The Show on the Road

Here are three things I know to be true:

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

Women

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

Three Stars: August 5-11

3. 2013-14 USHL Protected List
(Western College Hockey Blog)

WCHB's Chris Dilks has put together the 30-player rosters and 18-player affiliate lists for each USHL franchise, which is kind of a big deal since the teams don't really go out of their way to keep everyone informed, particularly with respect to the affiliate list.

The primary takeaway from a Penn State perspective: it's verification that A.J. Greer is on the affiliate list of the Des Moines Buccaneers and not the roster. That's not shocking - anything else would have been, in fact - but since the Bucs never actually put out a formal announcement following their tryout camp and ahead of the required July 10th cutdown...

Elsewhere, Chase Berger (Tri-City), Kevin Kerr (Tri-City) and Alec Marsh (Cedar Rapids) are where they're supposed to be. Put that together with Greer's return to Kimball Union Academy, toss in BCHLers Bo Pellah (Alberni Valley) and James Robinson (Langley), and we're as certain as can be reasonably possible at this point of where all of the Nittany Lions' recruits will be playing this season.

2. Jim Delany praises Penn State
(ESPN, via the Associated Press)

Big Ten commissioner Jim Delany stopped by Penn State football's preseason practice Thursday afternoon, where the involved parties went through the usual song and dance of such appearances. PSU gave Delany a football jersey, Delany gave the media the league's highly-manufactured party line concerning the scandal and the sanctions, the media gave the public some filler copy masquerading as actual news...

...except for the part where someone asked Delany about Big Ten hockey.

Delany said he expected to announce a "robust" league media package soon for hockey.

"I think our championship will grow, and I think you'll see that growth pretty immediately," Delany said. "I'm very bullish on hockey."

Well, okay, that's filler copy masquerading as actual news too, it just happens to be about hockey instead of football. Still... "robust?" I can get with that. Hopefully that word and "soon" both turn out to be accurate.

1. 2013 Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff Promo
(YouTube)

Know why this year's Philly Faceoff promo is better than last year's version? Because it involves footage from an NCAA hockey game that Penn State won. This year's PSU-UVM repeat, of course, will be played on October 26th at the Wells Fargo Center and tickets are on sale now.

Best of the Rest

Neil Laessig will try to beat his father, Lehigh coach Tom Laessig, on November 15th and 16th

Lehigh Announces Schedule for 2013-2014 season
(lehighsports.com)

Two more Ice Lions games are out of the bag: November 15th and 16th at ACHA Division 1 Lehigh. The obvious storyline there is that Mountain Hawks coach Tom Laessig is the father of PSU forward Neil, as well as alumnus T.J., who graduated in 2012.

The series brings the total number of known Ice Lions contests to ten, plus postseason. For a full list (other than these, obviously) check out the third star from a couple weeks ago.

Penn State Berks is also on Lehigh's schedule as an ECHA rival, with games in Bethlehem on October 5th and in Wyomissing on November 8th.

Walkom named Senior VP and Director of Officiating
(NHL)

Noted Penn State hockey dad Stephen Walkom is the NHL's new Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating, replacing the retiring Terry Gregson. He was also the NHL's old Senior Vice President and Director of Officiating, as he held the job from 2005-2009 before returning to the ice as a referee. Walkom has been with the NHL in one capacity or the other since 1990 and has worn the orange stripe for 965 regular season games, along with 139 in the playoffs, the latter number including the Stanley Cup finals in 2002, 2004, 2010 and 2011.

"We are fortunate to have someone with Stephen's on- and off-ice experience ready to step in to this position," NHL Senior Executive Vice President and Director of Hockey Operations Colin Campbell said. "From 2005 to 2009, Stephen provided tremendous direction and guidance to our team of officials as the League implemented several rule changes that brought more flow and speed to our game. That management experience, combined with the fact that he has been back on the ice as a referee for the last four years, will be of tremendous benefit to the League and the game."

“The New G-Man” to Open Thursday
(Onward State)

The new era of the G-Man is underway sans the Icers-related ownership group, leaving the Shandygaff uncontested as State College's hockey player bar.

Princeton's Jack Berger: Solid guy

PU's Berger setting example
(The Princeton Packet)

Here's a nice in-depth feature on Princeton senior captain Jack Berger, a pre-med economics major who more or less is the epitome of "student-athlete." Berger was recruited to PU by Guy Gadowsky and played for him as a freshman in 2010-2011, before Gadowsky left for PSU. Additionally, younger brother Chase (who receives a quick mention in the article and another one above in the third star) is a Nittany Lions commit for 2015.

Bazin earns contract extension at Massachusetts-Lowell through ’17-18 campaign
(USCHO)

After Norm Bazin led perennially-average UMass-Lowell (a 2013-2014 PSU opponent) to both Hockey East championships and the Frozen Four in his second season last year, why wouldn't you extend him?

New Madison USHL franchise presents positives and negatives for Badgers
(Bucky's 5th Quarter)

Madison, WI - home to UDubs, of course - has been awarded a not-yet-named USHL franchise for the 2014-2015 season. Generally speaking, people struggle to put a finger on what, exactly, a nearby junior team means for the local college program, but B5Q's Andy Johnson got into the implications of the news as well as anyone. There's good (easier recruiting and scouting, exposure of players to the area) and bad (the cheaper USHL product freely serving alcohol might chip away at the Badgers' attendance) to it, but both are probably overstated in some corners.

UNO, which is located in the same market as the storied Omaha Lancers and is more in line with the USHL's footprint than any other DI program, was fourth in the nation in attendance last season and doesn't run college hockey. Michigan tends to do well with the Ann Arbor, MI-based National Team Development Program, but they'd be doing well with high-end prospects regardless of the NTDP's physical location. So who knows? The USHL certainly won't hurt Wisconsin's recruiting efforts and certainly won't help their attendance, but it's doubtful that any effect will be noticeable to the naked eye.

Penn State isn't barren in the junior program department, with the NAHL's Johnstown Chiefs nearby and the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms about a three-hour drive away (for as long as they can keep from being kicked out of Covelli Centre, anyway).

Comparisons to Gretzky? Valid in at least one respect.

The Crosby Effect
(The Hockey Writers)

Love him or hate him, it seems clear that Sidney Crosby's popularity has been fantastic for the growth of hockey - not just in western Pennsylvania, but nationally as well.

Decision made, Sheridan promoted
(ohiobobcatshockey.com)

Replacing Dan Morris who replaced Craig McCarthy as coach of the Ohio Bobcats: Jonathon Sheridan, a 2011 graduate of Lawrence University who spent last season as Morris' assistant. Good luck bud, that's quite a bit to live up to.

U.S. National Under-18 Team Roster and Schedule for 2013-14 Revealed

2013-14 U.S. National Under-17 Team Roster and Schedule Announced
(USA Hockey)

USA Hockey unveiled the rosters and schedules for its two National Team Development Program squads last week. Penn State is uninvolved, although every other Big Ten team has at least one commit on the U18 team among the league's six total (Minnesota is the school with two). Additionally the U18s, as part of their usual array of exhibitions against college teams, will battle both Michigan and Michigan State this season.

The younger team includes recruits from both Michigan (2) and Wisconsin (1).

NCAA to 'exit' business of selling school-related items
(CBS Sports)

Former Duke basketball player and present lawyer/ESPN analyst Jay Bilas - who is all kinds of awesome, by the way - discovered that on ShopNCAASports.com (a site branded as the NCAA's official online store), typing active student-athletes' names into the site's search box pulled up jerseys of the appropriate school, sport and number. The NCAA, of course, is presently busy in court defending their membership's revenue streams the noble concept of amateurism by arguing that (for example) Texas A&M football jerseys with number 2 but no name on them aren't actually Johnny Manziel jerseys, even though Manziel wears number 2 for the Aggies' football team. Ouch.

Further egg was lobbed the association's way when others discovered that merchandise involving sanctioned individuals like Joe Paterno and Reggie Bush was also available on the site. The Paterno-related items included a DVD of PSU's 2006 Orange Bowl win and a t-shirt commemorating JoePa's 400th career victory, both of which were wiped out by the NCAA penalties last summer.

Anyway, Bilas tweeted his findings last Tuesday. The story blew up from there and two days later, the NCAA announced that it was pulling out of the school- and athlete-specific merchandise business. It remains to be seen how the whole mess impacts the Ed O'Bannon lawsuit (the NCAA, for what it's worth, claims it received no revenue from ShopNCAASports.com), but given that an entity contracted by the NCAA to run its store was using player names to move product, it certainly doesn't look good.

Armchair prediction: college sports will look a lot different in the future than it does right now.

The Colonials honored Chris Kushneriuk after winning the Three Rivers Classic last year

ECHL player returning to hockey after battle with cancer
(The Score)

Saving the best news for last: Former Robert Morris captain Chris Kushneriuk, who was diagnosed with cancer last summer, is officially a survivor. Kushneriuk, who played for RMU from 2008-2011 after transferring from the dying Wayne State program, was most recently with the ECHL's Bakersfield Condors. He issued this statement through the team:

After a tough 13 month battle which has included 4 cycles of chemotherapy, 2 bone marrow transplants, 3 operations and 3 months of oral chemotherapy, I have finished all of my treatments and received the amazing news in Indianapolis today from Dr. Einhorn that everything continues to look good and I am cleared to play hockey this season! Stage 4 cancer survivor!

Penn State-Princeton Photo Gallery

Photos from Tuesday night's Penn State-Princeton women's game. All are by and courtesy of Steven Hass. Click for full size.

Taylor McGee (8) cleans off Nicole Paniccia's (37) doorstep

McGee

Paniccia stopped 27 pucks...

...and at least one player.

Senior defender Lindsay Reihl

Junior forward Taylor Gross was dangerous on several occasions

Freshman forward Micayla Catanzariti

Sophomore forward Jess Desorcie

Freshman sparkplug Jill Holdcroft

Freshman forward Hannah Hoenshell and her silky smooth mitts

Freshman forward Birdie Shaw

Freshman forward Kendra Rasmussen

Freshman defender Jordin Pardoski, one of Paniccia's trusted protectors

Paniccia

Desorcie

Gross (C) and Reihl (A) have a meeting for people who wear a letter

W: Penn State 0 vs. Princeton 3

Box score // GoPSUSports.com recap // GoPrincetonTigers.com recap

I'm going to defer to the very brief GoPrincetonTigers.com recap for the fine details despite watching (and live blogging, below, if you want really fine details) the game, because the proper words are eluding me right now.

I will say that I don't think the loss was an unmitigated disaster by any stretch of the imagination, despite the Nittany Lions (7-17-1, 1-10-1 CHA) dropping a ninth straight game against Division I, and despite being the team's being held under two goals for the 16th time this season, including six shutouts. PSU played outstanding in-zone defense to limit the volume of rubber on Nicole Paniccia and, particularly in the first and last periods, was also effective on the counterpunch. Princeton (7-12-2, 2-10-2 ECAC) was the beneficiary of a fluky goal, Karen MacDonald's fluttering effort off of Corey Stearns' faceoff win that fooled Nicole Paniccia with 4:28 left in a tight-checking first period that only saw 11 shots between the two teams. The home team deserved to be 0-0 at the intermission, but wasn't.

The Lions probably should have scored on at least one of the two power plays - the first, beginning at 15:20 of the second period in a 2-0 game was particularly on point. I suppose it needs to be said that Penn State did not generate a single shot in the frame until then (which was quite a frustrating stretch at a key point in the match), but between Shannon Yoxheimer's usual eight on net and notable close calls from Taylor Gross, Jill Holdcroft and Micayla Catanzariti, there was enough offense for a goal or two. No, it's not all fluffy puppies (see: breakouts, one of which led to a turnover before Molly Contini's 3-0 goal), but it was a more competitive hockey game that a quick glance at the score would show.

Here's the recap from the winning side.

---

Three different skaters scored as the Princeton women's hockey team skated to a 3-0 win over Penn State on Tuesday, Jan. 29 at Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

It was the first meeting between the two squads and Princeton's first game in 17 days, as final exams concluded this past Friday.

Freshman Kimberly Newell made 11 saves in the first two periods to earn the win. Sophomore Ashley Holt made her eighth appearance in goal, playing the third period and stopping eight shots as the Tigers outshot the Lions 30-19.

Freshman defender Karen MacDonald scored her first career goal, the game-winning goal at 15:32 of the first period with senior Corey Stearns picking up her first of two assists on the night.

Junior Sally Butler scored just 39 seconds into the second period with help from juniors Denna Laing and Olivia Mucha.

Freshman Molly Contini notched her fifth goal of the season with senior Kelly Cooke and Stearns assisting at 9:16 of the third period as the Tigers took advantage of a turnover.

Penn State netminder Nicole Paniccia made 27 saves as the team falls to 7-17-1 on the season.

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.

Perspectives on Recruiting

According to some, if Guy Gadowsky found a way to win at Princeton, he can find a way to win at PSU.

What are the implications of Penn State's NCAA sanctions on hockey recruiting? Really, at this point, it depends on who you ask. Let's take a quick spin around a representative set of opinions, starting on the pessimistic end of the spectrum.

(By the way, message board "experts" need not apply here. I actually did look at USCHO in an attempt to pull a reasonably intelligent opinion to share. No such luck.)

Negative Impact

CBS Sports ran this piece on Monday, and while the subject was Patrick Chambers and Penn State basketball, the applicability of everything said to hockey should be pretty obvious. Both sports are in the same boat as not directly involved, but guilty by association. The writer talks about sitting next to PSU associate coach Eugene Burroughs at a showcase, seeing the logo on his shirt, and thinking "Sandusky, child rape, coverup." He concludes that if that was his first reaction, surely most potential recruits would see it the same way. The most compelling part of the article, though, was this opinion:

"It will affect [basketball] recruiting in the short-term," said Baylor coach Scott Drew, who already knows what Chambers soon will learn, that it's difficult to recruit to a ruined brand even if the damage done wasn't your fault. Drew, in 2003, took the challenge of rebuilding the Bears program rocked by a murder and coverup under former coach Dave Bliss.

"The people who only know of Penn State what they're reading nationally probably aren't going to be interested in going to Penn State right now," Drew said. "So Penn State might have to rely more on prospects and families who know more about Penn State than what's in the news -- maybe people who had relatives or family members go there, or just people who have spent some time on the campus before all this -- because those people will probably be more inclined to see more than just this situation."

Possible Negative Impact, But Ultimately Okay

College Hockey News managing editor Adam Wodon called into The Pipeline Show Tuesday night to discuss The Scandal's impact on hockey (here's the show's archive page, with downloadable MP3s of each segment - segment one, before Wodon was on, is also worth a listen).

Between the three people involved in the conversation - co-hosts Dean Millard and Guy Flaming were the other two - the consensus seemed to be that recruiting may (or may not, there was some hedging) be hurt on some level in the short run, but in the long run, the program will come out fine. Wodon, at one point, said that "it may take them a little longer, perhaps, to become a power than they might have anticipated," which sort of captures both sides of the coin - power status is still on the table, but delayed. He followed it up with this gem:

"[Gadowsky] recruited to Princeton and they won the ECAC championship and made the NCAA tournament. If he can do that, I'm pretty sure he can still recruit to Penn State."

Ouch, sorry Princeton.

Freshman forward Jonathan Milley and Sheldon Keefe won big at Pembroke.

A Speed Bump

On Wednesday, Pembroke Lumber Kings (CCHL) President/GM/Head Coach Sheldon Keefe tweeted this:

Guy Gadowsky, Matt Lindsay and the staff of Penn State's new D1 hockey program are the perfect people to help rebuild the pride at PSU.

No, he wasn't directly talking about recruiting, but as a guy in charge of a Junior A team (not to mention his specific mention of ace recruiter Lindsay), what do you suppose his context is? Even if the comment wasn't a "recruiting" comment per se, recruiting, whether consciously or not, probably played a big part in developing that opinion. At minimum, it's nice to see some confidence from someone representing a group with a great amount of influence on the process.

Keefe and the Lumber Kings, by the way, were the 2011 RBC Cup winners as the Canadian Junior A national champions. Nittany Lions freshman Jonathan Milley scored both goals in the title game win over the Vernon Vipers.

No Effect

I won't claim to be supremely plugged into the world of uncommitted players to the point where I can deliver any kind of large sample. But the father of one, Edina (MN) High School senior Anthony Walsh, told me recently that "the football mess leaves Anthony no less interested in PSU." I think that statement's important not just for the "no less interested" part, but for the "football" part as well. Clearly, some out there are able to see this as implicating something less than the entire university.

Here's a nice highlight reel of Walsh at his Green Bay Gamblers (USHL) tryout. For more, check out the YouTube channel of 55rudyrudy.



It...Helps? What?

The article that ties everything together and inspired me to do something beyond just dumping this all in Three Stars is this USCHO piece, posted late Wednesday and quoting Guy Gadowsky extensively on the NCAA fallout. Here's his take:

“When [recruits] see how the student body and our athletics program is dealing with this going forward, I think it will mean even more to come here,” he said. “In a strange sense, it’s certainly not going to be immediate, but by the way Penn Staters deal with this, Penn State hockey will become even more attractive.”

Good with me.

Just so I'm not seen as misrepresenting what he said, Gadowsky did also mention some level of concern from both players and parents, but that those issues are usually smoothed over with a campus visit or even a quick reassurance.

I think ultimately the final word, at least for now, is "we'll see." But it is encouraging that, even in close proximity to the worst of days, most still seem to believe in Penn State hockey's potential.

Gadowsky Pipes Up

Guy Gadowsky, who was in Edmonton to watch his son Mac play in the Brick Invitational (a highly-regarded tournament for squirt-aged players played in a mall, which is awesome and reminds me of the Hartford Whalers), popped into the studio for the first hour of The Pipeline Show Saturday afternoon.

The Pipeline Show is a radio program broadcast on TEAM 1260 in Alberta's capital, but because of its depth, quality, and content is go-to listening for junior and college hockey aficionados across North America.

The full audio of Gadowsky's appearance is available here: Part 1 // Part 2 // Part 3 (all links are directly to MP3 files).

If you don't want to listen to the whole thing, I've transcribed some highlights below. Since this post is heavily based on third-party quotes, I'll do you guys a favor and skip overuse of the usual indent/italicize thing and instead set up Gadowsky's quotes with my comments, which are in italics for differentiation purposes.

Mac, by the way, went 1-2-3 - a W-L-T record, not me counting something - as a forward on the Connecticut Yankees and missed out on the Brick Invitational's playoff rounds. He scored a power play goal to open the scoring in one of those three ties, 2-2 against the BC Junior Canucks. And just because everyone loves kids playing hockey, here's Mac in his team's Habs-inspired unis:

Anyway, here are some of Mac's dad's significant quotes.

It didn't take long for TPS host Guy Flaming to ask about The Scandal. I didn't transcribe Flaming's questions in most cases, but felt it was important to here: 'Has everything that’s transpired over the last year with the football program affected what you do with the hockey program?'

"No. I think there’s questions – as soon as it broke, there certainly were questions, and rightly so, parents called and had questions about it. Once it was established – Mr. Pegula was great. He came out and said, ‘look, I believe 100 percent in Penn State and what they do, and I am more committed than ever to have the best college hockey facility, I’m committed to that.’ In fact, he stepped up and added more money, and his commitment is fantastic. And I think once that was made public, nothing else was brought up."

They moved on to discussion of the highlights of the 2012-2013 schedule. Gadowsky, not surprisingly, singled out the Big Ten opponents.

"We are eligible for the NCAA tournament because we play over 20 NCAA [Division I] games. We play a couple of Big Ten schools. We go to Michigan State, we go to Wisconsin, so that’s going to be a tremendous experience for our young team and what it’s going to be like in the Big Ten…we’re [also] going around the state to a bunch of neutral site games to expand the brand."

Speaking of the Big Ten...

"I know for sure there’s been three other Big Ten schools that have contacted our administration and are very curious as to how [the transition to NCAA hockey] happened and what they needed to do. The reality is that the prerequisite to that is that you get a Mr. Pegula or Pegula family that’s going to give 100-odd million dollars. Those guys aren’t hanging off trees. So that’s the prerequisite and that’s hard to find. But I do think there’s a lot of interest – if they can get it done, I know there are Big Ten schools that would love to be a part of it."

Another schedule highlight is the Pittsburgh College Hockey Invitational. The future of the first-year tournament was touched on, and included a name drop of a certain current national champion interested in future participation.

"This is something, I think it’s going to be an annual event. I don’t know if Ohio State’s going to be in it every year, I don’t know that, or if Miami of Ohio is. I think that they want to celebrate hockey in the area, obviously right now with Penn State coming in, and in the future I think Boston College wants to come down, so I think they are going to switch a few teams. But we’re looking at making it an annual event."

Unfortunately, he didn't let the pairings for this year's tournament slip. He reviewed several players on the first PSU NCAA team, including what I believe are his first public comments on a couple of the incoming players beyond the standard one-line press release quotes. First, Reed Linaker:

"[He] was with St. Albert for a while before he got traded to Brooks. I think he put up 81 points as an 18-year-old in the AJ[HL], and had a lot of interest from a lot of other schools, including other Big Ten schools. He had a very good year, and had a knee injury, and he’s had a tough year this year but still, Brooks thought enough of him that they tried to do everything they could to get him for the push at the end. So he’s a guy that puts up points, he plays a gritty game. He’s not the biggest guy, but he plays a gritty game and has a great head. He’s got a great offensive mind."

Nobody has said even an average word about David Glen, according to Gadowsky.

David Glen:

"David Glen, captain of probably the most successful AJ team of the past few years, he’s just a heart and soul guy. Everybody you talk to that knows this guy, they love him. Nobody’s said a bad word about him. Nobody’s said an average word about him. It’s always been what a tremendous character guy [he is], you watch him play, he’s got skills, he’s a good hockey player, but he just has that intangible. You just look at him, you know he’s going to do whatever it takes to win, and that’s what he’s all about."

Tommy Olczyk:

"He’s a guy who loves Penn State, knows what it’s about, wants to play in the Big Ten and realized it was a great opportunity to get in the first year on the ground floor to establish himself, and he did exactly that…he had a great year [last year]. He shoots the puck really well obviously. He’s pretty cerebral in the game, obviously his dad’s a great hockey guy, and he certainly has that mind. He scored a lot of goals at the club level, I’m hoping it translates, but I don’t know, I’ll find out along with you. But I do know he’s a great kid, he’s a 4.0 student, he’s a leader, he does things the right way, and he’s fantastic for our program."

Max Gardiner:

"College hockey is very strong…the pace of the game, the size of the men, you have guys that go to college at 20 years old, so they’re 24-year-old men that have been lifting weights for four years with great strength coaches. It’s a league [where] it’s not so easy to jump in right away, and I think he went right out of high school to Minnesota, and probably wasn’t ready. That’s not a knock on him, that happens to a lot of people, and he’s a third-round NHL draft choice. But he went back to the USHL, matured a little bit, had a good year, and we expect big things out of him. I think he’s got great legs for a big guy and has a good head."

He called the goaltending situation a three-way battle at this point and talked about two of those three, Matt Skoff and P.J. Musico, in greater detail.

"It’s a battle. We expect one of the guys – the freshman coming in is Matt Skoff, and he played for Sioux City. I think he had the most wins in the past three years in the USHL of anybody…he’s a guy with a ton of experience. He’s a Pennsylvania guy, he loves Penn State, we expect big things out of him. You can YouTube him, he’s gotten the odd brawl. I love the guy. He’s a great guy, he’s an excellent student, and I think he’s going to do a great job for us."

"I like guys like [Musico]. He’s an older guy, he’s traveled around a bit. He played on the east coast, he played a little bit in the USHL, he played up in Flin Flon, he’s a weathered guy, I like goaltenders like that. And he’s a heck of an athlete. He’s a great surfer, great at whatever he does."

Gadowsky touched on the differences between recruiting at Penn State and at Princeton a couple times, and I've combined those quotes here.

"Every program has their positives and negatives, and I think you have to look at that and sell that, so every time you move, you’re sort of recruiting a different athlete. Obviously, Princeton had extreme academic standards that we had to abide by. Penn State’s a great school, it’s an excellent academic institution as well, but we’re probably going for maybe a little different – a guy that doesn’t need the SAT scores that we needed at Princeton."

"We did have [competition with major junior] at Alaska, and probably less so at Princeton, because the athletes that come to Princeton are committed to going to the very top academic institutions to begin with. And we’ve already seen [CHL competition] at Penn State…it’s two great options for hockey players, and they figure out which one’s best for them."

Princeton's academic standards didn't stop Gadowsky and staff from getting guys like Taylor Fedun
on campus...no pressure though.

In a conversation about former Wisconsin one-and-done Kyle Turris, Gadowsky was asked if players who jump ship before graduation are bad for college hockey.

"I don’t think so. I think any time you get a year of education for an individual is a lot better than none. Obviously for the individual programs, they’d love to have a player like Kyle there for four years. But we understand that that’s not always going to happen. We still want to have great people – if they’re great people and great players, we want them in our program. If they can be as successful as Kyle in the NHL, I think that’s a positive."

There's something else that's a little different from Princeton, I suppose. Gadowsky's time on the air ended with a question about how he'll measure success this season.

“We’re really still trying to build a foundation, and the things that we hold important to us – in terms of how we represent ourselves, how we are in the weight room, and what kind of feeling we get, not only results, but how we’re committed to the classroom. One of the things you go to college hockey for is not just for hockey. [It’s] to expand yourself as a person, not only in academics, but as a person as a whole. If we can build a foundation where we have that environment that people want to come to our program, to graduate really quality people, you’re going to have a great education, a great hockey experience, you’re going to be developed as an athlete in the weight room…if we can establish a foundation for those things, we’re going to be a success.”

Previous to that though, he did call the Big Ten games this season a measuring stick.

"[Putting the Big Ten teams towards the end of the schedule] was a change. I think our first one was initially going to be in November, I didn’t think that was fair, so I’m glad to have them at the end. It will tell us where we’re at. Regardless, we have a ton of work to do, but it’ll give us an idea of where we’re at right now."

Three Stars: February 6-12

3. Family always been there for Chroman
Captain overcomes injuries this season
(The Daily Collegian)

Long-overdue, much-deserved features on Lady Icers senior captains Sara Chroman and Kate Christoffersen.

Quick confession: one of the more embarrassing moments in TYT history was last September when the Lady Icers announced this season's roster. Noting Christoffersen's appearance, I said something like "oh, that's nice that they're still listing her on the roster this year, although she's obviously not playing." Then, after seeing the box score from the first game against Division I Robert Morris, I had to set an all-time record for backtracking. Feel free to laugh at me, but more importantly, understand just how much Christoffersen has overcome to play this year.

2. 

Groundbreaking ceremony announced for new arena
(The Daily Collegian)

If I was to put together an FAQ page of stuff people frequently ask me, this would be on it. Pegula Ice Arena's ceremonial groundbreaking will be on April 20th, also known as Blue-White Friday. Mark your calendars. Or don't, since I want to be able to see.

1. Women's Ice Hockey - Program Update 2-9-2012 
(YouTube)

Crazy week. The Collegian and sports information both acknowledged the existence of the women's program.

Best of the Rest

Photo Gallery: Alumni Weekend 2012
(pennstatehockey.com)

Curtiss Patrick made us laugh. Scott Curry made us cry. And, of course, Jay Paterno proved once again that he's better at public speaking than me. Here's a nice set of photos from Saturday's Festivities.

Penn State Hockey Moving On
(wearecentralpa.com)

Getting on TV is still a big deal, right?

Confirmed: Stars-Lancers to play outdoor game in 2013
(Black and Blue)

As first reported by Lincoln Stars (USHL) blog Black and Blue, Nebraska-Omaha and North Dakota will play outdoors at Omaha's TD Ameritrade Park (best known as the place that hosts the College World Series). The Stars will meet archrival Omaha in the front end of the doubleheader.

North Dakota to resume use of Fighting Sioux nickname
(USCHO)

Can this story please just go away? I really don't care how you resolve it (short of eradicating whichever Sioux tribe it was that didn't approve the nickname), just figure it out.

Part of what's at issue: a crappier version of the Chicago Blackhawks logo.

Princeton, St. Lawrence meet while in a state of flux
(USCHO)

Just keeping a quick eye on the old school of Coaches Gadowsky, Fisher and Lindsay, which has struggled this year thanks to a plague of injuries.

Where Michigan Goes in Lacrosse, Will Others Follow?
(New York Times)

This isn't a hockey story (obviously), but I still thought it was interesting for its parallels to Penn State. Michigan was sort of the PSU of the club lacrosse world, now they've gone NCAA and we're talking about a domino effect, conference realignment, and the like (yet, as in hockey, nobody ever has enough money).