A Long-Awaited Return Game

As I'm sure most of you know, I take great issue with the handling (or, more to the point, lack thereof) of Penn State hockey history through official outlets. So I can't help but laugh at the irony when a small piece of that history is acknowledged, yet part of me wishes it wasn't.

The Penn State club team defeated Fredonia State, 5-4, in come-from-behind fashion Nov. 5, 2011. Penn State fell behind, 4-2, in the second period before scoring three straight goals, including George Saad's game-winner, to secure the victory. Current Nittany Lions Justin Kirchhevel (twice) and Jacob Friedman also scored.

In case you're skimming, note the date there: November 5, 2011. Several hours before the game, Tim Curley and Gary Schultz were charged in relation to the Jerry Sandusky scandal (Sandusky himself was indicted the day before and arrested that day).

I was at the Ice Pavilion to cover the match, and rather than enjoy what really was a fantastic comeback (Steve Edgeworth scored the tying goal on the power play, have to work him in for a mention since he no longer exists on any official level), I spent most of it wrestling with a question: should I ask Guy Gadowsky about the situation after the game? Anyone who fully understood where the next 13 months would take us, to be clear, is lying. But still, it was pretty obvious that this was a big deal - I mean, Gadowsky's boss had just been very publicly implicated in a child sex abuse scandal. How many times has that happened to you? I stood to gain something as well, since as the first person to connect the whole thing to hockey, that post probably would have received a fair amount of traffic.


Safe to say that the guy on the right had a better day last November 5th than the guy on the left.

That night, I decided that I was a blogger, not a journalist. I didn't ask, and I'm glad I arrived at that decision. Gadowsky's a smart guy and undoubtedly would have refused comment, meaning that I would have trashed a fair amount of goodwill points for no good reason beyond journalistic principle and page clicks worth about $16,000 in internet money.

So that's what Fredonia State means to me - that internal struggle and, in my pre-video camera, pre-Quality Inn wifi days, joylessly transcribing quotes at a Starbucks the next morning while taking frequent breaks to attempt to figure out what, exactly, the whole thing meant for Joe Paterno.

Good times.

Needless to say, six weeks later than planned - thanks so much, Hurricane Sandy - I'm ready to re-wire my associations with Tuesday night's deceptively important return trip by the Icers Nittany Lions to Fredonia's Steele Hall at 7:00 p.m.

While this season isn't about wins and losses, the odd weeknight night road game comes at a vital time in the schedule. Somewhat quietly, Penn State (7-8-0, 5-6-0 NCAA DI) has lost six of eight. The last three in that string have been particularly brutal: a home loss to ACHA team Arizona State and two losses at Holy Cross, one despite holding a two-goal lead with 5:17 remaining, the other a 4-1 disaster that ended with the home team's student broadcasters questioning the maturity of the Nittany Lions and their fans.

A tough home game with Robert Morris awaits on Saturday, followed by a rematch with the Colonials on December 28th at the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh, with either Ohio State or Miami on tap for the tournament's second day. Simply put, there's not a lot of breathing room built into the schedule, which adds a great deal of importance to Tuesday night's clash as a "get healthy" type situation. However, according to assistant coach Matt Lindsay, and as reported by StateCollege.com's Ben Jones, the losing hasn't hurt the program's progress.

"It's a learning experience," assistant coach Matt Lindsay said Monday following practice. "You've got a lot of guys playing their first year of Division I college hockey, so again it's an experience.

"I don't know that it feels like a grind at all. With exams coming up and a lot of hockey in a short amount of time, I think our guys have so much energy and enthusiasm being our first year that I don't think that, at least mentally, that the grind comes into play. I think they're just excited about playing the next game and showing people what they've got. I don't get the sense at all that they're struggling to get up for games by any stretch."

Given Lindsay's track record, it's pretty hard to question his assessment. And given the admittedly shorter track record of his Penn State team, there's no reason to think things are an issue at this point - guys like Curtis Loik and Tommy Olczyk work hard regardless of game situations, so why wouldn't that extend to the bigger picture?

Believe it or not, this isn't the first time this season the Blue Devils have hosted a team in its first NCAA year of a transition from ACHA Division 1. Canton, 7-3 losers to the Icers at the 2010 ACHA championships, lost to Fredonia 5-2 in their first NCAA Division III game on October 19th. According to a puck I bought on eBay a while back, former Icers ICHL rival and current-season Nittany Lions opponent Buffalo State played their first home game after elevating to DIII against the Devils as well. I guess Fredonia likes their name in other people's record books. Hey, whatever it takes to get the word out, I guess.

Speaking of the Devils, they're undoubtedly looking at results like Buff State's 3-0 win over PSU that same night as the Fredonia-Canton game and thinking "hey, maybe we can get healthy here." While head coach Jeff Meredith's crew is 5-7-0 overall (3-5-0 SUNYAC), the team has lost five of its last six (including a 7-3 home loss to BSC, in case you're one of the six people who believes in the transitive property in sports). It's fair to say that it has struggled to find offense in the wake of the graduation of Bryan Ross, who finished as the fourth-leading scorer in program history. The Blue Devils have been held to one goal or fewer in half of their games this season, and needed overtime to pot a second score in one other. Mat Hehr has taken over the leading scorer mantle with four goals and eight points, while reigning SUNYAC Rookie of the Week Taylor Bourne has four goals of his own.

Taylor Bourne leads a strong group of Fredonia freshmen. The former Olds Grizzly bumped up against PSU leading scorer David Glen and his Spruce Grove Saints quite frequently in the AJHL from 2009-2012. Photo: Jerry Reilly/Fredonia State

In spite of his team's recent skid, Meredith does feel like his team showed improvement in a split with Elmira last weekend.

"There are a few areas of our game," he said, "that still need some shoring up, namely, our special teams. I thought our first 10 minutes (on Saturday) was the best start of the year. We generated chances, and a lot of them but just was not able to finish them.

"The encouraging thing is that we are getting those chances where six weeks ago we were not. I think there is a lot to be optimistic about and I think the guys are feeling it as well."

In net for the Devils, all three goalies return. Jeff Holloway played last season's game at PSU, surrendering five goals on 27 shots, but Mark Friesen, who has a 3.36 goals against average this season, is the regular starter.

Penn State-Buffalo State Photo Gallery

Since I didn't produce a live blog or have access to postgame comments (due to a lack of wifi at the rink and going credential-free for this tilt), I figured the least I could do was take a few photos. Click any of them to enlarge.

---

First up is Rockwell Hall, home to BSC's School of Arts and Humanities and by far the nicest building on a pretty utilitarian campus.

This is the exterior to the Buffalo State Ice Arena, which is actually part of a larger sports arena complex that also includes BSC's basketball gym.

The game was the season opener for the Bengals, and they were pretty excited about that fact.

Here's Matt Skoff making a save during warmups.

And another of Skoff...turns out goalies are easier to photograph than most players.

I made a few attempts at skaters anyway - this is Tommy Olczyk (carrying puck) during warmups, along with Nate Jensen (24), Taylor Holstrom (28) and Brian Dolan (25).

Here are the Nittany Lions emerge from the locker room before the start of the first period. The nice thing about small rinks is that they let you go almost anywhere. I probably could have walked back into the room if I wanted.

Shortly after that, the team lined up for the starters and national anthem...

...followed by the opening faceoff. As far as I could tell, everything was still going well at this point.

Buff State brought a large and enthusiastic crowd, but one that also came with several Jerry Sandusky-related signs, at least one of which was confiscated by police.

Here's what was a fairly common sight during the game - discussion of a penalty call. The PSU players are George Saad (left) and David Glen (right).

The Penn State bench. P.J. Musico (1) and Mark Yanis (5) are in the foreground while coaches Guy Gadowsky and Matt Lindsay study the action.

Because faceoffs are the goalies of game action, here's another one. David Glen (11) and Curtis Loik (15) are the two Nittany Lions, while Buffalo State goalie Kevin Carr ended up with a 35-save shutout.

Three Stars: September 17-23

Lindsay Reihl (far left) and Jenna Welch (far right) will be the alternate captains this season. Taylor Gross (second from right) was previously named captain in May. The other three players pictured are (left to right) Emily Laurenzi, Paige Jahnke and Shannon Yoxheimer.

3. Penn State ice hockey preview: Goalie PJ Musico
(Stack the Pads)

Derek Meluzio's goalie preview Q-and-As have finally come around to hit a Penn State tender, and it's Mr. Cali Swag, P.J. Musico. While these pieces generally include a photo of the mask the subject will wear in the coming season, that's not the case here, as Musico's hasn't arrived yet. He did give an idea of what to expect, however.

All I know now is that it is a half California theme and half Penn State theme with the signature blue line separating the two. I still, myself, haven’t seen it.

2. Joe Battista: A Quarter of a Century Well Spent
(statecollege.com)

I don't play the must-read card too often with you guys, but I will here. Hey, if you don't care about Joe Battista's reflections on 25 years at Penn State, what are you even doing on this blog?

1. Reihl, Welch Named Women's Hockey Assistant Captains
(gopsusports.com)

Back in May, Josh Brandwene named junior forward Taylor Gross captain for 2012-2013. Now, thanks to a team vote last week, we know she'll be assisted by senior defender Lindsay Reihl and junior forward Jenna Welch.

Really, the team could not have done a better job distributing the letters. Former Connecticut Huskies Gross and Welch are two of the three Nittany Lions who have already played NCAA Division I hockey (the other, Nicole Paniccia, is a goalie) and are therefore uniquely qualified to serve as team leaders. Reihl is one of only two "club originals" on the team (along with Kate Christoffersen), is a three-time Lady Icers defensive MVP, and helped Team USA to a fourth-place finish at the 2011 World University Games.

It's worth pointing out that the previous paragraph contains the names of literally every junior and senior on the team, which certainly helped the decision process as well.

Best of the Rest

Men's Hockey to Host Midnight Practice on Night of Oct. 5
(gopsusports.com)

In an event similar to one held by many college basketball teams (although not including Penn State), the men's team will hold an open practice with free admission just after midnight on the first day NCAA rules allow full practices. Doors to the rink will open at 11:00 p.m. on October 5th, and the fun includes pizza, giveaways, an address from Guy Gadowsky and a public skate with the players following the conclusion of practice at 1:00 a.m.

The women, incidentally, were allowed to begin practice two weeks earlier, this past Saturday. There was no fan-engagement event involved but the team was certainly pumped for it, as expressed on Twitter by Brandwene and freshman defender Jordin Pardoski. GoPSUSports also chipped in a story about it.



ASU hockey seeks redemption heading into new season
(The State Press)

Arizona State, one of PSU's three ACHA opponents this season, generally does a good job with their media coverage, including this quick look at their coming season. House of Sparky, the Sun Devils' SBNation blog, has a written preview if you prefer that mode.

As mentioned in my post immediately previous to this one, the ACHA is now already in full swing, a full two weeks before NCAA teams are allowed to practice. Just to keep the opponent watch up to date, ASU opened with a 13-0 waxing of D2 Texas A&M on Thursday. Ohio swept John Carroll 9-1 and 5-3, while Oklahoma blasted D3 Arkansas with a pair of 10-2 results.

Mercyhurst Picked CHA Coaches' Top Choice For 2012-13 Season
(chawomenshockey.com)

PSU was voted into last place of the six CHA teams by the league's coaches in one of the most pointless exercises in organized sports: the preseason poll. Not surprisingly, the three programs that have played more than one Division I season before were the top three (Mercyhurst, Robert Morris, Syracuse, in that order), followed by Division III national champ RIT and Lindenwood, which began DI play last year.

Two CHA teams have already played exhibition games against a pair of junior teams, with RIT topping the Oakville Hornets 6-1 on Sunday and Mercyhurst blasting the Stoney Creek Junior Sabres 10-1. So hockey season is indeed here for both the men and women, even if it's only Nittany Lion opponents playing games for the time being.

RIT Hockey teams boast high expectations
(Henrietta Post)

In a nice little burst of synergy, here's an article previewing the RIT men and women simultaneously. The women, as just mentioned, are now a conference rival while the men will oppose the Nittany Lions on October 20th at Rochester's Blue Cross Arena.

In still more RIT-related news from last week, their women's team added Shivaun Siegl as an assistant.

David Joyner to Remain Athletic Director Until 2014
(Onward State)

The sooner Penn State gets a qualified athletic director that wasn't handed the job (supposedly on an "acting" or interim basis) without any sort of search process by Ira Lubert and his cronies on the Board of Trustees, the better off the university will be. Apparently, we're deferring "better off" until at least 2014.

Also, it amuses me how people who cite Joe Paterno's influence over Tim Curley as part of what led to The Scandal don't see history repeating itself.



Meet #19 Jill Holdcroft 
(YouTube)

The best women's player to ever come from the State College area highlights this week's set of "meet the women's team" videos. Also: Paige Jahnke, Hannah Hoenshell, Jess Desorcie, Darby Kern and Kate Christoffersen.

News - 2013 CCHA Championship Dates Announced
(ccha.com)

The CCHA, which I'm sure is not the least bit bitter about being torn asunder in the great conference realignment shuffle we started, decided to troll everyone one last time before disappearing. The league scheduled its last-ever championship game for Sunday, March 24th at 2:05 p.m. - roughly three hours after the NCAA Tournament selection show was originally scheduled to air on whichever ESPN channel wasn't already tied up with bass fishing that morning. The selection show will now go on at 9:00 p.m., likely delaying a scheduled airing of Major League 3 on ESPN Classic.

Justin Bieber
(eliteprospects.com)

Fun fact: Biebs has a player page on the best site out there for basic hockey player information and stats (it's always my first destination when the Nittany Lion men get a new commit), thanks to the "doubtful" rumor a couple weeks ago that he was offered a contract by the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors. It has more than 29,000 views, compared to 4,355 for NHL draft pick Max Gardiner.

Okay, the NCAA championship trophy looks a little different now...but would
you rather see Bostons College or University or Minnesota-Duluth here?

NCAA Division I Men's Ice Hockey Championship Trophy
(johnstowntomahawks.com)

Heads up: If you're going to be anywhere near Johnstown on Saturday, the NCAA championship trophy will be on Napoleon Street outside of the Cambria County War Memorial for viewing and photographs as part of the celebration of the Johnstown Tomahawks' first-ever home game.

Take a photo of yourself wearing Penn State gear with the trophy, and you get to be first star in next week's version of this post. I'm completely serious about that.

Psychologist: Some comparing Lindsay case to Sandusky case
(WANE)

I had to close with this, even though it's waaaaay off topic, because the last couple weeks have been a major turning point for my "Matt Lindsay" Google Alert. Much like Joe Battista (also a sanitation worker who committed suicide in New York a couple months back), or Kenny Brooks (also a comedian/YouTube celebrity), Matt Lindsay is a frequent source of false alarms, thanks mostly to a highly-successful high school football coach in Fort Wayne, IN. The synopsis of the news that caused my email to explode is that Lindsay (the football one) was suddenly fired after "large number of inappropriate video clips, none involving nudity" were found on his computer. Since the video clips included high school students, predictably...

...some people drew a natural comparison to the Penn State case and coach Jerry Sandusky. Of course not all of the details are the same, but certainly the role of coaches with their students.

Of course, there were differences beyond the facts of the two cases...

[Psychology professor Justin] Boyce's best advice is to try to withhold judgment until we have all the facts. He said we should give police enough time to investigate it until we form an opinion.

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.