BC, BG Sign On For 2013 Pittsburgh Invitational

Jerry York and his boys do this quite frequently - and there's a good chance they'll play Penn State in 2013.

While the inaugural edition of the Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational is still more than four months away, we now know the participating teams for the second PCHI, scheduled tentatively for late December, 2013.

The Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune is reporting that their hometown school will join Penn State and Robert Morris, as well as defending national champion Boston College, for next year's event at the Consol Energy Center.

Miami and Ohio State are certainly exciting draws for the brand-new tournament this season, but pulling Boston College is on a whole new level. The Eagles are considered by most to be the beginning and end of the "best program of the last 15 years" argument. And for good reason. Jerry York's juggernaut has appeared in ten Frozen Fours since 1998, including national titles in 2001, 2008, 2010 and 2012. BC also has 15 regular season or playoff Hockey East titles in that time, as well as six Beanpot titles (for those new to this, the Beanpot is a four-team tournament contested by BC, Boston University, Harvard and Northeastern each year, and believe me when I say the Boston-area college hockey community considers it to be a big deal).

Bowling Green, under coach Chris Bergeron, is attempting to bounce back from the near-death experience the program had during the 2008-2009 season. The Falcons have been a perennial doormat for quite a while - in fact, during BC's run of excellence, BG has not even posted a winning record. Still, increased investment from alumni has led to much-needed upgrades at their home BGSU Ice Arena, and Bergeron's experience in helping Enrico Blasi build Miami into a national power has already paid dividends. He's improved the Falcons' win total in each of his first two seasons, and last season, he led the team to an upset of eventual national runner-up Ferris State in the CCHA tournament. That series win advanced the Falcons to the CCHA semifinals at Detroit's Joe Louis Arena for the first time since 2001.

In 2013-2014, when this tournament will be played, Bowling Green will move from the dying CCHA to a new-look WCHA missing several power programs that will bolt to the Big Ten or NCHC at that time. Notably, BG will end up as the only team to play in the CCHA for each season of its existence (Ohio - yes, that Ohio - Ohio State and Saint Louis were the other charter members, but OSU left the conference from 1973-1975).

As the Sentinel-Tribune points out, BG has a couple of interesting tie-ins to their possible opposition and to the PCHI's home arena. York, of course, left the Falcons program for Chestnut Hill in 1994, but not before he led his previous employer to the only national championship won by an Ohio school, in 1984. The Pittsburgh Penguins, the Consol Energy Center's regular tenants, are coached by Dan Bylsma, who is assisted by Todd Reirden. Both are former Bowling Green players and assistant coaches.

One other interesting detail in the Sentinel-Tribune article:

Bergeron said it hasn’t been decided if the event will be played in a true tournament format with semifinal, consolation and championship games or if the pairings for each day will be determined in advance.

Admittedly, there are a few different ways to interpret that statement, but it could certainly be taken to mean that the format for this year's tournament hasn't been finalized as of yet either. While the idea of having some kind of championship to play for - even if it's just a four-team holiday tournament, it's likely all PSU would have this year - is appealing, there certainly are other considerations in play. NCAA tournament at-large bid contenders Miami and Ohio State want to maximize the pairwise yield from the tournament. Robert Morris wants to maximize attendance which, from their perspective, probably means a matchup with the Nittany Lions. PSU would undoubtedly love a shot at future Big Ten rival OSU. Given those realities and others, pre-arranged pairings might actually be best for all four teams.

Three Stars: June 25-July 1

3. PSU Men's Hockey: Charter a bus from University Park, PA to Wilkes-Barre, PA on 10/13/2012
(change.org)

Generally, I'm happy with the inaugural men's schedule, or at least understanding of the realities that led to things like six ACHA games. One place where I'm displeased, though, is that October 13th game with AIC in Wilkes-Barre. That weekend should have been the culmination of a week-long celebration of Penn State NCAA hockey at University Park (not-so-subtle hint to get the Blue-White weekend carnival in for it, or at least sell funnel cakes outside the rink...yum), with the men playing their first-ever games Friday and Saturday, and the women playing their first home games Saturday and Sunday against Syracuse. Instead, they decided to break that up to go market chasing - which is fine in most cases - on a weekend I felt should have been left alone. Not only that, but they moved the first women's home game from Saturday afternoon to Saturday night, making it impossible to watch both even with teleportation powers.

Chartering a bus to get PSU students and local fans two and a half hours up the road would be a step back in the right direction. While not ideal, it's something the university ought to do to give the community back one of a very limited number of DI home games.

2. Alec Marsh Player Bio
(usahockey.com)

2015 forward commit Alec Marsh did quite well for himself at the prestigious USA Hockey Select 17 Player Development Camp in Rochester, NY last week. In six games, he put up a goal and five assists to help his Gold Team to the title via a 3-2-0-1 (W-OTW-OTL-L) overall record, including a 4-2 championship game win over the Columbia Team. Marsh's six points tied for the team lead and for sixth among everyone at the camp.

1. Olczyk brothers working hard to impress at Hurricanes camp
(examiner.com)

In yet another little milestone for the program, Tommy Olczyk became Penn State's first-ever NHL Development Camp invitee. He (along with brother Eddie, of UMass) participated in the Carolina Hurricanes' version - a conditioning camp - last week. I had planned on just linking the invitee list with some kind of "see, it really happened" comment, but Examiner.com stepped in with a nice article, so thanks for that.

The AP also stepped in with a write-up (carried on NHL.com as well), which is nice if you want to see Olczyk in a white jersey. The Examiner had firstsies though, so they get the official honor.

I suppose this makes up for the origins of this particular NHL franchise. No wait, it doesn't. I hate Canes owner Peter Karmanos even more than I hate North Dakota. Thankfully, the world of horribly-animated GIFs offers an outlet:

Best of the Rest



Anthony Walsh 2011-12 highlights
(YouTube)

According to his father, Edina (MN) High School forward Anthony Walsh is visiting Penn State this week. Check out the video and tell me you wouldn't love watching a guy who lives in beast mode in blue and white. Walsh has gotten hot as of late, both on the ice and in terms of his stock. He put up nine points in three Section 2AA playoff games to lead the section in scoring, then followed up the Hornets' season-ending state tournament loss with an impressive run of showcases, drawing the interest of both the Nittany Lions and Bowling Green in the process. Walsh, who just finished his junior year at Edina, will be attending camp at PSU in July and is presently trying to catch on with a USHL team for next season.

Maturi hoped Penn State would join CCHA
(PucKato)

The money quote from outgoing Minnesota AD Joel Maturi:

"I'm disappointed (the WCHA) broke up," he said, speaking to members of the Minnesota Associated Press Sports Association during its annual meeting in Minneapolis. "I would have liked to see it stay. My initial hope was Penn State would go to the CCHA. ... I think things would have been fine."

Me too, bud. Admittedly, my opinion is mostly borne of selfish concerns (as is his, I suppose, just different ones): I think the Big Ten, and the programs it contains, is a brutal situation for a new program. The CCHA offered more shades of grey and a more even distribution of the rungs on the latter. In the Big Ten, PSU will have to be above average just to avoid the cellar and probably one of the top 10 teams in the country just to finish in the top half of the conference. That's pretty daunting. The CCHA certainly offered top programs as well, including a couple of the same ones, but decidedly more opportunity to make progress in the standings without beating one of those programs.

It's all moot now, though. Time to move ahead with the hand we have.

New Jerseys
(The Munn Minute)

I really wasn't a fan of Michigan State's standardization of their athletic uniforms a couple years ago, because I think it's okay for individual teams to have their unique traditions, within university branding guidelines. When I did a concept Penn State hockey jersey, someone asked me how I could dare to put surnames on a PSU jersey. Simply put, I view the absence of names as a "Penn State football" thing, not a "Penn State" thing. In fact, Penn State basketball had names on jerseys for quite a while (with removal only in recent years), and non-revenue sports rarely include names, regardless of the school. The Icers, of course, had names - oversized ones, to boot - most of the time from roughly 1990 to the present, although they were removed from the blue jerseys for whatever reason over the last several years.

Anyway, one of those quirks lost in MSU's school-wide redesign was hockey's script writing, which is now back in the form of alternate jerseys. I elected to use the standard jerseys for the picture here, since that's what they'll likely wear against the Lions (still feels weird typing that) on January 25th and 26th. The major change in that department: the words "Michigan State" and the player's number have been eliminated from the front of the green jerseys in favor of the spartan helmet to match the whites.

Pittsburgh Becoming a College Hockey Hotbed
(penguins.nhl.com)

Dickie Dunn wrote this, it's gotta be true! Well, okay, Dickie Dunn didn't write it. But everyone else is, so I'm inclined to believe it anyway.

@Jonathan_Milley
(Twitter)

A few months ago, when Rob Lowe started a rumor about American-style footballer Peyton Manning's impending retirement, I was appalled. Not at Lowe, but at the large number of hockey players on Twitter saying, essentially, "who the hell is Rob Lowe?" I get that you guys weren't yet born during the Brat Pack's heyday, but Dean MFing Youngblood. Figure it out. Jon Milley gets it, you should too.

Ohio to continue rivalry with Penn State in 2012-13
(The Post)

Here's some early OU perspective on what might be the final, final chapter of the greatest rivalry in ACHA history.

[OU coach Dan] Morris said there is a possibility the Nittany Lions will stay on their schedule, but continuation of the rivalry is not favorable

"Now that there's Big Ten hockey and it’s on their agenda, (nonconference scheduling) might become a talking point," he said. "It's something we'd like to continue, but it’s something where we'll see."

NCAA teams generally play exhibition games against CIS (basically, the Canadian university version of the NCAA) schools every year, so in that vein, I'd love to keep an annual game with the Bobcats. The problem, though, is that ACHA opponents always count against the NCAA's 34-game limit, and a once-per-season exemption can be used for exhibition games against CIS teams. Since it makes little sense to treat CIS and ACHA teams differently, I'd like to see a similar exemption for ACHA teams. Not just for the sake of PSU-Ohio, but in order to help grow the ACHA.

I don't have Dan Morris on the phone right now to clarify, but reading between the lines of his quote, he seems to think that the large number of out-of-conference games in the world of six-team leagues might keep the door open a crack. However, because the ACHA doesn't exactly hold a position of power with regard to scheduling (or game exemption rules), and because surely PSU would rather not play an ACHA team against the 34 if at all possible, my advice is to enjoy the games against the Bobcats like they're the last ones you'll ever see.

Three Stars: May 28-June 3

Curtis Loik was involved in an interesting transaction last week.

3. RMU Hockey
(Facebook)

Robert Morris' Facebook page is running a poll asking who you'd like to see the Colonials play in their opener at the Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational in December. I have no clue how much influence this poll has over the actual decision (if any), but get on there and vote for Miami. An RMU-Miami matchup would lock in PSU-Ohio State on the other side. You do want to play Ohio State this year, right?

Don't worry about coming off as selfish either. A PSU-OSU matchup stands the greatest chance of drawing out the notoriously light-traveling Buckeye fans, as well as casual PSU fans who would only turn up for a name opponent, and therefore maximizing the tournament's revenue. And from host RMU's perspective, that's a good thing. So is playing someone you haven't already played that month - the Colonials are slated to play Ohio State on December 7th and 8th, followed by the Nittany Lions on the 15th. Technically, they also play PSU on the 2nd. Wait, what?

They mean RMU's ACHA D3 team, a regular opponent of Brandywine's ACHA D3 team, right? If not, that's about the craziest scheduling quirk I've ever seen. Geographically, it makes sense. RMU is at Holy Cross on the 11/30-12/1 weekend, and it wouldn't be an ordeal to swing past southeast PA on the way home. But until the Colonials officially announce their schedule - the source on this is the Atlantic Hockey site - I'm just going to assume it's some kind of amusing error.

2. In hockey or softball, Neuqua’s Meyer thrives on pressure
(dailyherald.com)

Get to know freshman women's goalie Brooke Meyer here. And here's all I need to know:

“I love the pressure — take me to a shootout any time,” said Meyer, who has never lost one. “I love being the last person my team can count on. You gotta love pressure to play sports.”

1. Penticton-Victoria Trade
(Brian's Banter)

In a somewhat curious move, the Penticton Vees have shipped the rights to incoming forward Curtis Loik to the Victoria Grizzlies to complete the January 11th trade in which the Vees acquired Wade Murphy, a 2013 Merrimack commit and a vital component of Penticton's run to the RBC Cup this past season.

In my mind, Loik is the real wild card in the trade as he seems poised to break out as a 19-year-old in 2012-13, but it won't be in the BCHL as he's committed to Penn. State for the upcoming season. I'm thinking the only way he goes to Victoria is at the recommendation of his college team, and that's got to be what the Grizzlies are banking on, otherwise he probably wouldn't have been included in the deal.

TYT has confirmed with Guy Gadowsky that Loik is still scheduled to come to PSU this season, so uhhh...sorry about your luck Victoria. The Grizzlies still do get Zach Urban and Chad Bannor, two uncommitted defensemen who could conceivably help their team this year. And it's not like their shot in the dark at Loik had any risk associated with it. So nice try, I guess.

Best of the Rest

Princeton tough guy stands ready to help Kings
(The Trentonian)

Regular readers of Three Stars know I'm a sucker for a good Gadowsky compliment. So here's one from Princeton alumnus/Kings enforcer Kevin Westgarth:

"Coach (Guy) Gadowsky was there when I was there, and it was a big reason why I got to where I am. I wouldn’t change that for anything."

O'Brien, Crispin, Mitchell And More To Tee Off On Cancer
(gopsusports.com)

...and a check in with Gadowsky's women's counterpart, Josh Brandwene (also known as "and more"), reveals that he played in the Coaches vs. Cancer Golf Tournament on Friday.

@sjchro
(Twitter)

The last Lady Icers captain approves of the first Nittany Lions captain. That's always nice to know.

2012-2013 Recruiting Update
(sundevilhockey.com)

While I'm not paying too much attention to ACHA recruiting as a whole, I really can't imagine that anyone's doing better than Arizona State right now. Their latest adds: USHL defenseman Jordan Young, OJHL defenseman Zach Bayer and forward Faiz Khan, a transfer from NCAA Division III UMass-Boston. All three are Arizona or California natives who apparently agree with my opinion that going to a large and well-known school with a good ACHA program is better than DIII. There's not a huge difference in the quality of the hockey, you're not going to make much of a living playing the game either way and you're not getting an athletic scholarship either way, so you might as well go to a place like ASU instead of a place like...well, UMass-Boston.

The Sun Devils, in addition to this latest group, are also bringing in three Canadian Junior A guys and a transfer from DI Canisius to complement what was already a pretty good roster. Calling it right now: Penn State better not take the games with ASU this year lightly, or the visitors may leave the Ice Pavilion with a story for their grandkids. The Lions will have the better team, but the Devils will certainly be talented enough to punish them if they're less than fully dialed in. PSU, of all schools, should know that an in-transition DI is not necessarily an automatic over a top ACHA. Let's not be the people who don't learn from history, especially when its our own history.

Five members of the Spartan hockey media contingent discuss the coming season with coach Tom Anastos (left) while a camera guy records the proceedings...oh wait, that's just one guy on the near side of the table. So four members.

Anastos Holds Spring Media Briefing
(msuspartans.com)

There's little doubt in my mind that Michigan State gets social media and the public dialog better than any other Big Ten school (I'll exempt Penn State from this statement, since it's still too early to say how things will go once the NCAA program is in full swing). Head coach Tom Anastos is on Twitter, and on the Derek Schooley Scale of Interesting, he doesn't rate too badly. And during Anastos' spring media briefing, the program's Twitter account shot out some of the details. This one's among the juiciest, if you don't want to listen to the whole thing:

Analysis of the 2012-2013 Penn State hockey schedule
(Rome's Ramblings)

Remember last week when I complained about a lack of analysis concerning the schedule? Order up.

I'll pass on a full critique of the critique, but generally speaking, I think this perspective eschews rationality in favor of a "waaaahhhh...I wanna be a real DI team NOW!" attitude. While that's understandable to a point, there are numerous reasons why Penn State couldn't (and really, shouldn't) have a schedule of Denver, North Dakota, Minnesota, Boston College, Michigan, rinse and repeat, this year.

Basically, have some patience. We'll get there, as soon as 2013-2014, when 20 of our 34 are spoken for by the Big Ten. Plus in the non-con, we'll almost certainly have return trips from the likes of Union and RIT (the writer seems to think that reciprocation has to happen in the same year) plus the Pittsburgh tournament.

Hockey back at WSU with new ACHA squad
(MichiganCollegeHockey)

It's good to see the Wayne State men back on the grid. Still, scoreboard.

Staten Island Sanitation worker jumps to his death from Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
(silive.com)

A 54-year-old Sanitation worker jumped to his death from the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge Sunday morning.

Joseph Battista plunged around 8:20 a.m. from the upper level, according to police.

Passing drivers spotted Battista standing outside the guardrail, pacing in the rain, around 8 a.m., according to a New York Post report. Two officers approached Battista in an effort to talk him down, but the 54-year old Sanitation worker jumped.

You guys better appreciate the amount of stuff I have to sift through to do this. Rest in peace, Joe Battista.

Three Stars: May 14-20

3. Big Ten Names Steve Piotrowski Incoming Coordinator of Men's Ice Hockey Officials
(bigten.org)

Here's the identity of one guy to get upset with when the calls don't go our way.

2. Bill O'Brien, Guy Gadowsky eye outdoor hockey game at Beaver Stadium
(The Daily Collegian)

In wrapping up the PSU Coaches Caravan from a hockey perspective, it's pretty safe to say that this is the most notable story to emerge. To be sure, we're still several years out from anything like this seriously being on the table, but it's an idea that has been gaining momentum.

At the Pegula Ice Arena groundbreaking ceremony, someone asked Joe Battista about the oft-suggested Penguins-Flyers Winter Classic at PSU. Battista's answer: "We want to be be in that game." It seems as if, for a couple of reasons, people are starting to realize that Gary Bettman's buy-in may not be needed to stage an outdoor hockey game in Beaver Stadium. And who knows - maybe a PSU game will serve as a catalyst to eventually landing the Winter Classic. That progression certainly worked out for Michigan better than I expected.

1. Penn State Hockey on the Coaches Caravan
(YouTube)

There was a time not too long ago when I referred to most of what came out of the Coaches Caravan as "vapid, yet fluffy." But you know what? Sometimes, that's exactly what one needs.

Best of the Rest



RMU Hockey: Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational
(YouTube)

Robert Morris coach and occasional TYT mancrush subject Derek Schooley shares his thoughts on December's Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational (which, of course, includes PSU, RMU, Ohio State and Miami at the Consol Energy Center), now officially the only holiday tournament that matters.

One minor observation: the Colonials play a home-and-home with the Buckeyes on December 7th and 8th, then of course visit PSU on the 15th. Given that, it seems obvious that the PCHI would pair RMU with Miami on the 28th to guarantee new opposition, which of course leaves the Nittany Lions with the Buckeyes. Bobby Mo opening with PSU or OSU opens the door to their only playing the two teams that they've already played that month. As hosts, I'm guessing that they're going to want to pile as much luster on this thing as is possible, and it seems like that would not necessarily be the way to do it.

Pieces falling into place for Gadowsky, Penn State
(USCHO)

USCHO certainly has a strange way of dropping a lengthy and comprehensive story into your lap when you least expect it. Here's some George Saad quotage from the article:

“I was pretty much just going to get my education,” said forward George Saad of Wexford, Pa., who will be a senior in the fall. “Penn State was trying to go D-I for many years, and I didn’t know if it was going to happen. I came to play [club] hockey, and it worked out in the end.”

Playing for a Division I coach in Gadowsky this season was a positive experience for Saad, who skated for Mahoning Valley of the NAHL in the junior ranks.

“He’s an awesome coach,” said Saad, a civil engineering major who posted 34 goals and 66 points in 77 club outings with the Icers. “When he came in, everything went up to the next level. The expectations became higher, and we played a lot better.”

Gratz named new Bloomington coach
(Fort Wayne News-Sentinel)

Brian Gratz didn't play all that much as an Icers goalie from 1999-2004, appearing in 17 games total, although it needs to be said that he posted a sparkling 1.53 goals against average as a senior when getting more than a fleeting opportunity (he was also an Ice Lion from 2000-2003, where he was an ACHA Division 2 All-American in 2002-2003).

It's safe to say, though, that he's close to the top of the Icers' alumni list when it comes to forging a post-PSU career in hockey. Gratz bounced around the low minors from 2004-2007, then broke into coaching (included: a stop back with the Icers as a goaltending coach in 2009-2010) rising to become GM/head coach of the Central Hockey League's Dayton Gems from 2010-2012. His tenure there ended due to the team's folding, however he's landed on his feet with this newly-acquired position as head coach of the CHL's Bloomington Blaze.

PS. Here's some nice analysis on the CHL's franchise roulette, if you're interested.

Bailey Bram, a 2010 Patty Kaz finalist and a gold medal winner with Team Canada at the recent IIHF Women's World Championships, is among the seniors Mike Sisti will try to replace with a large recruiting class. Photo: Tim Brule/USCHO

Women's Hockey Adds A Dozen For Upcoming 2012-13 Campaign
(hurstathletics.com)

The CHA's juggernaut is adding 12 players for this season, including three transfers from dead program Niagara.

RIT women’s coach McDonald takes plea deal
(USCHO)

Memo to Coach Brandwene: if you ever play men's league with Scott McDonald, try to get on his team.

New Scoreboard & Sound System for Mariucci
(Gopher Puck Live)

There's something extraordinarily satisfying about knowing that your school's facility helped set off a mini-arms race within the Big Ten. First Yost Ice Arena, now this. Nice try, guys. As Section E would say to an opposing goalie at the beginning of the third period, "we're still here, and you still suck."

@aschwepfinger
(Twitter)

Pretty big talk for a school that has two* more NCAA conference championship-winning seasons than Penn State after 41 years in the CCHA and 49 overall as an varsity program. Also, it's hard not to appreciate the irony of a Buckeye going with an "amateurs" beak at a college hockey program. Yes, we are amateurs, no argument here. Are your guys not or something?

Apparently, Mr. Schwepfinger is the director of the OSU Knucklebucks, which is his school's hockey student section. On a related note, I've heard a lot of hype about the creativity of NCAA hockey student sections but am officially underwhelmed so far as of now.

* One of those years was 1971-1972, the first year of the CCHA's existence, and ten years before the defections of Michigan, Michigan State and Notre Dame from the WCHA handed it major conference status. OSU's competition for that inaugural league crown? Three other teams: Bowling Green, Ohio (yes, that Ohio) and Saint Louis.

Penn State athletics emerge from last fall’s crisis with transformative leadership
(Steve On Crisis)

Okay, one more Coaches Caravan-related link. I liked this a lot, and it reads like the post I would've written about it, had I not decided to pour my guts out to you guys instead. There's only one sentence where I have an issue.

Penn State is in the seventh month of a crisis that’s far from ended. The child sex-abuse trial of former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is coming and will tear off all the healing scabs this great university grew in the last few months since legendary coach Joe Paterno’s firing and death.

He's not alone in that opinion, but I respectfully disagree, as I feel like we have a reasonably decent grasp of what happened. I can't speak for you, but rehashing it all in great detail won't harm my healing process. Sandusky can't get any lower. He (allegedly) raped numerous young boys. The specifics are irrelevant to me. Tim Curley was a disposable suit/photo op robot to me, and I'd never even heard of Gary Schultz until this all happened. There's really nothing that can come out relative to those three that makes things any worse.

Sure, there's Paterno, who has always been the lightning rod in all of this. But whatever you think of how he handled things 10 years ago, it's tangental to proving Sandusky's guilt and not likely to be a significant part of his proceedings. It's not tangental to Curley and Schultz, but a) Will those cases even make it to trial, particularly with key witness Paterno now deceased? and b) I'm still 4-5 years from a law degree, but it seems to me that the state would want to paint Paterno as someone who fulfilled his obligation while Curley and Schultz neglected theirs.

If you think I'm wrong, get at me in the comments and tell me about the rest of the iceberg I'm supposedly missing.

Justin Kirchhevel and Oklahoma goalie Nick Holmes: probably still not Facebook friends.

Gadowsky is right man for Penn State
(Buffalo News)

We should probably close on a positive note after that one, eh?

I really want to tip my hat to Buffalo News columnist Bucky Gleason here. As a Buffalonian (is that the proper demonym for someone from Buffalo?), he had a really easy story handed to him by the PSU Coaches Caravan (yeah, okay, one more link) stop on Tuesday. Terry Pegula was there, as were both Gadowsky and Josh Brandwene. It would have been very, very easy to toss some standard hero worship Pegula's way, say everyone else is pretty swell too, insert some bland quotes from each, and call it a day. Instead, Gleason did actual research and built a cogent point around it, even "uncovering" the Justin Kirchhevel-Nick Holmes incident at ACHA nationals, and Gadowsky's subsequent benching of his leading scorer.

Gadowsky sent a clear message that he wouldn't tolerate inappropriate behavior. He was committed to Penn State's motto: Success with honor.

"We're building a foundation for doing things right," he said. "The words, 'Success with honor,' they're just words until you follow through with that. What happened, I felt, was an incident that I felt spoke [against] success with honor. We want to do things the right way. You can't just talk about it. This needed a response. It had to be done."

For the record, I completely agree. Gleason went on to essentially say that the only way for Penn State to heal its reputation is to simply do the right thing at all times - the Kirchhevel suspension being one example - and that Gadowsky is the type of person who can reach that high ideal.

Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational Finalized

As Penn State moves into Division I, we're going to have to get used to several differences from the ACHA era. There might be a certain loss of intimacy as PSU moves into a larger arena and gains a larger following. The losses per season will no longer be capped around five. But for me, the toughest adjustment might be the fact that the Nittany Lions won't (more or less, despite the drama of 2011) automatically compete in a tournament to determine a national champion at the end of the season.

The coming season, in particular, will be tough in that regard. Not only is the NCAA Tournament off the table, but there won't even be a Big Ten tournament with a theoretical shot at NCAA participation built in. The season will just sort of awkwardly conclude, probably after the late February series at Wisconsin.

PSU seems to have found the next best thing, however: a holiday tournament at Pittsburgh's Consol Energy Center that will feature up-and-coming Robert Morris, future Big Ten rival Ohio State and perennial national power Miami. The long-rumored event has finally been confirmed for December 28th and 29th by Sam Werner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. There's more, though.

The long-term goal for the tournament is to have Robert Morris and Penn State play every year, and bring in different high-caliber teams to round out the field. Schooley said Boston College, the defending NCAA champion, has expressed an interest in playing in the future.

"It's going to be really neat because we're going to have the opportunity to bring in some very high-level teams over the next few years," [RMU coach Derek] Schooley said.

[Consol Energy Center GM Jay] Roberts said Robert Morris has been heavily involved in planning the tournament, and Penn State will take on more from a planning perspective as the program continues to grow.

Is there anything not to love here? From a Penn State perspective, it's a showcase in a vital market, one with a growing talent base, a potentially large fan base, and with the possibility of involving top teams from around the nation. It has a chance to become a staple of Nittany Lion schedules for a long time. And hey, from a Robert Morris perspective, good on them - they're certainly not interested in punching bags to help themselves look good in their home tournament.

If the tournament's participation stabilizes at some point - I'd be thrilled with PSU, RMU, OSU, Miami every single year to be honest - it could even become the Ohio/Pennsylvania version of the Beanpot, the annual Boston-area college tournament that locals and alumni place on a level right next to the NCAA and conference tournaments.

The programs need no introduction. Miami, under Enrico Blasi, has become one of the top five or ten programs in the country in the last decade. Ohio State, despite an up and down history, certainly has name recognition and may finally be hitting their stride as a program (and as Doc Emrick can tell you, they've produced several notable NHLers over the years like Ryan Kesler, Rod Pelley, Dave Steckel and R.J. Umberger). The Colonials...well, you might not be quite as familiar with them (go here if you're not), but believe me when I say that they've proven that they won't be out of their pay grade against some of these programs, despite their newness and conference affiliation.

The Icers had a bit of history - sort of - in the tournament's previous incarnation as a single-day showcase. On January 8, 2010 at the Pittsburgh Hockey Classic, PSU was scheduled to play RMU's ACHA team in between games by the varsity Colonials' men and women. Because of a scoreboard issue at the late Mellon Arena (and a subsequent issue with the crane used to fix the scoreboard), the Icers were squeezed into a two-period exhibition, which they won 3-2. Schooley's troops upset Miami 3-1 that day, and the RMU women (now a CHA rival of the PSU women, of course) opened the event with a 4-2 loss to Connecticut.

On January 3, 2003, before RMU began its program, Penn State played in what was dubbed the Pittsburgh College Hockey Showcase. In a doubleheader event, NCAA programs Ohio State and Princeton tangled (incidentally, Pelley, Umberger and Steckel all recorded points in the 4-1 Buckeye win, although Guy Gadowsky was a year and a half away from showing up at Princeton, in case you were wondering about that) before the Icers thumped Washington & Jefferson in the nightcap.

PS. I've updated the M 2012-2013 Schedule page with this news.

Badger Mushroom Spartan

The Daily Collegian is reporting that some scheduling details that Joe Battista all but confirmed in a radio interview last week are now official: Penn State has agreed to play Wisconsin and Michigan State next year. Dates and locations were not disclosed, although it's a pretty safe bet that the Wisconsin games are at the Kohl Center, considering the Wisconsin media first reported this series last November. The Michigan State series, likewise, will probably be at Munn Ice Arena, although I'm still keeping my fingers crossed for neutral site games at some facility in Pennsylvania larger than the Ice Pavilion.

There's more.

The Icers will face 20 or 22 NCAA Division I opponents, and as of now Battista said Penn State has too many tentative verbal commitments. However, director of hockey operations Bill Downey said they are now under 34 games, the maximum number allowed by the NCAA during the regular season.

This is another thing Battista mentioned in that radio interview, which is now also confirmed: PSU will not play a full Division I schedule next year, and in fact has to back out of some verbal agreements to get down to an acceptable number of DI games. I thought/hoped we were past the "halfway" approach, but apparently not. Battista made it clear that this isn't an Alabama-Huntsville situation where we're struggling to fill out a schedule, it's a choice. I'll spare the full rant for when the non-DI games are announced if it's still appropriate, but suffice it to say that I'm not a fan of the approach.

Remember that mention of playing in the Robert Morris showcase last week? Here's another Battista quote.

“I'm being told [Ohio State] is one of the teams that's going to be [at the Robert Morris Hockey Showcase]. We're not supposed to release [anything] until we have a signed contract."

Just to rehash the other known quantities on next year's schedule: PSU will play RIT at Blue Cross Arena on October 20th and four games with the U.S. National Team Development Program. UConn, Holy Cross, Army, Air Force, Princeton and Cornell are others with which we've had discussion.

Radio Ga Ga

Joe Battista (right) patted Guy Gadowsky (center) on the back for his recruiting work so far. AD Tim Curley (left) stood within camera range and tried to take credit for it like usual.

Joe Battista spent the last ten minutes of the afternoon drive show on ESPN 970 AM in Pittsburgh on Tuesday talking about the progress of the hockey program with co-host Mike Prisuta. While a lot of it was dumbed down for people that don't follow this stuff on a daily basis, JoeBa did drop a few interesting nuggets on us. Join me after the transcript for some quick thoughts.
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Mike Prisuta: Let me give you a little background on our next guest now, because this guy's worth a story or two. He has traveled the world in hockey capacities, and on one such trip last year, in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, I was attending the NCAA Frozen Four. And this gentlemen whom we're about to speak with was about town in his Penn State hockey attire - the golf shirts and the track jacket and everything else. But everywhere we went, people would ask 'boy, does Penn State have a hockey team?' and my man Joe Battista would say 'it does now!' Joe, welcome to the program.

Joe Battista: Thanks Mike, thanks Joe, good to be here.

MP: Joe, your official title is what, "associate AD in charge of...hockey and the rink?"

JB: Pretty much, the Pegula Ice Arena and the men's and women's varsity hockey programs, yes sir.

MP: I know this is a labor of love for you, as well as a very important job, one that's going to grow the game at the collegiate level, but catch us up, if you could Joe, on the timeline, where are we as far as the construction of the rink, and Penn State is still playing a club schedule this year - is that correct - and when do you go DI, when does the Big Ten start?

JB: We are still playing in the American Collegiate Hockey Association, ACHA club level division 1 this year, and just came back from Illinois where we had a sweep, won 11-0 and 5-2, a good set of road wins for our new coach, Guy Gadowsky, who came over from Princeton University. We hired him back in April and he's done a phenomenal job.

As far as the arena is concerned, we are still in our final stages of design. We will break ground in the new year. Before we can get the ice rink...the new location we have, we have to relocate a lacrosse field, which is currently being built right next door to our indoor track, that project's well underway and things look very good. So we're going to be open with the new Pegula Ice Arena in September of 2013, which means next year when we play our first official season as a varsity team since 1946 - because Mike, a lot of people don't know that Penn State did have varsity hockey here from 1940 to '46 - so...

"It's 1947, you whippersnapper!" - Ghost of Jim O'Hora

MP: Were you coaching it then, Joe?

JB: No, that was the other Joe Battista in those years...maybe Joe Paterno...

MP: I was going to say! [laughter]

JB: ...so it's actually been a lot of fun. You know, the former players are very excited, we've had a club program here now since 1971, and the alums are all fired up about it. We've kept in touch with a great many of them, between Twitter and Facebook and all those other things somebody always has to show me how to work, we're really keeping everybody informed, and having a lot of fun with it.

We'll play in a resurrected varsity season, first one as an independent beginning next year. But we'll have 20-plus games against the likes of your Michigan State Spartans and the Wisconsin Badgers and we'll be playing in a tournament at Consol Energy Center with Robert Morris and some other teams, and we'll be playing down at Wells Fargo Center and the Giant Center. We'll be playing up at the Wilkes-Barre arena. You know, our job next year is to get the team and the program around the state and get everybody fired up about Penn State hockey.

MP: And then the first year of Big Ten play will be '13-'14, is that correct?

JB: Yes, it will. And you know with the Big Ten Network, we're going to reach close to 100 million homes, not only in the United States but in Canada and in terms of recruiting, that's a real big bonus for us. We're excited about it, and we're also excited, quite honestly, about Notre Dame joining Hockey East and bringing the NBC Sports network to the college hockey world, and it's just going to increase the exposure of the great game of college hockey to a lot of people that have never had the opportunity to really experience it.

As you know, it is a just exciting brand of hockey. The fans are passionate, they're rabid, anywhere you go in the country, you'll find traditions. Some of the rinks that are out there are some of the oldest college venues going, but you also have brand new facilities like the ones at Miami of Ohio, Notre Dame's is about to open up this week, and of course ours will be open in just two years.

MP: Talk about the rink a little bit. I know you guys are very excited about it, and Terry Pegula, the owner of the Buffalo Sabres - his donation to Penn State was before he took over Buffalo, correct?

JB: Yes. You know, at that time, they didn't really have him on the radar screen. Actually, you know, a fellow Penn State alum and a Pittsburgh native Cliff Benson was really instrumental both in helping us to finish off the agreement here with their record gift to Penn State of $88 million for us to build this double sheet facility that's going to hold 6,000 people. It will have 14 suites, 600 club seats, 100 loge box seats, it's going to have - the student section Mike is going to be unbelievable, the steepest rate that we're allowed to have by code and it will be at the end of course that we're shooting twice. So we're not going to have the biggest arena in the Big Ten or in the country, but our objective is to make it the nicest and one of the most unhospitable places for the opponent to play in.

Yep, that student section on the far end is pretty steep.

MP: And how is Guy Gadowsky proceeding as far as incorporating scholarship players? Have you awarded any yet, or are any of those guys playing now - and what do you think the team will look like along those lines when you go DI in '12-'13?

JB: Well, we've got a number of verbal commitments right now. The National Letter of Intent day is coming up at the beginning of November, and at that point we'll be able to actually get names out there, but we're doing great. We had a first class of recruits that came in this year that was not able to accept any scholarship money, they had to be full-pays for this year. But already, a number of them are making a big impact, including Eddie Olczyk's son Tommy Olczyk who's a freshman...

MP: No kidding.

JB: ...and just had a hat trick. Yep, Tommy O's here, and we were just in Chicago. Eddie arranged for the team to be able to go see the Blackhawks play the Winnipeg Jets on a Thursday evening prior to our weekend games with Illinois. Tommy's whole family was there and he had a hat trick and a couple of assists. He's playing with some teammates, Justin Kirchhevel and Taylor Holstrom that are transfers from Division I programs. We had four transfers, and we've got a great mix of kids - very, very impressed with Guy Gadowsky and his staff. And we've got one of our own, Penn State alum and a Pittsburgh native as well, Bill Downey, as our director of hockey operations. We're having a ball. It's a lot of fun being able to design the building, to build the schedule, and we've already signed - well, verbal commitments, from two Pennsylvania kids, including one young man from Pittsburgh. We're excited about the possibilities, and we had a young man who's been drafted, an NHL draft pick, we're pretty close on getting him all squared away as well.

MP: Sounds great, I gotta cut you off, we're about out of time. But I really appreciate your time, and wish you, as you know, all the luck in the world with this program. I can't wait for Big Ten hockey, and I will see you at the Pegula Ice Arena.

JB: You bet, thanks Mike.
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First off, if you figure out the NHL draft pick Battista referenced, I'll send you $100 and name the "Current Commitments" page after you. Even if I'm not influential enough to pull that off, it's still nice to know that come November 9th, when the early signing period opens, we'll see some of these guys we've been following become officially official (and who knows, maybe we'll find out about one who slipped under the radar).

Other than that bit of intrigue, the scheduling details were the most compelling item in there. Battista has now confirmed series with Michigan State and Wisconsin. We'll play the Badgers at the Kohl Center, and the location of the MSU games is unknown (hopefully, they'll take place in one of the larger arenas around PA Battista mentioned). Toss in the known RIT game on October 20th, and the previously-confirmed four games with the USNTDP, and one can see the schedule start to shape up.

The MSU games could feature a goaltending matchup of former junior teammates Matt Skoff and Will Yanakeff.

PSU will also be in a tournament with Robert Morris at Consol Energy Center. RMU's annual showcase event usually takes place just before New Year's and is a single-day triple header with their men's, women's and ACHA teams (this year those teams, respectively, play Ohio State, Bemidji State and Pitt on December 30th). However, Battista's "some other teams" makes it sound like they're expanding it, possibly to a four-team/two-day tournament for men's teams. Connecticut, Holy Cross, Army, Air Force, Alabama-Huntsville (assuming they're still around), Princeton and Cornell have also been mentioned as possible 2012-2013 opponents.

Battista also said that PSU will play "20-plus" games against the likes of Wisconsin and Michigan State, which I'll take to mean Division I teams. There's a decent amount of space between that and the 34-game limit. So will the difference be...the NTDP (yes, in part)? DIII schools? CIS schools? ACHA schools? Other? Nothing? As usual, I can't wait to find out.