M: Blue 5 vs. White 3

Official site recap // View From the Booth recap // Daily Collegian recap

Straight away, I'd like to apologize for the fiasco surrounding my promise to live blog Blue/White. First, an unbreakable commitment (a birthday dinner for my father) was dropped into my lap the day before (thanks, Mom). So that took the "live" part off the table. My backup plan, to watch the game later that night and use it as a dry run to practice live blogging games that count, was done in by the fact that the recording wasn't archived on UStream.

None of that is meant as an excuse. Despite my self-effacing tendencies, I hold myself to a pretty high standard, and I didn't even come close to meeting it here.

With that out of the way, here's what someone who actually saw the game - the Collegian's Christine Newby - wrote about it:

Four unanswered goals by the Blue team in the Icers' annual Blue/White game resulted in a 5-3 victory Friday night at the Ice Pavilion.

The four goals, all coming in the second half, began with sophomore defender Nate Jensen, collecting freshman forward Tommy Olczyk’s rebound and putting the puck past goaltender Matt Madrazo.

Senior Nick Seravalli tied the contest at three apiece, and sophomore forward Justin Kirchhevel scored back-to-back goals in a span of just three minutes.

Kirchhevel said a month of practice was tough and the sophomore added he was glad to finally get a chance to play in a game.

“It’s definitely good to get our feet wet and get in a game situation again and have fans for once,” Kirchhevel said. “It’s definitely a good start.”

Assistant coach Keith Fisher said the guys are sick of practicing and the Blue/White game was not only good for the players, but the coaches as well.

“It’s nice for the coaching staff to evaluate guys in a game setting versus practice,” Fisher said. “They are two different things and a lot of times you get two different players.”

Freshman Brandon Russo and seniors Chris Cerutti and Dan Petrick were out of the lineup due to injuries. Cerutti injured his left knee on Aug. 23, and Icers coach Guy Gadowsky confirmed on Aug. 24 the forward sustained a Grade II medial collateral ligament (MCL) sprain. Petrick is out with a small fracture in his left wrist.

Fisher couldn’t say much about Russo’s injury.

“I don’t know too much specifically about it, but he’ll be out for a couple weeks probably,” Fisher said.

The Blue/White game was two, 30-minute halves with a running clock.

As for the next week, the Icers have their first regular season game Oct. 7 against Lebanon Valley at the Ice Pavilion.

Of course, she wasn't the only person who was there. Ben Jones of Black Shoe Diaries also went and brought back one of the more unique things I've seen in a while - a series of 12-second, slow motion videos. Here's a taste, with Eric Steinour's first-half 2-on-1 goal courtesy of George Saad's feed, but you need to go to the link and watch all of them. Do it. Now.



I think my favorite thing about the videos is that they're a clear demonstration of the skill level possessed by people who are really good at hockey as they do things that we sometimes take for granted as those who merely watch those who are really good at hockey.

Others who saw the game include the man known to many of you as IcersGuy on BSD as well as Icers SID Troy Weller. Here are some of their thoughts collected from Twitter.

It's an interesting dynamic - transfers can be dangerous on their own; returning Icers still dangerous together.

No goalie looked outstanding, but all 3 looked solid. At this point, I'll be happy with any starting.

Kirchhevel said the veterans are really doing a good job of taking the younger players under their wing.

Olczyk said guys have been playing soft in practice the past couple days, said they need to stop that but don't want to hurt anyone. He also said the gelling in the locker room is going extremely well because the main goal is an ACHA title.

So it's Blue-White game this week, then a step backwards next week vs. LBV, then a huge jump forward on the road @ Illinois. Yeesh.

Yeah, pretty much. This one's going to feel like a Game 7 compared to next Friday.

The final piece of this post was meant to include thoughts from the other side of the Ice Pavilion surface, via alumnus coach Mark Horgas, but we've learned that he was unable to fulfill his coaching duties Friday night due to a personal issue. TYT passes along its best wishes.

Horgas (left) and Joe Battista at the press conference introducing Guy Gadowsky. Photo: Jay Horgas

Three Stars: August 8-14

3. Cru prepare to make roster
(Sherwood Park News)

Most junior teams are right on the cusp of camps and preseason (in fact, by the next Three Stars, Jonathan Milley's Pembroke Lumber Kings will have played an exhibition game), so before we move forward with tracking the progress of recruits who didn't play major junior, here's one more look back at Jessi Hilton - the recruit that wasn't - and his squad.

"We've got a strong goaltender in Pat Terriss and returning players like Jesse Koch and Jessi Hilton, so expectations are high," [head coach Tim Fragle said]. We want to have a good season this year and finish in that top-four position in the North Division to get home ice."

Hilton stepped up as the team's captain approximately halfway through the season, with the departure of former captain Josh Lee, who was traded to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.

He'll have big stats to live up to this season, having earned 50 points in his 60 games played, managing 28 goals and 22 assists.

2. Linaker focused on winning
(St. Albert Gazette)

Okay, now we can get on to probably the most informative and comprehensive thing written about a PSU recruit to this point - and it's one of our best, Reed Linaker. He's poised to break almost every St. Albert Steel scoring record, provided he stays healthy, which has been an issue in the past. Here's the big Penn State quote from the article.

“It was pretty much talk to me and sell me it. They offered me a scholarship right way so it was kind of hard not to say no,” said Linaker, who will check out the Penn State campus for the first time in early September. “I had some serious talks with Wisconsin, but I figure going to Penn State would be a pretty cool experience. Obviously I can put my own stamp on the program and maybe be the face of the program with some hard work over the next few years. If I work hard, I have the opportunity to be a go-to guy there, so I love that.”

Oh, and there's this: Linaker has a well-regarded, hockey-playing younger brother, Cole. If PSU wants to get serious with the 1995 birth year, they'll have to keep him away from the WHL's Kelowna Rockets, who own his draft rights (6th round, 2010). But maybe the shot at playing a couple years with his brother turns the tide, who knows.

1. Meet Assistant Coach Keith Fisher
Meet Assistant Coach Matt Lindsay
Meet Director of Hockey Operations Bill Downey
(YouTube)

GoPSUSports has come up with literally five men's hockey articles and one video since the aftermath of Guy Gadowsky's hiring. Three of the articles were announcements - the hirings of the three subjects of these videos, and the Scott Balboni resignation. Another was an admonishment concerning NCAA rules.

So it's nice to finally get some fresh content beyond what's absolutely necessary from the official site, even if it's just 9:28 spread over three interviews. Steve Penstone, incidentally, spent 5:45 with Downey alone, scooped the people who hand out the access by nearly two months, and asked questions that demonstrated knowledge of the subject (the best moment of the three videos was the completely serious "what brings you to Penn State" inquiry at the beginning of the Downey interview).

Why Fisher at the top? Why not?

Best of the Rest

O'Handley pleased after Black Hawks camp
(wcfcourier.com)

One more recruit-related article, this one on 2013 goalie Eamon McAdam's team. Waterloo's USHL entry just completed an orientation camp, and reading between the lines, it doesn't sound like the goalies did too well. Here's head coach/general manager P.K. O'Handley to explain that one.

"As far as the goalies, I liken the goalie position at this time of the year to maybe a golfer who has had the winter off. Now all of a sudden you are thrown into a competitive environment and you're going to struggle from time to time.

"We're going to score because we have more skill. I wouldn't read too much into all the goals we allowed this week. I'm certainly not. We did not put in any form any kind of team defense. It was fairly wide-open out there.

"Plus, I don't think these guys were ready for [former Black Hawk and UMass Minuteman and current Worcester Shark] James Marcou [who participated in the camp] to be barrelling down on them."

Waterloo figures to carry veterans Jay Williams and Eamon McAdam as its top two goalies this year, but Petersen, the Waterloo native, also will factor in when he arrives back.

Big movements on campus
(Pennsylvania Puck)

A new site, Pennsylvania Puck (papuck.com), takes its shot at summarizing PSU's DI program to this point.

The site is launching in the fall, although it's obviously posting articles and it has a pretty active Twitter account (not to mention a pretty flexible definition of "launch"). Semantics aside, I'm intrigued. If it's done right, with a good deal of focus on minor, college and junior hockey, I think it could be a fantastic addition to the internet.

Indians ready for another winter of Snow Days
(indians.com)

Fenway may host UMaine hockey
(Portland Press Herald)

Penn State and Neumann continue to work on the proposed game at Citizens Bank Park, but six other schools are set (or at least reportedly set) to play outdoor games at other baseball stadiums. Michigan-Ohio State at Cleveland's Progressive Field is finally official for January 15th. Eight days prior, a doubleheader of New Hampshire-Maine and Vermont-UMass is everything-but-official for Fenway Park.

Is Joe Paterno Influencing the Climate?
(statecollege.com)

I could not run the same study on Joe Battista's hockey teams when he was coaching cause they never had any down years, show-off that he was.

Yeah, Joe Battista was kind of okay.

The_TimmyC
(yfrog)

Tim Carr's mask continues to just crush it.

2011-2012 Women's Ice Hockey Tickets
(rmu.edu)

Getting into the Lady Icers' season opener at Robert Morris on September 23rd will cost most people $7. If you're in the Pittsburgh area, or even if you're not, get to it.

DII Penn State Plucks DI Assistant to Fill Head Coach Slot(hockeyyall.com)

Because it's a quiet week, I'll pass around this Josh Hand piece one more time. By the way, the origin of the link is truly one of the best college hockey sites out there. It's specific to non-varsity hockey in the south, but since the Ice Lions are actually in the Southeast Region of ACHA D2...basically, it works out quite well for us.

Curtis Carr was once one of the ACHA's most dynamic players at Kent State. Now he's rapidly rising through the coaching ranks.

Carr joins coaching staff at Merrimack College
(ushl.com)

As a general rule, I only give coaching moves involving the Big Ten or CHA a mention here, but I'm definitely willing to make an exception when an ACHA guy quickly moves up the ladder. Carr was a former player (1999-2003) at Kent State, then moved into coaching with the Golden Flashes as an assistant (2003-2004) and head (2004-2006) coach.

Probably as much as any individual, Carr was responsible for KSU's rise from the waste left over from their failed NCAA program - the Icers beat them 65-5 over the first six meetings after the loss of varsity status in 1994, through the 1998-1999 season - into a respectable ACHA entry with two nationals appearances as a player and one more as a head coach.

Since leaving his alma mater, Carr had been with the Youngstown Phantoms for five seasons, rising from an assistant coach with personnel and development responsibilities to head coach and general manager during the 2010-2011 season. Notably, he helped the Phantoms move from their previous home in the Tier II NAHL to the Tier I USHL in 2009. Now he's an assistant with an on-the-rise Hockey East program that went 25-10-4 and made the NCAA tournament last season. Not a terrible career track.

N. Dakota ready to drop Fighting Sioux
(espn.com)

I routinely take jabs at NoDak, but regardless of the circumstances or your opinion of them, you have to feel for the vast majority of Sioux fans who are obviously passionate and well-intentioned (basically, meaning that they like the nickname but aren't racists). I really don't know how I'd react if "Nittany Lions" was suddenly - or not so suddenly, since this has been going on for a couple years, after all - ripped from PSU.

That said, if the Sioux people were of one mind and approving of the nickname, this is never an issue. Miami somehow survived without "Redskins," and UND will be fine as well.

Two for the Show

Fisher was Gadowsky's right...errr...left hand at Princeton.

Head coach Guy Gadowsky has added former Princeton assistants Keith Fisher and Matt Lindsay to his staff, Penn State announced yesterday.

First, let's farm the money quotes from the release. Coach Gadowsky, you're up:

"Keith Fisher and Matt Lindsay both have excellent work ethic and have proven to be very successful recruiters of the top hockey student-athletes in North America. The culture at Princeton, which puts heavy emphasis on both strong academics and athletic achievement, is very much in line with the values of Penn State Athletics, so the transition should be an easy one for these two coaches. I think having both of them on our staff will be a great asset to the rebirth of varsity hockey at Penn State."

Now you, Fisher:

"I am very excited to join Coach Gadowsky and his staff at Penn State. It is a great opportunity to be a part of the transition to a Division I hockey program at a great institution like Penn State and the Happy Valley region."

And finally, Lindsay:

"I am very excited to be joining the Penn State community. I am looking forward to getting to work immediately as we begin to lay the foundation for Division I hockey. I know Penn State has a proud history on the ice and I know there is a ton of enthusiasm for the future. I am honored to be a part of it."

Okay, so everyone's excited to be here. I was kind of worried about that.

What's a little less obvious: the role that these guys will play for the upcoming season. Steve Penstone talked to Joe Battista and got this extremely vague quote: "[Fisher and Lindsay] will serve as instructors with the Icers, focusing on skill development."

My take on the coaching situation for this coming season: it's in flux. I may have told a few of you that we're sticking with the current setup, with oversight from Gadowsky. Turns out, that may or may not be the case. If you obsess over things like this, you probably remember when Battista discussed the news of the Big Ten's formation for 2013-2014 back in March:

“It’s a year earlier than we originally thought,” Battista said. “So we are going to have to ratchet everything up. We will definitely have to hire the full staffs earlier than we had initially planned to. At the same time, it also means having more revenue coming in earlier because the arena will be built and ready for play.”

Hiring the staffs sooner will ease the transition from the current ACHA D-I club program to NCAA. Battista said it is necessary to have the staff, including the coaches, work hand-in-hand with the club teams, the ACHA Penn State Icers and Lady Icers, in their final seasons.

“The new coaches will have an opportunity to influence the systems the Icers will play next season to help the transition to the D-I team,” Battista said.

So basically, the original plan was to not even have assistants yet, let alone attempt to figure out their role with the club team. And from that, it seems like we can also infer that the original plan was not to have the NCAA staff directly coaching the Icers, but rather spend a year recruiting, helping out, and dictating systems and personnel to facilitate the transition. But that was before we hired Gadowsky, and with his enthusiasm for what PSU already has in place and his desire to be hands on (his repeated "I get to coach the team" comment). Now? It seems like it's all up in the air. Buckle up, we're in for some possible turbulence with a chance of bruised egos.*

* I've said it before, but I really, really hope we find a role for Josh Hand in the program. If we don't, I'm pretty sure we haven't heard the last of him.

Enough conjecture. Let's figure out what we can about our new assistant coaches.

I'm not going to talk too much about Fisher's and Lindsay's time at Princeton because I feel like we've mined that one in talking about Gadowsky. In the interest of context, Fisher joined the Tigers' staff in year two of Gadowsky's run (2005-2006), while Lindsay started in 2007-2008, the first of Gadowsky's two NCAA tournament seasons. But anyone who pays any attention at all to hockey, or sports for that matter, knows how vital assistants are to a program, so I think it's fair to assign both Fisher and Lindsay a good deal of credit for the recent and unprecedented success at PU.

Keith Fisher

Fisher, from Zim, MN, spent the last five years at Princeton, as I just mentioned. Upon his starting there, the US Hockey Report had this to say:

"[A] very astute hire, and particularly fortuitous... especially given the late date. Fisher [is] hard-working and extremely knowledgeable concerning the player pool. [He is] highly regarded by the college coaching fraternity."

"Extremely knowledgeable concerning the player pool" is a tag you get when you spend five seasons in the USHL, as Mike Hastings' (a current UNO assistant who's often rumored for head coaching jobs) assistant with the Omaha Lancers, in charge . It was here that he crossed paths with future NHLers Keith Ballard, Nick Petrecki, Matt Carle and Paul Stastny, as well as former Michigan State goalie Jeff Lerg. I think a lot of times, people put these types of lists together looking more at star power than the coach's actual involvement with said star power, but when you have people like Lerg calling Fisher "one person that believe[d] in [him] and [was] willing to give [him] a shot" years later, I think it's safe to say that he had an impact.

The Lancers had a ton of team success in addition to producing great individual players, winning the 2001 Clark Cup (playoff championship) as well as the Anderson Cup (regular season championship) in 2002 and 2005.

Prior to Omaha, Fisher was an undergraduate assistant at St. Cloud State from 1998-2000, and helped the Huskies to the 2000 NCAA tournament. He began his career playing at Hibbing (MN) Community College and as a football and baseball coach at Cherry (MN) High School.

Finally, in something of an oddity, he was actually quoted by the Collegian during the aftermath of the Gadowsky hire, in a feature about his once-and-now-present boss.

Tigers’ assistant coach Keith Fisher said Gadowsky made it a joy on a daily basis to go to the rink for the rest of his coaching staff and players. Fisher also felt one of the biggest accomplishments during Gadowsky’s tenure was how he molded young hockey players into respectable men.

“Guy was with the most successful class in Princeton history,” Fisher said. “It’s tough to say goodbye to that. He coached kids that you would eventually want your wife or daughter to marry.”

Matt Lindsay

Speaking of Omaha's USHL entry, Massachusetts native Lindsay is a former Lancer himself, and he also played at Deerfield Academy (for his father Jim Lindsay), and later at Williams College, graduating in 2001.

From there, he has an impressively diverse background for his age, leading up to joining the Princeton's staff in 2007.

• 2001-2002: Assistant at NCAA Division III Utica College, where he helped get that program off the ground with a respectable-for-a-first-season 10-12-3 mark.
• 2002-2005: Assistant at NCAA Division III Hobart College. Here, he followed in the footsteps of Pierre McGuire as a Statesmen assistant. Accomplishments include the 2003-2004 ECAC West regular season and tournament titles.
• 2005-2006: Volunteer assistant at Colorado College. If you want to join the big time, do it for free. I know a thing or two about that. 24-16-2 and an NCAA tournament trip was the result this season, and the team included standouts like Brett Sterling and Marty Sertich.
• 2006-2007: Assistant at Robert Morris. View From The Booth made another nice pull relevant to this juncture by getting in touch with RMU coach Derek Schooley last night. So let's let him talk about it.

He says in Lindsay's one season with the Colonials, he had a hand in recruiting the senior class that this past season became the all-time winning class in the history of Bobby Mo's program.

Basically, it seems like the guy made quite an impact, despite the short amount of time spent at a lot of these stops. Undoubtedly, both he and Fisher will do the same as Nittany Lion assistants.