

Oakland's Jordan MacDonald had a lot to do with last year's Icers falling short of the title...but no hard feelings.

3. Oakland

Everything I just said about Delaware also applies to Oakland, the team UD beat for their first-ever ACHA national championship in the spring. Considering all aspects, from promotions and marketing to fan support to public service to the on-ice product, the Grizzlies are about as close as you'll find to a model ACHA program in the post-Icers world and deserve support for it.

Generally speaking, this blog keeps me emotionally detached. That's not forced "no cheering in the press box" neutrality, as I make no apologies for my allegiances. It's just the fact of the matter that I've sacrificed many of the fun things about being a fan to do this and don't really get to truly enjoy most things - for example, while most of you are on your feet after a PSU goal, I'm making sure I caught who started the play on the other end and hurriedly typing about it into a Cover It Live.

I mention that because there's been but one exception so far: the ACHA national championships last year. That was the one time I let it all hit me. I desperately wanted that one last championship that I felt was birthright on our way up and out. Then Oakland showed up, outworked and out-executed the Icers, and ripped it away. And yes, it got a little dusty in Strongsville, OH's Hoover Arena as the clock wound down and the outcome became clear. One would think that I would hate the Grizzlies for it, but I don't. In fact, I respect them tremendously and wish them nothing but continued success.

4. The Continued Evolution of Program Types

Back in those days of yore when it appeared hopeless that Penn State would ever have NCAA hockey, a friend asked me what it would take for the ACHA to supersede the NCAA as the primary sanctioning organization for college hockey. The obvious answer to that desperate question is "shut up." I could spend all day discussing why that's a ridiculous notion, although I am starting to come around to hoping that one of the mega-$$$ sports paves the way in challenging the NCAA's hegemony in the world of college athletics, for reasons any Penn Stater can probably list at this point. Certainly if things were drastically shaken up and each sport had its own sanctioning organization, that would put a lot of different outcomes into play. But realistically, based on present circumstances...no, stop it.

I indulged my friend with sort of an indirect answer, by saying that the keys to the ACHA's continued growth are the large-school programs in the south and west, for a few reasons:

1. Those are rapidly growing hockey areas that will likely be underserved by the NCAA for the foreseeable future.
2. The schools in question - Arizona, ASU, Oklahoma, others in lower ACHA divisions at schools whose varsity teams are generally members of the SEC and Pac-12 - have large student bodies and alumni bases who tend to like sports. A well-marketed and competitive team could be a big deal at those schools.
3. Large schools are positioned to challenge NCAA Division III schools for recruits, and therefore competitively, because what they have to offer is virtually at the opposite end of the spectrum in terms of name recognition, things to do, atmosphere, educational opportunities, alumni networks, you name it. I'm admittedly biased as an alumnus of a large, public school, but I really don't understand why anyone would choose to play in DIII over the ACHA. The NCAA status, at that level, is almost a technicality and (in my opinion) doesn't outweigh a true college experience at a place more populated than a large high school. Players aren't on the fast track to the show in either location, and the hockey's about equal between an average DIII team and a top ACHA D1 team.

If all of that sounds vaguely familiar to you, minus the geography, feel free to refer to it as the Penn State model. Few people would argue that more Penn States in the ACHA is good for business. And a whole bunch of Penn States playing in regions where NCAA hockey, effectively, doesn't exist? Use your imagination.

Recently though, those ideas have been challenged by schools like Lindenwood and Davenport, smaller schools in more traditional hockey areas that place hockey front and center, treating their ACHA teams almost as varsity programs - including, some allege, with financial aid creatively disbursed to work around the rules. Which program type will win out over the long haul? It's impossible to say right now, which is precisely why it's so interesting.

In the future, will UK hockey be known for more than schedule posters?

5. The Crossover Games

I just discussed the ACHA's place in the universe relative to NCAA DIII, which is a nice transition to the final thing I'll be watching: the ACHA's games against teams outside of the ACHA. In following the Icers, those games were always circled on the schedule as an opportunity to prove that non-varsity hockey done right is, in fact, pretty good.

One notable crossover this season is a holiday tournament involving two of Penn State's three ACHA opponents. On December 28th and 29th, while the Nittany Lions are at the Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational, Oklahoma and Arizona State will be in Burnaby, BC to play in a showcase involving the CIS' University of British Columbia and Canadian non-varsity power Simon Fraser. UBC is frequent exhibition fodder for NCAA DI teams, losing 4-1 to UNO, 3-0 to Minnesota and 3-1 to Minnesota State last season, so the Thunderbirds will certainly present a measuring stick opportunity for the ACHAers.

Of course, there's also the matter of those six crossover games scheduled to be played at the Ice Pavilion. You'll have to forgive me for not supporting the ACHA on those occasions.

Three Stars: June 11-17

3. Black Hawks accept invite to Junior World Cup
(wcfcourier.com)

2013 G Eamon McAdam's team will represent the U.S. in the second-ever Junior World Cup August 18-26 in Omsk, Russia. The tournament, won by Krasnaya Armiya of Moscow last year, features teams from ten countries split into two groups, with the top two following an intra-group round robin advancing to the semifinals. Canada, incidentally, will be represented at the World Cup by the OHL's Sudbury Wolves. Unfortunately, they're not in Waterloo's pool, meaning that somewhere, USHL commissioner Skip Prince is considering human sacrifice to get both teams to the semifinals.

On a more serious note, it should be a nice opportunity to get an early look at McAdam (who is the most experienced returning goalie for the Black Hawks) against top-shelf competition.

2. Pine Creek grad assumes big leadership role at Penn State
(Paisley Hockey)

Women's captain Taylor Gross gets some nice run from veteran college hockey scribe Joe Paisley. And she sounds ready to run show on the CHA.

“Even if I was not captain, I would still need to be a leader because of my Division I experience on a team with a lot of freshmen,” [Gross] said. “But, I think we will surprise some people. We will be better than most people will expect.”

1. The Jersey Thread
(Pride of Pegula)

If you think about it, the revealing of Penn State's NCAA jerseys is really the only big thing left unannounced to this point, so why not hit the boards and engage in some pointless and ultimately futile (but fun) speculation about it?

The picture leading this post is the official TYT endorsement for the jersey design. For the home and away, I kept the lettering and numbering basic (because we are Penn State) and the striping single to mirror PSU's iconic football helmets, which hockey borrows as well. I didn't include the chipmunk anywhere, because I concluded that "PENN STATE" lettering has been more significant as an element of historic PSU hockey jerseys and adding a chipmunk would clutter things. That said, I would be open to using it as a shoulder patch or even in place of the front numbers, similar to the current jerseys. Or, you could even remove the last names and place a small chipmunk in that space, which would be pretty solid. Anyway the alternates, of course, are a nod to the jerseys of the first varsity team in 1940-1941:

Special thanks to PoP proprietor Aaron Griffin, who really deserves credit for the idea on the alternates, by the way.

If you want a better look, click here (after allowing me to remind you that I'm some random guy in Ohio with zero influence on the jersey design process). If you think you can do better, well that's what the thread is for.

Best of the Rest

Pegula Ice Arena Construction Photo Gallery
(statecollege.com)

Friend of TYT Ben Jones took some time off from covering the Jerry Sandusky trial to snap some PIA site pictures. He stole my thunder on that a little, but I'm not at all mad - I avoid Sandusky coverage as much as I possibly can (unfortunately - in this case - staying on top of PSU hockey news means I have to keep up with "general" PSU news outlets, so...), I can only imagine what it's like, for someone who cares at all about Penn State, to have to take a front-row seat to it as a job requirement. Taking a break to give some time to a positive story, yeah, I get that.

Anyway, they're from last Wednesday. And looking quite good.

Lions, and Dutchmen, and Bears! Oh my!
(Stack the Pads)

Be on the lookout for some great PSU coverage from StP, with special attention given to the goaltenders. I think it's axiomatic in the hockey world that non-goalies don't truly get goalies, so I'm looking forward to the insight.

Coaching veteran Guy Gadowsky to speak at Hockey Coaches Conference‏
(The Coaches Site)

I mentioned this in a Three Stars a couple weeks ago, but since the hosts actually sent me the press release, I'll give them one more go. I have no idea how they even know of TYT, but I'm honored to be considered that legitimate. Here's the canned quote on Gadowsky:

"Guy Gadowsky is one of the top amateur coaches in North America. He built both the University of Alaska Fairbanks and Princeton University Mens’ programs into National contenders; however, it’s his track record of developing his players on the ice and in the classroom which sets him apart." said Aaron Wilbur, managing director of the Coaches Site. "His contributions to grass roots hockey are immeasurable and we are excited to have him represent the NCAA and Penn State University."

@TheoFleury14
(Twitter)

Correction: Tim Curley, Gary Schultz and Graham Spanier allegedly (for the time being, that word still needs to be in there) tried to cover this up to protect there [sic] 51 million dollar a year profitable football program. I've never done 28 tons of blow over a decade and a half, but not surprisingly, it apparently affects your cognitive abilities.

I try to stay out of the whole thing as much as possible unless it touches the hockey program in some way (AD changes, Terry Pegula reaffirming his donation, etc.) and like I just mentioned, I don't envy those who don't have a choice in the matter. But a hockey hall of famer guy who could have been a hockey hall of famer, had he not trashed his career, tweeting about it is noteworthy, I guess.

Ohio State men's hockey schedule coming together for last CCHA season
(examiner.com)

Included for the fact that an Ohio State guy semi-admits to his program's weakness. There's something that doesn't happen very often. Well, it doesn't in football, but maybe it does it hockey. Going to have to play the "I'm still new here" card on that.

The format [for the Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational] has not been decided but if it’s one where the winners advance to the title game then Robert Morris would likely select OSU for its first game based on Miami’s better record the past few seasons.

It’s unlikely the Buckeyes and Miami would want to face each other in a nonconference game unless some hardware was at stake.

So...RMU wouldn't pick Miami because OSU sucks more. They wouldn't pick PSU - which, it has to be said, sucks more than everyone as a new program until otherwise proven - because OSU would throw a hissyfit about playing Miami in a non-conference game. Hey, here's an idea: pick Miami anyway and give us PSU-OSU, RMU-Miami. Because pairwise credit is fun and everyone gets two games regardless. And because it's the best draw of any of the arrangements. And because RMU plays both PSU and OSU in December.

Wait, that's what the Target Center looks like?

NCHC believes its on target with tournament site
(Omaha World-Herald)

Since the NCHC hitting the Target Center in Minneapolis for their tournament (opposite the Big Ten in St. Paul) is old news now, I searched for, and found, an article with something more interesting than the typical write-up.

"I’m sure the Target Center is willing to go head-to-head with the Big Ten, based on the teams," [Nebraska-Omaha coach Dean] Blais said. "Obviously if Minnesota is playing (in St. Paul), they’ll sell it out. But if fans can’t get tickets to that, or — nothing against Penn State or Michigan or Michigan State or the Big Ten — if those teams are playing, I think they’ll want to see our tournament."

Two can play at that game, Deano. If North Dakota's out of the NCHC tournament, you're left with a choice of: a) two branch campuses, b) two MAC schools (and I love the MAC as a current student at a member school), c) two schools 900+ miles away and d) St. Cloud State in e) a facility that's almost universally seen as second-rate for hockey compared to the Big Ten's Xcel Energy Center. So good luck with that. The Big Ten, without Minnesota, still offers three all-time top ten men's hockey programs and five schools with universal brand recognition. And (including Minnesota again) the main campuses of two NCHC schools, although Nebraska doesn't sponsor hockey yet.

Actually, it is worth pointing out that the Big Ten's entire tournament will be played in St. Paul (or Detroit, in alternating years). In other words, Minnesota will have at least one game at the Xcel Energy Center every single year the tournament is there. North Dakota, on the other hand, will have to get through a best-of-three campus site first round to make it to Minny. They probably will most of the time, but hey, no guarantees when you've recruited the eight best hockey programs in the country into one conference.

Quick break while I finish laughing from typing that last sentence...

ND vote lets school scrap Fighting Sioux nickname
(Yahoo!)

I'm. So. Pumped. And no, it has nothing to do with my opinion of Native American mascots, the NCAA's rule on them or the larger social and political issues involved. I just hate North Dakota, so things that make them sad make me happy, simple as that. All of that said, this is The Story That Will Never Die (TM), so I'm not throwing the party until what's apparently a minority of the state's residents are unsuccessful in their next avenue of appeal, an attempt at a constitutional amendment.

Back at ya, buddy.

NCAA Sends North Dakota State's Championship Banner To Rival UND
(SB Nation Minnesota)

This isn't a hockey story, but it's hilarious. Fun fact: North Dakota State has more hockey national championships than North Dakota. 8-7.

Ice Hockey Will Host Delaware in Outdoor Game
(godutchmen.com)

Lebanon Valley College is taking on the defending ACHA national champs at Hersheypark Stadium on January 22nd, following an AHL outdoor game between Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on the 20th. If LVC gets their team up to standard, it should be a great event.