Big Ten Media Day Roundup

Big Ten head coaches Steve Rohlik (Ohio State), Guy Gadowsky (Penn State), Tom Anastos (Michigan State), Red Berenson (Michigan), Don Lucia (Minnesota) and Mike Eaves (Wisconsin)

On Thursday morning, coaches, players, staff and journalists from the Big Ten converged on St. Paul, MN's Xcel Energy Center for the conference's first-ever hockey media day.

The festivities began at about 9:00 a.m. eastern, with the release of the Big Ten's preseason coaches poll and players to watch list (covered separately here). From 10:00, each of the six bench bosses engaged in a ten-minute press conference with the assembled media that was streamed worldwide by Big Ten Network. Guy Gadowsky was up fifth, following Don Lucia (Minnesota), Mike Eaves (Wisconsin), Steve Rohlik (Ohio State) and Tom Anastos (Michigan State) and preceding Red Berenson (Michigan). Rather unsurprisingly, he was peppered with questions about laying the foundation for Division I's newest program, Pegula Ice Arena and the local reception to the program so far - and not about his projected lineup on October 11th.

One of the built-in flaws of the event was its relatively isolated location. Few journalists from Michigan, Ohio or Pennsylvania were willing to make the long and costly trek up to St. Paul for a payoff of, essentially, three hours on a Thursday morning. That left personnel from BTN and Minnesota/Wisconsin outlets to ask a vast majority of the questions. The result, as mentioned, was Gadowsky saying a lot of things we've already heard him say several times.

In any case, the Big Ten published transcripts of Gadowsky's Q-and-A (PDF link) as well as those of the five other coaches, along with a photo gallery and a quick highlight video. BTN also produced video of each session (here's Gadowsky's, with the others easy to locate from the link) and put together an interesting video mashup of comments from the coaches.

Following the press conferences, the representatives of each school (Nate Jensen and Tommy Olczyk were the student-athletes present on behalf of Penn State), as well as league officials coordinator Steve Piotrowski, were available for one-on-one interviews.

Tommy Olczyk (left) and Nate Jensen (right) field questions during the one-on-one session

Here's the best of what came out of media day with an emphasis on the PSU perspective (analysis of how Lucia will replace his pro departures need not apply), as of the end of the day Thursday. The pool of candidates for inclusion was actually much more shallow than expected, so I'll leave the door open for an update to this post should a flood of content present itself on Friday or through the weekend.

Big Ten Hockey Preview
(PSU ComRadio)

Ross Insana produced what, quite simply, is the most comprehensive preview of Penn State's Big Ten opposition out there so far, helped along by things the coaches said at media day.

Big Ten Media Day notes
(The Daily Collegian)

Darian Somers did a good job breaking down what was really a pretty light occasion for PSU-specific news by honing in on the exposure BTN will give Big Ten hockey and also touching on the preseason coaches poll, watch list and trophies.

Gadowsky shares newness at Penn State with Big Ten
(The Daily Collegian)

The Collegian also noted how Gadowsky was left to answer a bunch of "we don't know anything about your team yet so talk about the arena" questions, although the coach admitted to not really knowing what he has in his team either.

Gadowsky looking forward to first Big Ten season
(PennLive)

Greg Pickel is another consistently excellent writer covering Penn State hockey, and his contribution to media day was another article that focused intently on Gadowsky's press conference comments and surrounded them with context.

Big Ten hockey off to a high-profile start
(Wisconsin State Journal)

The notable Andy Baggot from the WSJ (no, the other WSJ) delivered some thoughts on how the Big Ten's event - contrasted with his experience covering the WCHA - indicates that the conference is well on its way to elevating the credibility of college hockey as a whole.

Big Ten Coaches Excited for New Beginning
(College Hockey News)

Many observers noted that "excited" was among the most frequently-used word at media day. CHN's Nate Wells dug into that angle here, showing how the Big Ten has given new purpose to the six conference coaches, from first-year head man Rohlik to occasionally-crusty legend Berenson.

Big Ten hockey begins as sport enters new era
(Associated Press)

So... other than the BTN video interviews that we probably won't see until the first intermission of the PSU-Army broadcast on October 11th, did anyone bother with Olczyk or Jensen during the breakout session? The AP's Dave Campbell did manage to grab a quote from Olczyk for his overview/"spririt of the thing" write-up.

Polls, Players To Watch, What The Coaches Are Saying
(B1G Ice Hockey)

Much like the Collegian, the B1G Ice Hockey Blog presented a nice overview of key stories. One interesting insight from Jessi Pierce: her interpretation of one of Gadowsky's comments as a reaction to Penn State's omission from the preseason players to watch list issued early Thursday morning.

Spartans picked fourth in Big Ten
(Lansing State Journal)

The most significant non-manufactured news to come from media day? Michigan State's announcement that forward Matt Berry and defenseman John Draeger would each miss the next 8-10 weeks for surgery on "lower body injuries." PSU doesn't play the Spartans until January 17th, so it's probably a non-factor in terms of the Nittany Lions, but the absences - particularly leading scorer Berry - certainly won't help MSU rebound from a disappointing 2012-2013.

Three Stars: August 12-18

3. 150 Miles for a Cure...
(Bike MS)

Women's assistant Casey McCullion is once again participating in the 150-mile-long Bike MS City to Shore ride to fight multiple sclerosis, which takes place this year on September 28th and 29th. I'll let her do the talking from here:

I've registered for Bike MS because I want to do something for the people who have been diagnosed, including my friend from Holy Cross (and riding buddy) who lives with MS every day. I want to do everything to prevent more people from learning what it means to live with this disease. Just as I did last year, I am dedicating my ride to him and hope that he will be able to join me (even if it's just for a few training rides)! Today, there is no cure for multiple sclerosis, and with diagnosis occurring most frequently between the ages of 20 and 50, many individuals face a lifetime filled with unpredictability.

She's only $205 away from her fundraising goal... just saying. If you listened to me last time and donated, thank you. If not, please consider it if you're able.

2. @B1GHockey
(Twitter)

Confirming earlier reports, the Big Ten has officially announced its hockey media day:

The site of media day will be Xcel Energy Center which, of course, will also host the inaugural Big Ten tournament from March 20th through 22nd. According to Let's Play Hockey, the event will be held from 9:00 a.m. until noon local time, so 10:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. in the eastern time zone. Interestingly, the NCHC has scheduled its media day elsewhere in the Twin Cities (Minneapolis' Target Center, to be specific) on the same date, in an overlapping window, 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. local. Have fun with that one, actual journalists.

Media day should, in theory, be an interesting glimpse into the type of coverage Penn State can expect from its conference rivals and even its own outlets. However, considering the geographic isolation of the site, the low return on investment for those making the trip from any distance and the nature of PSU hockey coverage to this point, it could wind up being a bunch of Minnesota and Wisconsin writers asking Gadowsky about Pegula Ice Arena. Ain't no such thing as bad publicity, but I'm not expecting to learn anything.

Nittany Lions players involved? Your guess is as good as mine, but one has to think that the letter-bearers (Tommy Olczyk, Nate Jensen and David Glen) are leading candidates, with former Minnesota Golden Gopher and Minnetonka High School product Max Gardiner also receiving strong consideration. Supposedly - I feel like I saw this somewhere, but can't remember where - just one player per team will attend.

1. @D1WomensHockey
(Twitter)

Hey, why not?

Best of the Rest

Flames' hockey to don new jerseys for 2013-14 season
(liberty.edu)

Liberty, the Women's Ice Hockey Club's season-opening opponent on September 27th and 28th, is debuting new uniforms this year. They're nothing spectacular, although they are consistent across all five Flames hockey teams (there's your trivia for the week - LU is the only school to have a team in all five ACHA divisions). The only exception to the previous sentence: the D2 women, D2 men and D3 men will wear the wordmark across the chest (as shown above) while the D1 men and D1 women will have the school's new logo front and center:

Tri-City Storm
(Facebook)

What's Kenny Brooks been up to lately? Glad you asked, because the Tri-City Storm, his junior team, caught up with him recently for a quick interview.

Waterloo Black Hawks’ Coach On Islanders’ 2013 Picks
(CBS New York)

I haven't been at this New York Islanders thing long, but WFAN's Daniel Friedman is easily my favorite guy covering the team to this point. He was one of the only people offering anything of substance from the team's development camp last month and now, he's scored an interview with P.K. O'Handley, who coached two 2013 Isles draft picks - Eamon McAdam and Taylor Cammarata - with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks last year.

O'Handley, unfortunately, fell a little flat on his end, giving mostly useless replies. Compare McAdam to an NHL goalie? "He’s a big mobile goalie. I think you could make a comparison to quite a few." How did he stack up in the rotation with Cal Petersen last season? "McAdam was the veteran. It was a unique situation with two draft-eligible goalies. I thought McAdam was good and was rewarded by being drafted." Keep up the good work Mr. Friedman, all you can do is ask the questions.

NTDP Defenseman McAvoy Commits to Boston University
(Western College Hockey Blog)

Long Island native Charlie McAvoy, recently picked for the National Team Development Program U17s, visited Penn State at one point but has opted for Boston University. The 1997-born offensive defenseman will likely join the Terriers in 2015.

UNO hockey trio accused of starting fight with racial slurs
(Omaha World-Herald)

Fun fact: Nebraska-Omaha used to be my favorite NCAA Division I program. So, uh, thanks again Terry.

The essentials of this story (file it all under "allegedly" so I don't have to insert the word in every sentence): On August 3rd, Maverick players Matt White, Alex Simonson and Preston Hodge were involved in a racially-charged altercation outside of an Omaha bar with "a small group of African-Americans" that began with "racial slurs and epithets." Hodge then began pushing a man named Lamar Triplett (who is black, but apparently was not part of the original group and was just walking through the wrong place at the wrong time), and Triplett responded by Derek Boogaarding him. White also threw a punch at Triplett and missed, while Simonson stepped in with the bar parking lot fight equivalent of face washing - shoving other members of Triplett's party.

UNO reacted swiftly, dismissing White and Hodge from the team and revoking their scholarships. Hodge, a freshman defenseman, had yet to suit up for the Mavs, but White is a particularly tough blow to the team as a co-captain and close to a point-per-game player for his career. Senior defenseman Simonson, apparently the least involved of the three, has been suspended pending further investigation. Court appearances for all three and Triplett on their disorderly conduct citations are scheduled for September.

@MiHockeyNow
(Twitter)

Michigan coach Red Berenson, for the record, is 73 years old. The photo above was taken at UM's alumni game a couple weeks ago.

NCHC to Use Shootout in Regular Season Contests
(NCHC)

I'd love to make fun of the fact that the NCHC will be using shootouts, but the Big Ten is using them too, so that's off.

Honestly though, it's not the worst thing ever in my opinion. Shootout games will count as ties for national purposes, most notably, the PairWise Rankings and NCAA Tournament selection, with the extra points awarded to shootout winners only applying towards the conference standings. I suppose that opens the door for someone to win a regular season title over someone else due to being better at shootouts, but how often will that actually happen? The price might be worth having a winner and a loser for every game, as artificial as it may be.

In other, more anticlimactic NCHC news, the new conference has officially been recognized and awarded a tournament autobid by the NCAA.

At World Junior camp, Big Ten had a big representation
(USCHO)

Nine of the 31 players surviving to the end of the recent World Junior Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid, NY go to Michigan, Minnesota or Wisconsin. That bodes well for the size of the Big Ten's delegation to Team USA for this season's World Junior Championships.

Details announced about Frozen Frontier hockey event
(WHEC)

CHA rival RIT is the latest college program to get in on outdoor hockey, as the Tiger women will play Clarkson at Rochester's Frontier Field (normally home to the Rochester Red Wings of minor league baseball) on December 14th. RIT's men, who also play Penn State in 2013-2014, will cap the doubleheader against Niagara that evening.

An AHL game between the Terry Pegula-owned Rochester Americans and the Lake Erie Monsters on December 13th is both the launch point and the centerpiece of the ten-day Frozen Frontier festival.

Penn State Ranks 19th in Merchandise Royalties
(Onward State)

PSU's Collegiate Licensing Company merch ranking is 19th this year. That's down from 12th last year, but all things considered, not too bad. Now if only the idiots out there could stop celebrating the drop because they think it scores points in their crusade against Rodney Erickson and the Board of Trustees.

I'll be honest: I'm not ready for this anyway

Maryland's move to Big Ten at a cost of tens of millions
(CBS Sports)

Can we all agree to stop dropping Maryland as a potential NCAA hockey candidate for a while? They're bleeding, rather profusely. Even accounting for the Big Ten's rather large checks soon to be headed their way, it's going to take them a bit to get to the point where hockey will even be on the table.

Anything's possible with a billionaire in your corner? I suppose, but at the same time, Penn State's athletic department was completely healthy and turning a profit in 2010. If 2013 Maryland fell into $102 million, they would probably want to do something other than build a hockey rink with it. Just saying.

Code of Conduct Violation Grounds KSU for 2013-14
(HockeyYall.com)

Back in 2005, Georgia school Kennesaw State almost had NCAA Division I hockey. Seriously. However, there's quite a bit of distance between then and now, as the still-ACHA Division 3 Owls have been suspended for the 2013-2014 season due to "misbehavior involving alcohol" at the D3 national tournament last season.

Wisconsin Recruit Dvorak to Sign with London of OHL
(Western College Hockey Blog)

As far as I can tell, it's sort of against the college hockey code to laugh when major junior poaches a recruit from a rival - it's a problem we all face together, and your school could easily be next. Nevertheless... hahahahahaha.

The recruit in question here is ex-future Wisconsin Badger Christian Dvorak. He's a 1996-born, 2014 NHL Draft eligible who played midget major for the Chicago Mission AAA last year. Instead of going to UDubs in 2014 as originally planned, Dvorak will sign with the OHL's London Knights (incidentally, the team that holds Eamon McAdam's CHL rights) and leave the Badgers extremely shorthanded at forward. Which is fine by me, since PSU might have needed Thomas Welsh to defend against him.

Pegula Ice Arena - Interior
(oxblue.com)

Let's close this out with a quick check on the first-ever ice building process at the arena, which began on Friday.

Workers have been on the floor each day since then as well, resulting in the above photo from 11:28 Sunday night. With a couple layers down, the familiar white color will follow early this week, with more layers and markings after that. And then, in a couple days, a playing surface for hockey games. Cool.

The Show on the Road

Here are three things I know to be true:

1. Tickets for the inaugural season at Pegula Ice Arena are in high demand, with men's season tickets and student sales not leaving too much behind for single-game availability.
2. Penn Staters are everywhere, and sometimes "everywhere" isn't particularly convenient to State College. I, for example, live closer to eleven 2013-2014 Nittany Lions away games than I do to Hockey Valley.
3. Many people like to travel and learn about unfamiliar people, places and things.

With those in mind, I've collected as much information as I could find about tickets to PSU's away games this year. Sure, the secondary market (StubHub and eBay, most notably) is always an option - one you may have to pursue if you want to see that shimmering arena and didn't get season tickets - but why pay the markup for an away game if you can get in on the primary market?

In some ways, this post isn't ripe yet, as several schools have not announced sale dates or prices for single-game tickets. But at the same time, several others are already or about to be on sale (Robert Morris men and women, RIT women, Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff and Big Ten Tournament), so delay would be harmful in those cases. Therefore, the plan is to update this post and re-circulate it as appropriate.

Tickets to see Matt Skoff and the men's team play at Wisconsin will be available September 24th

Men

Air Force When: Oct. 18 and 19 Where: Cadet Ice Arena; Colorado Springs, CO On-sale date: Early Oct. Athletics website: goairforcefalcons.com Ticket office phone: (719) 472-1895 Ticket office email: afa.tickets@airforceathletics.org 2012-13 attendance: 2,220 (2,470)	Vermont When: Oct. 26 Where: Wells Fargo Center, Philadelphia On-sale date: Available now Prices: $40, $25, $20, $15, $12, $10 Link to purchase Ticket office phone: (800) 298-4200 Ticket office email: customerservice@neweratickets.com 2012-13 attendance: 19,529 (19,529)
Robert Morris When: Nov. 1 Where: 84 Lumber Arena, Neville Twp. On-sale date: Available now Prices: $12, $10, $5 Link to purchase Athletics website: rmucolonials.com Ticket office phone: (412) 397-4949 Ticket office email: athleticticketing@rmu.edu 2012-13 attendance: 858 (1,100)	Wisconsin When: Dec. 6 and 7 Where: Kohl Center; Madison, WI On-sale date: Sept. 24 Prices: $24, $20 Athletics website: uwbadgers.com Ticket office phone: (800) GO BADGERS Ticket office email: tickets@uwbadgers.com 2012-13 attendance: 9,521 (15,237)
Three Rivers Classic When: Dec. 27 and 28 Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh On-sale date: Not yet announced Prices: $55-$25 (last year) Ticket office phone: (800) 745-3000 2012-13 attendance: 11,230 (18,387)	Michigan State When: Jan. 17 and 18, 2014 Where: Munn Arena; East Lansing, MI On-sale date: Oct. 1 Prices: $22, $20, $10 Athletics website: msuspartans.com Ticket office phone: (800) GO STATE Ticket office email: tickets@msu.edu 2012-13 Attendance: 5,869 (6,470)
Ohio State When: Jan. 31 and Feb. 1, 2014 Where: Value City Arena; Columbus, OH On-sale date: Not yet announced Prices: $13, $10 (last year) Athletics website: ohiostatebuckeyes.com Ticket office phone: (800) GOBUCKS Ticket office email: AthleticSales@osu.edu 2012-13 attendance: 4,004 (17,500)	Michigan When: Feb. 21 and 22, 2014 Where: Yost Ice Arena; Ann Arbor, MI On-sale date: Not yet announced Athletics website: mgoblue.com Ticket office phone: (866) 296-MTIX Ticket office email: mtickets@umich.edu 2012-13 attendance: 5,357 (6,637)
Minnesota When: Feb. 28 and Mar. 1, 2014 Where: Mariucci Arena; Minneapolis, MN On-sale date: Not yet announced Athletics website: gophersports.com Ticket office phone: (800) 846-7437 Ticket office email: fans@gopherfanrelations.com 2012-13 attendance: 9,950 (10,000)	Big Ten Tournament When: Mar. 20 through 22, 2014 Where: Xcel Energy Center; St. Paul, MN On-sale date: Available now* Prices: $160, $130, $80 (five games) Link to purchase Ticket office phone: (800) 745-3000 * all-session passes are available now, single-game availability is still TBA

On September 23rd, tickets to see Shannon Yoxheimer and the women open at Vermont go on sale

Women

Vermont When: Oct. 4 and 5 Where: Gutterson Fieldhouse; Burlington, VT On-sale date: Sept. 23 Prices: $5, $3, free (2 and under) Athletics website: uvmathletics.com Ticket office phone: (802) 656-4410 Ticket office email: athletic.tickets@uvm.edu 2012-13 attendance: 348 (4,035)	Quinnipiac When: Oct. 11 and 12 Where: TD Bank Center; Hamden, CT On-sale date: Oct. 1 Athletics website: quinnipiacbobcats.com Ticket office phone: (203) 582-3905 Ticket office email: tickets@quinnipiac.edu 2012-13 attendance: 310 (3,084)
RIT When: Nov. 15 and 16 Where: Ritter Arena; Henrietta, NY On-sale date: Aug. 20 Prices: $5, $3, free (5 and under) Link to purchase Athletics website: ritathletics.com Ticket office phone: (585) 475-4121 Ticket office email: jazgfh@rit.edu 2012-13 attendance: 650 (2,100)	Lindenwood When: Nov. 22 and 23 Where: LU Ice Arena; Wentzville, MO Prices: $5, $3 Tickets only available at the door on game day Athletics website: lindenwoodlions.com 2012-13 attendance: 113 (1,000)
Mercyhurst When: Dec. 6 and 7 Where: Mercyhurst Ice Arena, Erie Prices: $5, $3 Tickets only available at the door on game day Athletics website: hurstathletics.com 2012-13 attendance: 574 (1,300)	Ohio State When: Jan. 3 and 4, 2014 Where: OSU Ice Rink; Columbus, OH Free admission Athletics website: ohiostatebuckeyes.com 2012-13 attendance: 326 (1,200)
Syracuse When: Jan. 24 and 25, 2014 Where: Tennity Ice Skating Pavilion; Syracuse, NY Free admission Athletics website: suathletics.com 2012-13 attendance: 164 (350)	Princeton When: Jan. 28th, 2014 Where: Hobey Baker Rink; Princeton, NJ Free admission Athletics website: goprincetontigers.com 2012-13 attendance: 167 (2,100)
Robert Morris When: Feb. 21 and 22, 2014 Where: 84 Lumber Arena, Neville Twp. On-sale date: Available now Prices: $10, $5 Link to purchase Athletics website: rmucolonials.com Ticket office phone: (412) 397-4949 Ticket office email: athleticticketing@rmu.edu 2012-13 attendance: 170 (1,100)

2013-14 Big Ten Schedule Released

PSU's Luke Juha and OSU's Ryan Dzingel will continue their feud with conference points on the line

The Big Ten has unveiled the conference schedule for its inaugural hockey season in 2013-2014. The entire list of 60 games is available through the league website, but let's dive right into the 20 that include Penn State, ten of which represent the first Big Ten season in Pegula Ice Arena history.

Date	Opponent	Location
Fri., Dec. 6	at Wisconsin	Kohl Center // Madison, WI
Sat., Dec. 7	at Wisconsin	Kohl Center // Madison, WI
Sun., Jan. 12	Minnesota	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Mon., Jan. 13	Minnesota	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Jan. 17	at Michigan State	Munn Ice Arena // East Lansing, MI
Sat., Jan. 18	at Michigan State	Munn Ice Arena // East Lansing, MI
Fri., Jan. 31	at Ohio State	Value City Arena // Columbus, OH
Sat., Feb. 1	at Ohio State	Value City Arena // Columbus, OH
Fri., Feb. 7	Michigan	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Feb. 8	Michigan	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Feb. 14	Michigan State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Feb. 15	Michigan State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Feb. 21	at Michigan	Yost Ice Arena // Ann Arbor, MI
Sat., Feb. 22	at Michigan	Yost Ice Arena // Ann Arbor, MI
Fri., Feb. 28	at Minnesota	Mariucci Arena // Minneapolis, MN
Sat., Mar. 1	at Minnesota	Mariucci Arena // Minneapolis, MN
Fri., Mar. 7	Wisconsin	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Mar. 8	Wisconsin	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Mar. 14	Ohio State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Mar. 15	Ohio State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA

As was already known, the conference tournament will take place March 20th through 22nd at St. Paul, MN's Xcel Energy Center. All six teams will qualify for the single-elimination event, with the third through sixth seeds playing each other on the first day for the right to meet the top two seeds in the semifinals.

Game times and television information will follow at a later date (suffice it to say that those two things are pretty intertwined with one another) and it's certainly possible that dates could be adjusted to accommodate BTN as well. It is, however, worth pointing out that the Minnesota home series, the first conference games at Pegula Ice Arena, is on a Sunday and Monday, making it a likely candidate for the primetime treatment.

The Big Ten schedule joins press-release-official non-conference games on October 11th against Army to open Pegula Ice Arena, October 26th in the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff versus Vermont and the second Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh on December 27th and 28th with Boston College, Robert Morris and Bowling Green. Others, including games with Union, RIT, Air Force, RMU and UMass-Lowell, range from "rumor" to "confirmed, just without a date." As usual, refer to the schedule page for the full scope of what is known so far.

Admittedly, it's a little difficult to project highlights for the simple reason that we don't yet know which of the five Big Ten opponents are of the most interest to Penn Staters from a hockey standpoint. But right away and contingent on the rivalry carrying over from other sports, it's probably fair to circle that home series against Ohio State on March 14th and 15th. If only because of football, geography and the tidy ability to pair off the Big Ten as Minnesota-Wisconsin, Michigan-Michigan State and Penn State-Ohio State, the Buckeyes will probably have first dibs as PSU's biggest rival, unless the games force things in a different direction. And who knows, given that it's the last weekend of the regular season, conference tournament seeding could be in play.

Minnesota, which has been the most successful of the super six over the last couple of years with a pair of WCHA regular season championships, a pair of NCAA Tournament bids and a Frozen Four appearance in 2012, probably is known enough as a hockey school to the mainstream crowd to generate a great atmosphere to initiate Big Ten hockey at the PIA on January 12th and 13th, in spite of the non-traditional Sunday-Monday setup. While the Gophers lost several stars to the pros, mammoth Nick Bjugstad, Erik Haula and Zach Budish among them, the always-stacked program still has their pipeline flowing with marquee recruits including centers Taylor Cammarata and Justin Kloos, who played alongside PSU newcomer Eamon McAdam with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks. Electric National Team Development Program product Hudson Fasching - remember, we saw the NTDP at the Ice Pavilion back in January - will also join the team.

Storied Yost Ice Arena - the team that plays there is okay too, I hear

Without a doubt, the games at Michigan's Yost Ice Arena - arguably the most noted of college hockey's classic barns - on February 21st and 22nd are ones to circle as well. Contrary to what some may tell you, it won't be Penn State hockey's first time there, but the nine-time national champion Wolverines are obviously a slightly different animal than Eastern Michigan's Eagles. Michigan will be well positioned to bounce back from missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990, as incoming NTDP forwards J.T. Compher, Tyler Motte and Evan Allen complement a roster that hopes to successfully replace departures Jacob Trouba and Jon Merrill on the back end.

The games against Minnesota and Michigan will open those respective series for the Nittany Lions. PSU played, and beat, of course, each of Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State this past season, going 3-2-0 in all against the now-conference foes.

Three Stars: April 1-7

3. Men's Hockey Announces 2012-13 Team Awards
(gopsusports.com)

Team MVP and Freshman of the Year: David Glen. Top Scorer: Casey Bailey. Top Defenseman: Nate Jensen. Player's Player: Connor Varley. Top Student-Athlete: Tommy Olczyk. There, saved you a click.

2. Keystone State of Mind
(College Hockey News)

Ahead of the Pittsburgh Frozen Four this weekend, CHN wrote a love letter to the growth of hockey in Pennsylvania, which includes plenty on Penn State, including quotes from Guy Gadowsky on his issues going out to eat during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. It also tossed in a...

More than 12,000 fans flooded the gates both days to see Penn State hockey play in Pittsburgh for the first time. (emphasis added)

...which bothers me a little (pretty sure "Penn State hockey" has played in Pittsburgh numerous times before). Unlike some people I could name, I'll assume the writer in this case meant well, so I'll overlook the error when scoring the piece as a whole.

1. Pegula Ice Arena Virtual Tour
(YouTube)

Another pretty easy call for top star honors, because after all, gotta squeeze things like this in before the actual arena makes them obsolete (and it's pretty close to doing so). How could one not be pumped after watching that... right, commenter Ryan Progin?

I think the arena is disappointing.

Oh, okay.

Best of the Rest

Prisuta on Pucks: Wait 'Til Next Year
(rmucolonials.com)

From the not-at-all-surprising department, the agreement for Robert Morris' stand-alone game at the Ice Pavilion this past December included a return trip for 2013-2014.

Next season’s [Colonials'] non-conference schedule will include two games at Lake Superior, a home-and-home series against Ohio State, a home game against Penn State and the second annual Three Rivers Classic at CONSOL Energy Center (Boston College, Bowling Green, RMU and Penn State).

Of course, we know that we're getting two home and two away against each of the other five Big Tenners, a total of 20 games. The Three Rivers Classic has been public knowledge for quite some time. There will be single home games with Army (the PIA opener) and RIT, a home series with Union and one at Air Force (all of which make sense, as each reciprocates a piece of the 2012-2013 schedule). All in all, that's 29 games against the NCAA limit of 34, so we're fairly close to knowing all of the opponents, although exempt games - Canadian exhibitions, trips to Alaska or contests with the National Team Development Program to cite three common examples - probably will push our game total over 34.

Shane Conlan: Probably salty about the weekend's hockey scores.

Miller's OT-winner advances Fighting Falcons over Tomahawks
(nahl.com)

In a story that touches two favorite topics of TYT - future Nittany Lions and the Johnstown Tomahawks - incoming forward Rick DeRosa played a key role in ending the inaugural season of Central PA's NAHL entry in a winner-take-all first-round game three Sunday afternoon. The Tomahawks led DeRosa's Port Huron Fighting Falcons 3-1 with 7:01 left in regulation until the Aston, PA native deflected a power play shot home. He then assisted on a back-door play to tie the game with the Falcons just 35 seconds from elimination, allowing Ian Miller to pot the overtime winner. Port Huron will begin a North Division semifinal series against Soo on Friday.

The vanquished Tomahawks, who ended up with a 27-21-12 record and a fifth-place North Division finish, count PSU football legends Shane Conlan and Jack Ham as part of their ownership group.

Jensen has the ‘heart of a lion’
(redwingscentral.com)

Need a rooting interest for the Frozen Four? You could do a lot worse than St. Cloud State, which features Nate Jensen's cousin Nick, himself an outstanding defenseman. SCSU, as you should know by now, also had former Icers coach and new athletic operations special assistant Morris Kurtz as its athletic director for 27 years.

Of course, there's that whole NCHC thing, so if you go with Quinnipiac, Yale or UMass-Lowell (or all three, for that matter), I won't blame you.

Saad’s maturity growing fast with Hawks teammates
(Chicago Daily Herald)

Brother of George is having a Calder Trophy-worthy season with the Chicago Blackhawks and earned this fun feature that includes shoutouts to both big brother and Tommy Olczyk.

'Blame me,' Lucia tells fans upset with Gophers' early NCAA exit
(Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Time for the "troll the Big Ten" portion of the post. In an annual Minnesota tradition, Gopher fans are all whiny about a great season (a 26-9-5 record, a WCHA regular season co-championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance in this case) and want coach Don Lucia fired. Because SURELY, if the flagship program in the State of Hockey wasn't run by a total idiot, nobody would ever... zzzzzz. Lucia, to his credit, is trying to go Mike Gundy and deflect the heat from the college kids. COME AFTER ME! I'M A MAN! I'M 40!



Bucky's no-shows: An end-of-season update on Badgers ticket usage
(The Capital Times)

Apparently nobody cares about Wisconsin hockey enough to show up anymore. While their announced crowds (tickets sold) averaged 9,521 for the season, and ultimately, that's what counts since it drives revenues...

Men's hockey (6,996)...posted the lowest average actual attendance figure [based on tickets scanned] for their sports in the seven years of data kept by the athletic department.

Ouch. The Nittany Lions' game in Madison on February 25th - PSU won that game, because yeah, I'm going to slide that in - was a primary culprit with an announced crowd of 9,078 but an actual crowd of 5,338. This data, by the way, was obtained through an open records request, since public universities that aren't Penn State have to comply with those.

Jets sign collegiate defenceman Jacob Trouba to contract
(The Globe and Mail)

Michigan blueliner Jacob Trouba went pro after a single season in Ann Arbor, declining to join a long list of star Wolverines players who have left college with a degree, like... ummmm... eh, nevermind.

@Billy_Downey
(Twitter)

Just to end this thing on a positive note...

Nice.

Three Stars: March 25-31

3. East Shore athlete of the week: Hershey's Luk Devorski
(pennlive.com)

A rare bit of Commonwealth Campus recruiting news: Luk Devorski, who just captained Hershey High to the Bears Cup title, plans to play hockey at PSU-Altoona next year. Devorski is the son of NHL referee Paul Devorski, which means that between Luk Devorski and Steph Walkom on the NCAA women's team, Penn State has clearly tapped the abundant "kids of NHL referees" pipeline.

2. PSU Hockey lands '14 James Robinson
(Lions 247)

James Robinson, our newest NCAA commit, gets the Dzurita - and apparently, he decided to go to Penn State without ever visiting campus. Here's Robinson on how that's possible:

“When I met with both [Coach Gadowsky and Coach Fisher] in person, they really stressed the academics of the school and how good it was. A combination of that and Coach Gadowsky’s track record making weaker teams into stronger teams helped out. His resume really did it for me.”

Score another for people over buildings. Just saying.

1. Coach Josh Brandwene returns to alma mater for historic season
(Daily Collegian)

Great subject matter meets great writing in this extended feature. Read and enjoy.

Best of the Rest

@Rob_Gsinger25
(Twitter)

While I have yet to be invited on a Pegula Ice Arena tour - I'm not exactly well-liked by administration if you haven't heard - I have no problem acknowledging when a guy like Rob Greissinger does a good job documenting things, as he did on Friday. And yes, for the 85th time, seats.

College hockey is enjoying a renaissance on eve of conference shuffle
(triblive.com)

Guy Gadowsky is quoted in this article, and although I wouldn't exactly file it under "breaking news," it's still a nice look at what has been a surge in popularity for college puck ahead of the Pittsburgh-hosted Frozen Four next weekend. Whatever you think of the imminent changes, there's very little doubt that as of April 1, 2013, the game is as healthy as it's ever been - and that's really exciting.

But then, this:

Jennifer Heppel, Big Ten associate commissioner for governance, said that unlike realignment in football and basketball, money was not the motivation.

Hahahahahahahahaha.... okay.

Reliving the 'Miracle on Ice' with 1980 USA Olympic Hockey Team Captain Mike Eruzione
(statecollege.com)

Here's Joe Battista on the Miracle on Ice, since Mike Eruzione is speaking at Penn State on April 10th... hockey players talk about "living the dream" a lot, but Eruzione has to be the final word on it. Have one good game, make a living talking about it 33 years after the fact. No disrespect meant of course, he's earned it obviously... although it has to be said that Mark Johnson chose a slightly different route.

@CornellWAFT
(Twitter)

Far more of a powerhouse than the number one overall seed in the NCAA Tournament this year and a Frozen Four participant? Coming from the guy who picked Wisconsin (which lost 6-1 in their opening game) to win the national championship? Eh... I'll still take it.

Michigan Hockey's Unprecedented NCAA Streak Ends. What's Next?
(Maize 'n Brew)

I don't hate Michigan as much as most Penn Staters - the lifelong Ohioan thing probably as something to do with it - so seeing their side... well... kind of okay about seeing their 22-year streak of NCAA Tournament appearances end this year doesn't bother me. I suppose we have to start knowing the other Big Ten teams almost as well as we know our own, and this look at the program heading into the offseason is as good of a place as any to start with the Wolverines.

Chase Berger: Captain, Leader, Legend

Berger sticks around to captain Challenge Cup title team
(stltoday.com)

PSU commit Chase Berger was named the St. Louis Post-Dispatch's All-Metro Player of the Year after leading Saint Louis University High School to the Challenge Cup, the Mid-States Club Hockey Association's championship trophy. It was the first title in SLUH history, won after Berger delayed his entry to the USHL with the Tri-City Storm (who drafted him in the 2011 USHL Entry Draft) to take one last shot at it.

Hawkeyes Hockey Begins Women’s Hockey Team
(hawkeyeshockey.net)

Iowa is starting a non-varsity women's hockey team with plans to join the ACHA by the 2014-2015 season... and elected to illustrate the news with a photo of Hannah Hoenshell against Lindenwood at the Ice Pavilion.

Spartan hockey: Rebuilding takes 4-5 years, coach says
(Lansing State Journal)

Michigan State coach Tom Anastos lays out his rebuilding plan for the Spartans, notable from a Penn State perspective because the Big Ten is apparently terrible (a good MSU would help fix that) and also because Anastos says that next year's league schedule is "not yet finalized," as the slates for non-Big Ten teams have begun to trickle out.

As a reminder, until we have a full schedule, I'm trying to assemble as much of it as I can here.

George Gwozdecky to Leave DU Hockey Bench
(denverpioneers.com)

And finally: after 19 years, 443 wins and two national championships, George Gwozdecky - once given the Head Coach Candidate treatment on this blog back in 2010 - is done at Denver.

Fake Big Ten Standings III

Michigan claimed the first and only Fake Big Ten title with a 4-0-0 stretch run, including a win over archrival Michigan State at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena on February 2nd. Photo: MGoBlue.com

Michigan probably won't win any actual trophies this season, but they will always be able to claim a title in the only season of the Fake Big Ten, 2012-2013. The Wolverines used a late-season 4-0-0 surge against Michigan State and Ohio State to edge out Minnesota, whose loss to Wisconsin on February 17th in the outdoor Hockey City Classic at Chicago's Soldier Field proved fatal.

Unfortunately for the maize-and-blue, they don't get an autobid to the NCAA tournament for winning the Fake Big Ten - in that sense, the Gophers get the last laugh as the only future Big Tenner likely to earn the right to play for a (real) national championship.

Penn State finished third, a result just as stunning as the 3-2 overtime win at Wisconsin Monday in the final game of the season for both the Nittany Lions and the Fake Big Ten that clinched a top-half placement (only NCAA Division I games are counted in PSU's overall numbers, by the way). The Badgers were Holstromed into fourth, while Ohio State dropped to fifth after being swept by Michigan over the weekend. Michigan State... well, at least this doesn't count for anything.

Obviously, this isn't a perfect way to look at things by any stretch of the imagination, although generally, teams did grab a decent sample of games against future Big Ten rivals this season. Minnesota-Wisconsin and Michigan-Michigan State-Ohio State games are ensured by present conference arrangements, of course. However MSU, to their credit, also scheduled Penn State and Minnesota, only missing Wisconsin. Independent PSU worked in those games against the Spartans, as well as the Buckeyes and Badgers. OSU played three of the five, with CCHA opponent Michigan joining the Nittany Lions and Spartans. Minnesota (Wisconsin, Michigan), Michigan (Michigan State, Ohio State) and Wisconsin (Minnesota, Penn State) hit two.

Here are the final standings:

	Conference				Overall
	W-L-T	Pts.	Pct.	GF-GA	W-L-T	GF-GA
Michigan	6-1-0	12	0.857	31-20	12-18-2	99-115
Minnesota	4-1-1	9	0.750	22-10	21-6-5	117-64
Penn State	3-2-0	6	0.600	14-18	11-12-0	64-72
Wisconsin	2-3-1	5	0.417	15-13	14-11-7	75-65
Ohio State	2-3-0	4	0.400	14-17	13-14-7	81-82
Michigan State	2-9-0	4	0.182	24-42	10-21-3	72-94

Conference Results

October 12: Michigan State 1 at Minnesota 5 [box score]
October 13: Michigan State 1 at Minnesota 7 [box score]
November 9: Michigan State 1 at Michigan 5 [box score]
November 10: Michigan 2 at Michigan State 7 [box score]
November 16: Wisconsin 2 at Minnesota 2 [box score]
November 17: Wisconsin 1 at Minnesota 3 [box score]
November 30: Ohio State 1 at Michigan State 0 [box score]
December 1: Ohio State 3 at Michigan State 1 [box score]
December 29: Penn State 5 vs. Ohio State 4 (Pittsburgh, PA) [box score]
December 30: Michigan State 2 vs. Michigan 5 (Detroit, MI) [box score]
January 25: Penn State 3 at Michigan State 5 [box score]
January 26: Penn State 3 at Michigan State 2 [box score]
February 1: Michigan State 2 at Michigan 3 [box score]
February 2: Michigan State 2 vs. Michigan 5 (Detroit, MI) [box score]
February 15: Minnesota 3 at Wisconsin 2 [box score]
February 17: Minnesota 2 vs. Wisconsin 3 (Chicago, IL) [box score]
February 22: Michigan 5 at Ohio State 3 [box score]
February 23: Michigan 6 at Ohio State 3 [box score]
February 24: Penn State 0 at Wisconsin 5 [box score]
February 25: Penn State 3 at Wisconsin 2 (OT) [box score]

Fake Big Ten Standings II

Luke Juha and the Penn State defense neutralized Ohio State star Ryan Dzingel just enough to take over first place in the Fake Big Ten. Photo: Steve Manuel/GoPSUSports.com

Even though the Fake Big Ten Standings was initially intended as a lazy throwaway post, the first installment was actually pretty popular, so I'm offering this update, to be followed by others at the end of January and February. Hey, why not?

Just to restate my idiot-repelling caveat, I know that this is in no way legitimate. That's why it's the Fake Big Ten. The major flaw, of course, is the current conference alignment. With three future Big Ten schools in the CCHA, two in the WCHA and independent Penn State, teams generally don't play anything resembling a true Big Ten schedule, or even one that can be compared to other future conference rivals for any reason beyond novelty.

The Fake Big Ten received a nice boost over the weekend when Penn State and Ohio State ended up playing each other at the Three Rivers Classic, while Michigan and Michigan State met in the Great Lakes Invitational (neither matchup was guaranteed going into the tournaments). Because I'm still high on hubris from the Nittany Lions' victory over OSU, let's rank teams by points percentage. Speaking of PSU, I only included NCAA Division I games in the overall mark - it just didn't feel right including wins over the likes of DIII Fredonia for something like this, not when Minnesota is obliterating Boston College in their out-of-conference games.

	Conference				Overall
	W-L-T	Pts.	Pct.	GF-GA	W-L-T	GF-GA
Penn State	1-0-0	2	1.000	5-4	6-8-0	39-45
Minnesota	3-0-1	7	0.875	17-5	13-3-3	69-35
Ohio State	2-1-0	4	0.667	8-6	7-8-5	39-41
Michigan	2-1-0	4	0.667	12-10	7-10-2	55-63
Wisconsin	0-1-1	1	0.250	3-5	4-7-5	35-36
Michigan State	1-6-0	2	0.143	13-28	5-11-3	40-54

Conference Results

October 12: Michigan State 1 at Minnesota 5 [box score]
October 13: Michigan State 1 at Minnesota 7 [box score]
November 9: Michigan State 1 at Michigan 5 [box score]
November 10: Michigan 2 at Michigan State 7 [box score]
November 16: Wisconsin 2 at Minnesota 2 [box score]
November 17: Wisconsin 1 at Minnesota 3 [box score]
November 30: Ohio State 1 at Michigan State 0 [box score]
December 1: Ohio State 3 at Michigan State 1 [box score]
December 29: Penn State 5 vs. Ohio State 4 (Pittsburgh, PA) [box score]
December 30: Michigan State 2 vs. Michigan 5 (Detroit, MI) [box score]

Conference Games Remaining

January 25: Penn State at Michigan State
January 26: Penn State at Michigan State
February 1: Michigan State at Michigan
February 2: Michigan State vs. Michigan (Detroit, MI)
February 15: Minnesota at Wisconsin
February 17: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (Chicago, IL)
February 22: Michigan at Ohio State
February 23: Michigan at Ohio State
February 24: Penn State at Wisconsin
February 25: Penn State at Wisconsin

Fake Big Ten Standings

Tom Serratore and Minnesota held off Lee Reimer and Michigan State in a key early-season series.

Just because it's the laziest post I could conjure up for Sunday Funday, here's a look at the Fake Big Ten standings so far this year, through the games of Saturday night.

The major flaw in looking at this, of course, is the current conference alignment. With three future Big Ten schools in the CCHA, two in the WCHA and independent Penn State, teams generally don't play anything resembling a true Big Ten schedule, or even one that can be compared to other future conference rivals for any reason beyond novelty. But hey, that's why this is the Fake Big Ten.

Still, it should be said that Michigan State will play every Big Ten opponent but Wisconsin, while Penn State and Ohio State could end up playing at least three of the five (if PSU and OSU meet at the Three Rivers Classic). Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin will each get two opponents in.

                ----Conference----   -----Overall-----
                W-L-T  Pts.  GF-GA   W-L-T  Pts.  GF-GA
Minnesota       3-0-1    7   17- 5   7-2-2   16   36-21
Michigan        1-1-0    2    7- 8   4-6-1    9   40-39
Michigan State  1-3-0    2   10-19   4-6-2   10   30-35 
Wisconsin       0-1-1    1    3- 5   1-5-2    4   14-21
Penn State      0-0-0    0    0- 0   6-3-0   12   30-22
Ohio State      0-0-0    0    0- 0   4-3-3   11   19-21

Conference Results

October 12: Michigan State 1 at Minnesota 5 [box score]
October 13: Michigan State 1 at Minnesota 7 [box score]
November 9: Michigan State 1 at Michigan 5 [box score]
November 10: Michigan 2 at Michigan State 7 [box score]
November 16: Wisconsin 2 at Minnesota 2 [box score]
November 17: Wisconsin 1 at Minnesota 3 [box score]

Conference Games Remaining

November 30: Ohio State at Michigan State
December 1: Ohio State at Michigan State
December 29: Penn State vs. Ohio State (Pittsburgh, PA)*
December 30: Michigan State vs. Michigan (Detroit, MI)*
January 25: Penn State at Michigan State
January 26: Penn State at Michigan State
February 1: Michigan State at Michigan
February 2: Michigan State vs. Michigan (Detroit, MI)
February 15: Minnesota at Wisconsin
February 17: Minnesota vs. Wisconsin (Chicago, IL)
February 22: Michigan at Ohio State
February 23: Michigan at Ohio State
February 24: Penn State at Wisconsin
February 25: Penn State at Wisconsin

* Tentative, conditional on in-season tournament results.