Three Stars: July 23-29

3. @PegulaVille
(Twitter)

PegulaVille
(Facebook)

Just so you can't accuse me of not keeping you informed, there is something resembling an effort to get students to camp out for hockey games. I say "something resembling" because so far, it's just a Twitter account and a Facebook page begging for attention from Penn State and hockey-related people. That list didn't include me, so score one for Goon's World and the "nobody reads TYT" argument, I guess. On Twitter, I did retweet and follow the guy anyway, and got a follow back. So basically, we're boys now, I guess. Just to be clear, despite where I'm about to go, this or any student-initiated effort to promote interest in hockey has TYT's full support.

Interestingly, on Saturday, John Tecce chimed in on PegulaVille, via Twitter (1, 2):

Could we see a new PSU tradition on the way? Just stumbled across @Pegulaville, which is exactly what it sounds like it is. Having seen logistical side of something like that, it would have to occur indoors. Would be interesting to explore when Pegula Arena opens.

Tecce, if you're unfamiliar (and shame on you if you are) is a former president of Paternoville Nittanyville Paternoville (hey, it was still called that when he served). So yeah, he'd know about it. I'm not as informed about the obstacles as he is, but off the top of my head, I would think hockey season weather and space where it could be done safely and non-obtrusively would be major considerations that may push the group into the main lobby of the PIA. From what I can tell, that's a large, indoors area that won't be used all that much, except on gamedays (the community rink will have a separate entrance/lobby). John, thoughts? (1, 2)

I think it would be awesome to see. Would require a lot of coordination w AD and OPP to allow kids to camp in arena...tough to police it though. Trusting college kids in an arena that nice takes a lot.

Long story short, setting up social media accounts and getting attention is the fun part. Hopefully the guy behind the idea is willing to take on the not fun part as well - he'd be well advised to start with a history lesson. It's not a simply a matter of deciding you want to do something, raising awareness, and parking your tents. The football group's coordination committee doesn't exist merely to squeeze some funding out of it. Of course, people are allowed to disagree with me.

I was thinking if we get enough student support that we could make this into an official club at PSU and squeeze some funding out of it

Ugh.

2. Q&A with Penn State Coach Guy Gadowsky
(College Hockey News)

I suppose from a journalism point of view, this was well done. But as a Penn State and a Guy Gadowsky fan, the way CHN pounded on the "get Gadowsky to express a negative emotion" button was a little tacky, and the interrogative tone was unwarranted (obviously, I wasn't a witness to the conversation, so I'll acknowledge that it may not have gone as it reads, but I'm not the only person who felt that way). After seven scandal-specific questions, at least two of which were attempts to take a positive answer and spin it into a negative follow-up, we get...drumroll...

Your first reaction was as a parent, of course. I would be completely dishonest if I didn't go through that emotion.

...which was really just a repeat of something he had already said, and something I had possibly seen/heard him say before this interview (admittedly, it all runs together after a while). Either way, congratulations on getting a father to admit that he thinks of his kids first.

That said, I dare you to read the interview and argue that we hired the wrong guy. So it's not all bad I guess. But I do think that USCHO won the duel of head-to-head Gadowsky articles by a lot.

1. Penn State: Light in the Darkness
(Without a Peer)

It's not often that I play this card, but I will here: Just read it. It will restore your faith in the ability of people affiliated with other institutions to present a good, balanced take on things.

PS. The picture at the top is former RPI standout Oren Eizenman (2003-2007), Icer and ACHA Hall-of-Famer Alon's younger brother. As far as I know, the Eizenman family is pretty much the one thing PSU and RPI have in common, other than Union on the schedule this year. Well, that and the two games PSU played at Houston Field House in 1985 against non-RPI opponents that, in fact, no longer exist (not just the hockey programs, the entire schools).

Best of the Rest

Federal Hockey League Team Relocates to Pennsylvania
(The Hockey Writers)

Shooting for the Show gave you guys the heads up on the team that will be known as the Williamsport Outlaws a month ago, but there's been an interesting development in the story:

The Outlaws will play their entire [2012-2013] season at Bowman Field in Williamsport. The field is home to the Williamsport Crosscutters, the Single-A short season affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies. Once the baseball season is over, the process of laying ice will begin for the Outlaws’ 30 home games form October to January. When the team is not using the rink, it will be open for public skating. Since Williamsport does not have an ice rink, the outdoor pond will be the first of its kind in the city.

The unorthodox arrangement is a temporary measure until an indoor rink can be developed, possibly in the city's YMCA building. Still, outdoor hockey...yay?

Penn State’s other sports will survive
(triblive.com)

Here's Rob Rossi (we're probably related, although I can't prove it) on the subject of the NCAA sanctions and their effect on non-football sports:

Sanctions levied Monday by the NCAA against Penn State’s disgraced football program will not put the university’s fledgling hockey teams on ice.

Nor will the other 26 programs that comprise Penn State’s athletic department be negatively impacted by punishments against the football program that include scholarship reductions, disqualification from bowl games, vacated victories and a $60 million fine.

“People are going to see that figure and be wowed by it, but it’s not a significant number considering the ability of that program and that institution to generate money,” said Daniel Fulks, a professor at Transylvania (Ky.) University.

My Comets beat Cleveland Heights 3-1 in the Snow Days Tournament championship...hey, would you rather have a photo of Ohio State here?

Another outdoor game rumored for Ohio State icers
(examiner.com)

Know what makes more sense than an Ohio State-Mercyhurst outdoor game in Cleveland? Most things, actually.

I will leave this out there though: the Cleveland Indians put on a festival called Snow Days at Progressive Field during the winter months, which includes things like a high school hockey tournament (won by Solon, my alma mater, last year I'm proud to say), ice skating and snow tubing. In other words, there will probably be an ice rink set up there with or without a college hockey game, removing much of the expense from the equation.

It's about time living where I do gave me some kind of advantage.

By the way, the rumored game won't take place until December 2013, so feel free to forget all about this.

INCH A-Z: Jack Berger, Princeton
(Inside College Hockey)

While Penn State is a full-on NCAA Division I hockey program now, we're still in a little bit of an awkward place where I don't really expect full-on NCAA Division I treatment all the time. For instance, I'd be kind of surprised if INCH featured a Nittany Lion in their annual A-Z series this year. Prove me wrong, INCH.

In case they don't, here's Jack Berger's entry. He was recruited to Princeton by Guy Gadowsky, who then moved laterally on the Berger family tree to recruit brother Chase to PSU for 2015.

Chase Berger Commits to Penn State University
(St. Louis AAA Blues)

Speaking of...this is old news (Berger committed in early May), but this is the first acknowledgement I've seen from his current team.

@sportnsound
(Twitter)

Did you not hear what I just said above? I'm happy he stayed at UMD too. Actually, I don't really need to be happy, since he didn't have much of a choice - he wasn't offered the job.

Let me just put something out there, because to be honest, I'm kind of sick of this sentiment that's been floating out there for over a year that Gadowsky was something other than a first choice.

1. I know for a fact that he was the last of the three finalists (Mark Johnson was the third if you've forgotten) interviewed. Actually, I don't even think that's insider knowledge anymore, as it more or less came out after the fact. That sounds like a slot you'd give to your leader going into the final round, so that you can make an immediate offer if he confirms your opinion. That is what played out, as the interview turned into a trip to Philly for a Sabres-Flyers playoff game and a face-to-face with Terry Pegula. That took place on a Friday/Friday night, and Gadowsky was officially announced on that Sunday - Easter Sunday, when a certain half-in-the-bag blogger, not expecting any news that day, had to get something online from his parents' house.
2. Given all of that, would they have offered Sandelin or Johnson the job before even talking to Gadowsky? What about after? It seems much more likely that an offer was made to Gadowsky Friday, then accepted Sunday after the standard "let me talk it over with the missus" day.
3. Rejected finalists are often allowed to "withdraw" as a face-saving courtesy. The fact that Sandelin and Johnson both apparently took that option means nothing.

No guesswork needed on my opinion. I know it's easy for me to say now, but back when I thought Sandelin was going to be the guy, I was disappointed. When I later heard that it was likely to be Gadowsky, my initial reaction was "Really? We can get him?"

Niagara AD McLaughlin Leaves for VCU
(College Hockey News)

A big change in the administration of one of PSU's CHA riv...oh, right.

@PJ_Musico
(Twitter)

The sophomore goalie's banter with now-former teammate Paul Daley is hands down the funniest (relevant to this blog) thing I've seen in a while. Don't get it? Check out the last entry in this Three Stars from a few months back.

Seriously, if someone who reads this blog makes a sign that says "Skoff >>>Wawa" and sends me a photo of it on display at a game (preferably behind the PSU net while Skoff's in a game, but I won't be picky about that), I'll name my first born after you. Or maybe just something on this blog.

Three Stars: March 12-18

3. Penn State Icers now history
(The Daily Collegian)

I can't speak highly enough of the work done by the Collegian's men's hockey writers this past season, and this article - about the origins of the Icers - easily stands out as one of the highlights.

2. Benefit will help Sitting Bulls buy equipment, pay related costs
(Johnstown Tribune-Democrat)

Hey look, it's Tess Weaver participating in a sled hockey fundraiser! If you need something to do on March 31st, get out and support her (as well as the Johnstown Sitting Bulls, of course).

1. 2012 ACHA Men's Division 1 All-Star Game
(achahockey.org)

Icers Paul Daley and Kurt Collins officially capped their careers at the ACHA D1 All-Star Game on Saturday, with Daley's Red Team prevailing 11-8 over Collins' White Team. In the skills competition that preceded the game, some made a big deal of the fact that Collins was the runner-up to Ohio's Michael Schultz in the shootout competition. Guess we'll just have to settle for having an NCAA program. Sorry I'm not, Skoal-hio.

Best of the Rest



Building a Championship Caliber Program
(YouTube)

When Josh Brandwene was hired to lead PSU's women's program, a lot of people scratched their heads and said "Huh? What? Why?" Those people need to watch this video, as well as these others:

Why a Student-Athlete Should Choose Penn State
Pegula Ice Arena 
Community Service
Nittany Lion Support Services

One step forward, one step back for CHA with Niagara dropping hockey
(USCHO)

Much credit to Candace Horgan of USCHO for banging out a quality piece on the always-in-flux CHA roughly an hour after Monday's news of Niagara dropping women's hockey broke.

USHL wing Hanson commits to CC, will join Tigers next season
(Colorado Springs Gazette)

Fortunately, Guy Gadowsky's recruiting misses (to our knowledge, anyway) have been few and far between. But add Colorado College-bound Alaska native Jared Hanson to the list. Hanson picked the Tigers over PSU, Harvard, Ohio State, Northeastern and St. Cloud State. Like I always say, Hanson's loss.

@MarkHorgas
(Twitter)

Hey look, schedule details!

Air Force, eh? Cool. They're the Atlantic Hockey champs and an NCAA tournament team, so that's a nice pair of games to have at the Ice Pavilion. Just to recap what else we know about next year's schedule...

• Two of those six ACHA games will be against Ohio, in February.
• The first NCAA-era home games will be October 12th and 13th against American International.
• A pair of games are scheduled at Wisconsin on February 22nd and 23rd, although they may be moved to the 24th and 25th to accommodate the Wisconsin high school wrestling tournament.
• As of late December, a series at Union's Messa Rink for November 23rd and 24th was close to finalized.
• PSU will give Division III Fredonia State a return trip for last November's game on October 30th.
• Two games with Michigan State are on tap, although dates and locations are unconfirmed.
• The Nittany Lions will be RIT's homecoming opponent on October 20th.
• Penn State will likely be a part of the Robert Morris holiday tournament, with Ohio State and Miami possibly joining in.
• The U.S. National Team Development Program will appear on the schedule four times.
• Discussions with Connecticut, Holy Cross, Army, Alabama-Huntsville, Princeton and Cornell have also taken place.

So....add it all together, and we've accounted for 13 of 20-22 Division I games (with several possibilities for the rest), 2 of 6 ACHA games and 5 of 6-8 "other" games. Not bad, assuming all of these end up happening.

@CHNJoeMeloni
(Twitter)

This is hilarious:

M: Penn State 8 vs. Duquesne 1

Collegian recap // Black Shoe Diaries recap

Official site recap // Box score

My apologies once again for having to cancel the live blog for this senior night blowout of Duquesne that pumped the Icers' record to 26-3-1 (including 18 wins in a row at home). For those who don't know, as I was packing up after watching last Saturday's Ice Lions game, I tripped over my laptop's power cord, dragging it from one of the Ice Pavilion's bench seats to the floor. The result: a cracked hard drive. Since then, all TYT updates have been done from a computer lab at the University of Akron, where I attend graduate school. I should be back up and running in the next couple of days (definitely in time to do a live blog next Friday).

In any case, TYT extends its congratulations to seniors Dan Petrick, Dan Loucks, Nick Seravalli, Kurt Collins, Chris Cerutti and Paul Daley - a group of outstanding players. As usual when the live blog doesn't go off as planned, let's defer to IcersGuy from Black Shoe Diaries (linked above) for the rest of the story.

---

Much like the Mercyhurst games last weekend, the Dukes provided little in terms of a challenge for the Icers. The Icers would jump out to a quick 3-0 with goals from seniors Kurt Collins and Paul Daley, along with a goal from sophomore Bryce Johnson. The Dukes would counter with a power play goal, but George Saad would make it 4-1 after one period of play. Mike Longo, Dominic Morrone, and Chris Cerutti would add goals in the second to make it 7-1 through two periods. Cerutti would add a second goal in the third period, and the Icers would cruise to the easy 8-1 victory.

The weekend went as expected - domination from start to finish. Of the healthy senior players, only Dan Loucks was unable to get onto the scoresheet for this Senior Night (Petrick picked up 2 assists). However, Dan looked solid in his return to the ice from injury, and that's the more important piece for the night. Looking ahead, it will be interesting to see what lineup Coach Guy uses in next week's game versus Kent State. The Icers can cycle through 5-6 scoring lines and 4 defensive pairings, so there are reasons to both play and scratch any player. Guy has also sat entire lines on certain nights, but sitting a top line for two weeks might be too much rest. And at the very least, Kent State is ranked and tournament-bound (if based on the technicality that they're the host team). I'd expect players trying to return to game-speed to play, but the rest of the lineup is up in the air.

M: Penn State 7 vs. Oklahoma 2

Collegian recap // Black Shoe Diaries recap

Official site recap // Box score

(links added as available)

The No. 1 Icers (22-3-1) begin a stretch of six straight home games to close the regular season with a convincing 7-2 win No. 9 Oklahoma (21-12-1) Friday night. Penn State is now 14-0-0 at the Ice Pavilion this season, heading into Saturday's rematch with the Sooners at 3:30 p.m.

It might sound counter-intuitive considering the final score, but both Oklahoma goals made the Icers sweat. Jon Schanke's tally off of mass PSU confusion in the defensive zone gave the Sooners a 1-0 lead just 55 seconds from puck drop. With Brian Dolan in the penalty box 5:01 into the third period, Shane Vorndran put home a rebound to cut the Icers' lead to 4-2 and make a once-safe margin seem tenuous again. Even some of the close calls could have made things more interesting, such as when P.J. Musico made two of his best saves of the year in one early second period 3-on-1 sequence, at a time when a goal would have brought the Sooners within one and carrying momentum.

Outside of those moments though, this one was all Icers. Chris Cerutti and George Saad answered Schanke in short order with net-front goals in the opening stanza, while Brandon Russo and Nate Jensen added to a slim lead in the second period. Eric Steinour's two goals sandwiched a pretty effort from Justin Kirchhevel in the last six minutes of the game to create a lopsided score.

M: Penn State 9 vs. Rhode Island 3

Collegian recap // Black Shoe Diaries recap

Official site recap // Box score

Paul Daley got his 100th career point out of the way on an assist 10:58 into the game, and the Icers cracked open a deceptively close affair with a five-goal second period in a 9-3 win. As usual, it was the line of Justin Kirchhevel (2 goals, 2 assists), Tommy Olczyk (1 goal, 2 assists) and Taylor Holstrom (1 goal, 1 assist) that got things going in full force. Eric Steinour (2 goals, 1 assist) made a strong return to the lineup after missing last Saturday's win over Oklahoma. A sturdy defensive effort limited the Rams to just 16 shots on Matt Madrazo, compared to 58 PSU attempts on URI goalie Andrew Sherman.

Penn State (now 16-3-1) and Rhode Island (15-13-0) will rematch Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.

M: Penn State 4 at Liberty 2

Black Shoe Diaries recap

The 14-2-0 and No. 1 Icers closed the fall semester in style, by earning a split at Liberty via a 4-2 victory following Friday night's upset loss. IcersGuy of Black Shoe Diaries was apparently the only person on the internet to watch the game (admittedly, I was among the otherwise occupied), so he wins the right to have his unfiltered take presented here. I'll forgo normal TYT style rules due to the lengthy copy/paste.

---

Hoping to end a successful semester on a fitting positive note, the Icers looked to take the Saturday game against the Flames. In the normal goalie rotation, PJ Musico would get the start in net. Hoping to set the tone early, George Saad would give the Icers an early 1-0 lead, thanks to some strong forechecking from Eric Steinour. Liberty would tie the game a few minutes later, but Nate Jensen would get the lead back, just 14 seconds after Liberty's goal. Liberty would get a late powerplay goal to tie the game at 2-2 after one period of play. The Icers would finally start taking control of the game in the second period. Five minutes into the 2nd, Kirchhevel would set up Tommy Olczyk for an easy goal, giving the Icers the 3-2 lead. That would remain the score until Chris Cerutti found an open Paul Daley in front of the net, who put home an easy goal, giving the Icers the 2-goal lead. The Icers would carry that lead into the third period, and although no more goals would be scored, the Icers showed improvement in a number of deficient areas from the weekend. An energized power play almost extended the lead on a number of occasions, while the defensive turnovers and breakdowns were minimized and neutralized without allowing Liberty to take advantage. The 4-2 win gave the Icers a weekend split with Liberty, providing some positive momentum heading into 2012.

The Friday night game was easily the worst game the Icers have played this season, and that leaked into Saturday a bit. The biggest issue continues to be the turnovers in the "gray zone." These are usually lazy turnovers near the blue lines that allow the opponent to start an offensive rush while the Icers are moving in the opposite direction. Even if the opposing team doesn't capitalize (and teams like Delaware and Liberty did), the momentum shifts and the Icers are left scrambling. That was the difference between Friday's loss and the solid 2nd and 3rd periods of the Saturday game. Also, kudos to Collins, Saad, and the rotating third player on that line (usually Steinour, sometimes Cerutti or Morrone). That line continues to play consistently well in all areas of the game.

Two other areas that need some support are the power play and goaltending. Goaltending just needs some consistency at this point. Madrazo opened the year as seemingly the #1 goalie, and has only missed the past two weekends due to injury. (It sounds like he's ready to go, and the coaches merely gave him the weekend off to ensure a complete recovery.) PJ Musico has made a strong case to get some more starts, while Tim Carr is still trying to catch up. All three are talented, but I think they just need consistent starts - the continual rotation isn't helping their ability to get into a groove. As for the power play, it has been solid for most of the season, but the 0% success ratio this weekend makes me lean towards developing set power play units. Also, a healthy Taylor Holstrom and Bryce Johnson (who went out during Friday's game and did not play Saturday) can have a major impact on the power play, and the team as a whole.

Three Stars: November 7-13

3. Girls' Clinic With Josh Brandwene
(hersheyjrbearsgirls.com)

Nobody can ever accuse Mr. Brandwene of not knowing how to build and maintain a pipeline.

2. 2011-12 Champions of the Game
(psuicelions.com)

Three stars of the game? Useless. They're announced, maybe mentioned in a recap of the game, then largely forgotten (unless a sponsor wants to attach their name to something like the Molson Cup). Do big things for the Ice Lions, and you're a champion, receiving website recognition throughout the season. Very cool.

The Ice Lions topped Division 1 club Drexel 3-1 in their only game of the weekend Saturday night and are now off until the MACHA Showcase, which runs December 2-4.

1. An Imperfect Ten
(The View From the Booth)

Steve Penstone takes home another first star for his look back/look ahead post.

There are some out there that think this weekend (against Delaware) could be a preview of the national championship game. That may be a possibility, but there is a lot of hockey to be played between now and March.

Fair enough, but I'm putting myself out there right now: Delaware will be the best ACHA team PSU sees this year. I believe that UD and Penn State are the two best teams in the ACHA this year. National championship preview? Maybe, but we've seen the tournament in action enough to know that there are no guarantees. And besides, I didn't say Lindenwood and Arizona State were far behind in my estimation.

Best of the Rest

Puck Rock: Paul Daley
(Pennsylvania Puck)

I feel you Gunner. And since you mentioned Matchbox Twenty (PG-13 warning)...



The week that was: 11/13/11
(Pittsburgh Post Gazette)

I wonder how many people watching the surreal Board of Trustees press conference last Wednesday were aware that the guy speaking is a former Icer.

"[Trustee John P. Surma's] credentials include a Penn State accounting degree, playing for the school's club hockey team, serving on the board of trustees since 2007 and pledging $5 million to the Smeal College of Business, where the deanship is named after Mr. Surma and his wife, Becky. Now his credentials include announcing that the child sex abuse scandal that has rocked Penn State's vaunted athletic program has resulted in the resignation of university president Graham Spanier and the firing of iconic football coach Joe Paterno. The announcement was all the tougher because Mr. Spanier has been on U.S. Steel's board of directors since 2008."

Will the Penn State Football Fallout Affect the Hockey Program?
(B1G Ice Hockey)

Heads up on a new blog devoted to covering PSU's future men's conference and its six member teams.

Maybe now that I've linked them (both here and down the right-side column) they'll reciprocate either via link or Twitter follow. Not that I'm one to guilt-trip someone.

RIT gets $4.5 million donation toward new ice center
(Rochester Democrat and Chronicle)

Penn State is not the only school trying to open a hockey arena in 2013-2014. RIT is also targeting that season for a new facility (if they can raise the money in time) which, thanks to a new donation, will be called The Gene Polisseni Center.

There are actually a couple of interesting Penn State angles to this. First, the donation was partially funded by Tom Golisano, the founder of Paychex. Polisseni, now deceased, gave Golisano some startup money for the payroll services giant that now generates over $2 billion in revenue annually and later served as a VP. Golisano, of course, is also the man who sold the Buffalo Sabres to Terry Pegula.

Finally, RIT president Bill Destler said that the school's women's program, now in Division III, will "likely" move to Division I soon. Given the current conference structure in the women's game, it seems like CHA would be a likely destination for that program. RIT's men already share Atlantic Hockey with Niagara, Robert Morris and Mercyhurst, so why not?

@DLombardi8
(Twitter)

Recent Delaware grad Dave Lombardi - who scored one of the most disgusting shorthanded goals I've ever seen at nationals last year - watched the Blue Hens play Liberty over the weekend and grabbed this picture of LU's webcast. Hey, nobody ever said the Jonas Brothers weren't loaded.

Media Day Roundup

The Icers held a media day yesterday. No, I didn't know about it until after the fact either, don't feel bad. Regardless, here's a quick spin around some of the coverage. First up, the Collegian, which didn't write an article on the proceedings, but gave us something even better - video highlights of Guy Gadowsky's press conference (as well as Justin Kirchhevel and Kurt Collins briefly at the end).



If you didn't watch it, the biggest news from within: until Gadowsky and his staff get more a feel for the team, the seniors will begin the season rotating as captains. Icers seniors include Chris Cerutti, Collins, Paul Daley, Dan Loucks, Dan Petrick (who's injured and may not get a turn before full-time captains are named) and Nick Seravalli.

While it's not necessarily newsworthy, Gadowsky continues to have an infectious enthusiasm for Penn State and Penn State hockey that comes through every time he speaks, which even energizes jaded bloggers. I can only imagine what it does on the recruiting trail.

PSU's resident AP scribe, Genaro C. Armas, was there and drew the following quotes not covered in the video. First, from Bryce Johnson, the speed merchant who transferred from St. Cloud State via the USHL's Omaha Lancers.

"[The Big Ten is] going to be a real fun time, especially with the big powerhouses Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin. It's going to be nice to know that every weekend we go out to play, it's going to be a bloodbath."

And also from Joe Battista:

"It's the buzz, I understand a lot of schools are scrambling, moving conferences. The Big Ten conference is certainly poised to be the premier (hockey) conference. Now, how competitive we are remains to be seen."

Armas' story, which also included things Gadowsky said in the video, ended up being quite popular - it was picked up by the Washington Post, as well as papers in places like San Francisco and San Antonio. Not a bad little bit of publicity, that.

But with all due respect to Armas, the most interesting guy who covered media day is better known for doing something else.

...well, assuming you're not back out in the parking lot getting loaded by the time he's in.

I suppose if you back up Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin, you should probably figure out something besides football to do for a living. So credit third-string quarterback/journalism major Shane McGregor for being smart as well as a good writer. Here's his collection of quotes for the Centre Daily Times, starting with Gadowsky this time.

“It’s been an extremely unique situation. Our coaches have been out recruiting, the administration is planning, and we’ve been getting to know our guys as competitors and students.”

“You can’t just judge guys on how fast they skate or how much they bench-press and how fast they can shoot the puck. There’s a lot in hockey that deals with competitive nature and how they think and see the game. That really takes time, so we’re testing our guys and really getting to know them.”

“It’s been so cool for me to really feel this place. Not just see it, because you see it on TV and you read about it, but that really doesn’t give it justice. You have to feel how it is to be at Paternoville and be at a football game. It’s very, very special, and that’s something very few institutions can talk about.”

Paul Daley:

“Practice has been going very well. Coach Gadowsky really emphasizes hard work and intensity on the ice. He has done a great job with us, caring about what we’re doing both on and off the ice and stressing our involvement in the community.”

Dominic Morrone:

“With the spotlight and people talking about it now, I think it will help our attendance and get people out to games that normally wouldn’t come. It’s a big step for Penn State, and it will be cool to think we were here when it all first started.”

Gadowsky rounded out the day with a couple of radio interviews (on State College stations 95.3 FM and 1450 AM) where he reiterated some of the same themes. All in all, not a bad bit of effort and some good PR all around. Now just imagine if even more people heard about it.

Back to School

School's back in full force, and so is the Collegian (which can apparently be a mixed bag, as we've seen). And the Icers aren't wasting any time either.

After receiving about three emails throughout the summer from [Guy] Gadowsky, the team will meet with their coach for the first time this semester [Monday] to discuss the new coaching aspects and systems they would like to install.

That initial meeting was followed by what's been described as both an "up-tempo" and an "icebreaker" practice Tuesday. Mark Horgas watched it and had the following observations via Twitter.

As mentioned by Horgas and confirmed by official reports, 34 skaters and four goalies took part. A quick tally of Icers with remaining eligibility plus known recruits comes out to 37 and four, lending some possible credibility to the rumors that a couple of Icers have withdrawn from consideration for this year's team - because, really, as competitive as tryouts are expected to be, who's going to skip even an optional session?

Further reaction from Gadowsky and Daleys Paul and Josh was scooped up by Steve Penstone, over on View From the Booth. That, and a quick survey of Icers on Twitter shows none of the colorfulness or complaining exhibited by the football team when their practices started (remember, "icebreaker"), but give new defenseman Steve Edgeworth credit for tweet of the day.

First day of pracy in the books. Felt like Lidstrom out there minus the gap control, skating ability, and hockey sense. #PennStateHockey

Meanwhile, on the women's side of things, the team held a "captain's practice" Tuesday. But more importantly to the big picture, College Hockey America took a site visit at PSU as part of the application process. Niagara AD Ed McLaughlin was part of the CHA contingent and gave us some Twitter updates.

Arrived in State College PA 4 site visit w/ #PennState Women's hockey. Mtg w/staff and #CHA commish #BobDeGregorio tmrw.

Gr8 day of mtgs w/ #PennState folks, including AD #TimCurley and President #GrahamSpanier. They r getting ready for Div. I hockey.

We felt the #earthquake while mtg w/new Women's hockey coaches about #PegulaArena. I guess #Mr.Pegula really can make the earth move.

Unless that earthquake was a sign of the apocalypse, I feel confident expecting official CHA approval in short order.

Nationals Day 1/Rhode Island 2, Penn State 0

Collegian summary // Collegian recap
Onward State recap // VFTB recap // Black Shoe Diaries recap
Team press release // Box score

This will be a pretty short post, just because I'm completely out of gas after a day full of watching hockey, I'm still upset about the game, and the internet in my hotel is slower than a health bomb on a D3 team. You don't want to read that much about it, I'm sure. Besides, what am I supposed to say? "Boy, I hope we get that power play straightened out for next week!"

I've been following Penn State hockey for quite a while, but one thing I've never gotten used to is the finality of the ACHA national tournament. We start in October and plow through 30 to 35 games until the end of February. There's an ebb and flow to each game, groups of games, and the season itself. Sometimes it all goes by quickly, sometimes not, but either way, one quick game ends all of it once the calendar turns to March. Sometimes, it's sudden death, like last year against Central Oklahoma. Sometimes it's a slow bleed, like the championship game against Oakland in 2007. But either way, it's one game that lays waste to months of work.

Any time you lose a close game, you always think back to the missed opportunities, but this game featured missed opportunities of a particularly excruciating variety.

• At the ten-minute mark of the second period, Marek Polidor won a battle on the boards to spring Mike Broccolo. Broccolo came in one-on-one and made a fantastic move to burn Dan Lassik (one of the ACHA's best defensemen), but shot it wide.
• With about a minute left in that second period and the Icers on the penalty kill, Dom Morrone hustled and won a race to the the puck in the offensive corner after it had been cleared. He got it to Paul Daley in front of the net, but Daley's turnaround attempt hit the inside of the post and got behind Rhody goalie Paul Kenny - all without fully crossing the goalline.
• Chris Cerutti put the puck in the net with 15:50 left in the game, but after he had quite literally crashed the net and taken it off its moorings.
• With 8:22 left, and at the tail end of a Penn State power play, Cerutti's one-timer was denied by Kenny's best save of the game, as he moved left to right to deny the sniper.

I haven't even fully discussed the Icers' three consecutive power play attempts in the first half of the third period, and I won't. It all adds up to mean that Shawn Tingley's second period rebound goal held up as the the winner in what was effectively a 1-0 game. He's a great player and Rhode Island has a great defense and great goaltending - I guess ultimately you'd rather lose to a good team than get shocked by scrubs.

Epitome of my day as a Penn Stater - this conversation between me and some random guy during the second intermission of the Delaware-Robert Morris (IL) game.

Him: HEY! PENN STATE! I GO TO PENN STATE!

Me: Shitty game, eh?

Him: I don't know man, I think we can take the whole thing! Are you a coach?

Me: No, it's just a sick jacket.

Him: I don't know man, you look like a coach.

Me: I'll send in my resume.

Then he started talking about wrestling, how good Penn State is at it, and how he would've wrestled at Delaware if they hadn't dropped the sport. I can't stand wrestling, no matter how good we are at it, so I pretended to get a text message and left.

Anyway, Robert Morris (IL) looms in the 11th place game tomorrow at 5:00, and while the game is purely for pride, here's hoping we send out this season and these seniors with a win against a quality team.

Other Games



I'm going to start with the other games in the better of the two rinks. Yes, I'm talking about Gold. Better hockey games, better cell reception. Those two things make me happy.

Oakland press release // Box score

Amazingly, the only overtime game of the tournament so far, after last year's OT fest. Here's the Oakland side of things:

The Oakland University Golden Grizzlies hockey team has advanced to the second round of the 2011 ACHA Men's Division 1 Championships with a 3-2 victory over the #6 Minot State Beavers. Junior forward Jordan MacDonald sent the Beavers home when his deflection from in front of the goal beat goaltender Wyatt Waselenchuk. MacDonald deflected a shot from defenseman Jacob DeSano after he walked the blue line after receiving a pass from Kevin Kranker.

The Grizzly offense came to life finally in the third period when MacDonald's shot from the top of the circles found the back of the net. Kevin Kranker and Adam Novack were credited with the assists. Then with just over four minutes to go Novack fired a bomb that Waselenchuk only got a piece of to give Oakland a late 2-1 lead. DeSano and MacDonald netted the assists. Minot State refused to give in however, as Kale Dolinski's second goal of the game with just 64 seconds left tied the game at two.

Box score

I didn't see a second of this one, because it wasn't on TV at the California Tortilla, which needs to get in Ohio ASAP. Sue me for not eating rink hot dogs for dinner. And it figures that the game I miss ends up being a pretty good game, and with no outside account of the events.

Me discovering the place that's apparently called Cal Tort for short > you knowing about this game. Sorry, it's pretty good.

Adrian press release // Box score

People are probably going to roll their eyes at this score and write it off to your typical autobid game, but that wasn't the case at all to me. A game Stony Brook, behind the goaltending of Josh Brand (no relation to Icers assistant Josh Hand) and Wesley Hawkins' power play goal 23 seconds into the third period, cut the lead of the heavy favorites to 3-2 before the roof caved in on them. History, however, is written by the winners, so...

The Adrian College ACHA DI team advanced in the National Tournament with a 7-2 win over Stony Brook. The Bulldogs are now 30-8 on the season.

Adrian's Jared Semple got the scoring started early netting a goal at 16:33 of the first period. Stony Brook would add a power play goal with just over two minutes left in the period as the two teams were tied 1-1 at the end of the first period.

The second period belonged to the Bulldogs as goals by Cody King and Shamus Finnerty put Adrian in the lead 3-1 going into the final period.

The Seawolves scored their second power play goal of the game just 23 seconds into the third period to pull within a goal. The Bulldogs refused to let Stony Brook get any closer as they held Stony Brook scoreless the rest of the period while netting four of their own. Kevin Sunde netted Adrian's fourth goal midway through the period before Alex Norman scored the Bulldogs first power play goal of the game at 6:47 of the third. Jack Goodell added a goal 1:10 later before Semple netted another goal to finish off the scoring for the game.

Ohio press release // Canton press release // Box score

Admittedly, I didn't see a ton of this one, but the parts I did see didn't leave me feeling very good about picking the Bobcats to win the whole thing. While OU didn't exactly steal it, they were by far the better team, Canton was able to counterpunch on occasion, they drew penalties, and of course got some great goaltending. Here's how the Canton people saw it:

Senior Jimmy Merrow (Plainsboro, N.Y.), an all-ECHL First Team selection, had another stellar outing between the pipes in the national tournament as he stopped 48 of 51 shots against the Bobcats, who entered the tournament averaging 5.4 goals per game.  Merrow turned aside 51 shots in last year’s opening round game against Penn State.

The Roos, who surrendered a goal in each period, had several terrific chances to get on the board with the man advantage as Ohio was whistled for nine penalties.  The Roos have converted 23.5 percent of their power play chances this season but were denied on Saturday by a strong Bobcats defense.  The Roos had one five-on-three advantage in the second period and one more in the third, but couldn’t solve Bobcats’ goalie Blake MacNicol, who recorded his nation-leading fifth shutout of the season.

Davenport press release // Box score

All that needs to be said:

Rutgers is under there somewhere.

Lindenwood press release // Box score

I didn't get a picture of the Lindenwood team bus, sorry about that.



Delaware press release // Box score

Just to get this out in the open, with Penn State eliminated, I'm taking up for the Blue Hens. I've never been one to buy into the whole "root for your conference" thing, but I can't see an all-ESCHL final as a bad thing. Who are you rooting for now? OU? Lindenwood? That's what I thought.

So with that in mind, I liked what I saw from UD tonight. They have that definite home-ice swagger going for them, and for the vast majority of the game, they took it to a pretty decent Robert Morris (IL) team. But then they got in some penalty trouble, with calls to Brandon Weiner and Zack Reubel giving the Eagles a long 5-on-3, where Nick Fina capitalized.

It could have been a backbreaking goal, as just before the penalties, Delaware had more close calls on the other end than I can count. If RMU carried that lead into the second intermission, it might have been disastrous, momentum-wise. Dave Lombardi singlehandedly put an end to all of that crazy talk with the best goal I saw today. While killing another penalty, he came hard on the forecheck, created a turnover, passed it out to Nick LePore, got it back in front of the net, and finished with a twisting put-away that I can't accurately describe.

Anything to add, Delaware website?

Freshman Mike Piet (Robbinsville, NJ) was able to crack the deadlock with just 4:23 left to play as he snuck a quick wrist shot between the pads of Venet giving the Hens a lead they would not relinquish. Freshman Christian Tasker (Wilmington, DE) iced the victory for Delaware, putting an empty net goal away after an unselfish pass by fellow freshman Mark Zeszut (Wilmington, DE).

Oh right, they needed those goals too.

Down in front.

Sunday Tournament Schedule

Quarterfinals:

3. Ohio vs. 11. Oakland, 10:00 a.m., Fred Rust Ice Arena

2. Davenport vs. 7. Rhode Island, 1:00 p.m., Fred Rust Ice Arena

1. Lindenwood vs. 9. Oklahoma, 4:00 p.m., Fred Rust Ice Arena

4. Adrian vs. 5. Delaware, 7:00 p.m., Fred Rust Ice Arena

15th place game:

15. Rutgers vs. 16. Slippery Rock, 11:00 a.m., Gold Ice Arena

9th place game:

6. Minot State vs. 8. Arizona State, 2:00 p.m., Gold Ice Arena

11th place game:

11. Penn State vs. 12. Robert Morris (IL), 5:00 p.m., Gold Ice Arena

13th place game:

13. Stony Brook vs. 14. Canton, 8:00 p.m., Gold Ice Arena

Weekend Observations: Robert Morris

Collegian Fri. summary // Collegian Sat. summary // Collegian weekend recap and sidebar

Onward State weekend recap // Friday VFTB highlights // Saturday VFTB highlights 

Friday team press release // Saturday team press release

Friday box score // Saturday box score

Sometimes when the Icers are playing, these posts just snap together in my head. I've identified what I feel are the storylines common to the two games, I know how to connect them, all that's left is to double-check a few plays I've scribbled in my notebook to verify what I saw, and the post is up a few hours after the Saturday game ends. And with a couple minutes left in the second period of yesterday's game, this was feeling like one of those...

...then the unthinkable happened, and it completely changed the content and tone of this post.

We'll get to that in a minute, but first, let's look at where we stood as time wound down in the second. The Icers won Friday night in rather ugly fashion. Which was perfectly fine in my book - those weekends against Delaware and Rhode Island, combined with some struggles by teams near us in the poll, earned us some leeway in the style points department. PSU actually trailed 3-2 with under four left in the second. That lasted until Paul Daley corralled the puck near the blue line on the power play, gave it to Dom Morrone, went hard to the net, and got it back just in time to tie the score against a completely lost Robbie Fallick. Nick Seravalli won two consecutive draws to start that power play (the second immediately preceded the goal), just one piece of what I thought was a good weekend for him.

That goal was important on a number of levels. For starters, it ended yet another power play mini-drought - the Icers finished 1-for-7 Friday, then went 2-for-6 Saturday, so maybe that ship's getting righted. More importantly, it gave PSU momentum for a third period where goals from the two World University Games returnees and Daley (finishing a hat trick) were enough to put the game away.

None of this was all that surprising - Robert Morris had demonstrated the firepower to hang with good teams for two periods before falling apart (see Delaware in December, and PSU in January). The Icers are so good in the third period that they get articles written about it.

These two trends came to a tidy convergence on Friday - and if you had asked me, they were about to again on Saturday after a wild second period that included four goals in the first 5:46. It all started to unravel with an interference call to Daley at 16:32 (Steve Penstone's thoughts on it: "You've gotta be kidding me.") and Kory DuMond banging home a rebound at the end of what had been a mostly harmless power play to that point. Bryan Chiavetta (who had an okay weekend, I suppose) won a battle to foil a clear in the near corner, then was next seen cycling in the opposite corner of the zone, then taking the shot that generated the rebound.

The real backbreaker was the next one though. Following a George Saad turnover and some mass confusion, Luke Bennett found the puck in the high slot and beat Teddy Hume cleanly with just two seconds left. I'll spare you the details of the rest. Suffice it to say that the following period was arguably the Icers worst of the season and that the Colonials finished off a run of five straight goals.

So what went wrong? I'm still not sure, but here are a few possibilities.

• I think the decision to start Hume on Saturday was a mistake, plain and simple. I want to be diplomatic because he didn't get to 58 wins by accident - he's been one of the great Icers goaltenders. But this year, he just hasn't had it, particularly when "it" refers to the puck after the first shot. Since playing well against Ohio on October 22nd, Hume has started five games and has been pulled in three of them. He completed the November 12th game against Rhode Island (19 saves on 24 shots - nothing to brag about) and the November 20th game against Towson (three goals against versus the lowly Tigers, again...). He also had mop-up duty against Delaware on December 4th, playing well in relief of Matt Madrazo. Given all of that, I wouldn't have trusted him in a game we had to have, regardless of the opponent. Save sentimentality for Rutgers on senior night.
• The mistake was compounded by not pulling him after the second period.
• The intensity level of the weekend probably wasn't helped by people like me constantly preaching that the worst was over. I'm not the only one who felt that way - the UStream broadcasts had about half as many viewers as last weekend. I generally hate when people play the "effort" card, but you can't help but wonder if some of that thinking seeped into the room - before we make Hume and Balboni the scapegoats, let's not forget that Friday's result was less than satisfying as well.
• Also, some credit's due to that Robert Morris top line, particularly the duo of Chiavetta and Bennett. Those guys are outstanding and they produce - and not just against the scrubs. And in case you're wondering (I did):

  Chiavetta looked at Rhode Island, Robert Morris and some Division III schools when he came time for college. The choice wasn’t that hard to make.

  “Robert Morris had a young program with a lot of potential, and I liked Pittsburgh,” he said. “I wanted to grow with the program, and I had an opportunity to make an impact as a freshman.”

  Chiavetta was talented enough to play for the Colonials’ varsity men’s ice hockey team, but he felt playing club hockey was better for him.

  “I had an opportunity to play on the varsity team, but they had a lot of seniors at the time,” Chiavetta said. “I just did what was best for me.”

Some positives that were obscured by all of this:

• The Mike McDonagh-Morrone-Daley line has fairly quickly developed great chemistry - this was perhaps never more evident than their first shift of Saturday's game, where the three combined on a spectacular passing play that was unfortunately denied by goalie Phil Salerno.
• I mentioned this already, but Nick Seravalli had a good weekend, both on (goal and an assist) and off the scoresheet.
• The 12 goals against notwithstanding, a couple members of the defense corps - the pairing of Brian Dolan and Carey Bell in particular, but also Rich O'Brien with three goals - had good weekends. Kevin Miller returned to the lineup and helped the struggling power play.

The results, however, turned us all back into scoreboard watchers, if only briefly. It all worked out in a way that means the Icers' tournament hopes are probably not in jeopardy - but we will be playing a better team in the first round than we would have otherwise. I'll get more into that tonight or tomorrow with the final Scoreboard Watching feature.

Weekend Observations: Delaware

Collegian weekend recap // Friday box score // Saturday box score

I think more that anything else, my No. 1 observation this weekend was the way hockey can get you riding the emotional roller coaster.

Circa Friday night, I was pretty upset. I was ready to tee off on a lot of things, both specific and general. A 2-7-0 record against the top ten this year (at that point) will do that to you, especially when your introduction to Penn State hockey was sometime during the whole ten championship games in a row thing.

Now, all of a sudden, I feel mostly okay. We survived a very good Delaware team with a split. Next week's opponent, the last in the gauntlet, hasn't exactly looked like world beaters without their World University Games players. Nor has Iowa State, one of the teams chasing the Icers for positions in the rankings, who managed two tight wins against ACHA D2 Colorado State over the weekend. In short, I'm no longer legitimately worried about Penn State needing one of these for their next trip to Newark.

Don't get me wrong, it's not all sunshine and puppies. I'm still not convinced that we're able to compete with the top of the ACHA when the stakes are equal for both sides. I'm disappointed that we're treating squeaking out a win to possibly save a nationals bid after being outplayed for the majority of the weekend as some kind of epic victory. I despise that we let the Blue Hens get in our heads and spent much of the two games tossing cheap verbal barbs their way. Or something a little more than a barb, like Marek Polidor at the end of the second period Saturday.

That's not the Penn State I know. But for this week at least, the full rant was postponed.

Okay, on to the actual game stuff...

Much like last week, the unheralded guys really stepped up for the Icers - go no further than the bookend goals on Saturday for evidence of that one.

First was Mike McDonagh, one of last weekend's heroes. He pounced on a neutral zone turnover, came in alone, was denied by goalie Nick Casella, then scored following up. Casella thought it was kicked in - don't ask me to judge things like that watching over the internet - but the officials disagreed. The game winner came off the stick of Mike Broccolo, who had a great weekend against West Chester too, just without the scoresheet cred, at the end of a tremendous shift by he and linemates Joe Zitarelli and Nick Seravalli. Broccolo actually came hard on the forecheck and made an interception to start that entire sequence. Well earned.

Much credit is also due Paul Daley. The guy found himself in the middle of a firestorm this week, but responded with a good weekend, particularly on Friday, when he had a hand in both Icers goals, including his score in the second period that tied the game, briefly, at one. And much like Broccolo last weekend, his efforts went beyond his point total. He's just one of those guys who plays well with a chip on his shoulder, clearly not for everyone, but it works for him.

Dan Petrick had an interesting weekend, to say the least. On Friday, Peter Crampton's eventual game winner bounced in off his body. Then on Saturday, he was victimized on Delaware's first goal when he lost track of David Conte. He counterbalanced this with saving a goal off of the goalline in the first period Saturday and by his generally steady play that makes him a personal favorite.

Matt Madrazo? Do I even need to talk about him anymore? Kid's a flat out stud. 79 of 85 for the weekend.

One major minus on Friday goes to Dominic Morrone for his senseless late-game penalty. How bad was it? Well, let me put it this way. Official write-ups are always dry and facts-only, right? Well, not in this case - the Delaware site's official write-up took the time to rip him.

In the games critical minutes Tasker continued his superb play, getting physical with Penn State forward Dominic Morrone. Morrone, a well-known hot head, took a terrible retaliation penalty giving the Hens a powerplay with just over five minutes remaining. Tasker buried a rebound off a one-timer blast from the point by junior Jason Michaud (Kennebunk, ME) just after the man-advantage had expired, locking up the 4-2 win for the home team.

The timing of the penalty was an absolute back-breaker to begin with - Penn State had cut the deficit back to one and was pushing for the tie. Then the Blue Hens compounded the error by scoring four seconds after the penalty expired in what I like to call "bonus time," those few seconds between the end of the penalty and the man getting back into the play. Steve Penstone said on the broadcast that a penalty should have been called on the initial coming together to which Morrone was responding. I didn't see it well enough to comment, and I'm okay taking his word for it, but you still need to keep your head.

To me, one final storyline for Friday's game was second chance opportunities. The stats say that Delaware outshot Penn State 40-27, and that advantage came in part because their attempts came in twos and ours came in ones. A lot of that is a credit to Delaware goalie SJ Broadt, I thought he was a vacuum cleaner on Friday, and what rebounds he did give up were quickly cleared. As a big believer in the value of getting to the front of the net, I'm also a big believer in the idea that the quickest way to shut down an offense is to not give them a reason to go there.

The Icers now go back home for two - it's been a while, the home games against Delaware were our last full home weekend - against Rhode Island for alumni weekend. I'll get a little bit into the Rams, both in the World University Games and not, as the week goes on, but the initial impression based on their games without the four players in Turkey? We can beat them, twice.