Ten Forgotten Stories of the Transition

Penn State's transition from ACHA to NCAA is nearly complete by every conceivable measure, as the public opening of Pegula Ice Arena and the inaugural season for the Big Ten, the last significant milestones, are just about one month away. With that in mind, here's a look back at ten obscure stories (plus two honorable mentions) that may have slipped from the memories of most observers over the three years - yes, it's been that long - since the university announced its intent to sponsor varsity hockey and thanks to the massive donation of Terry and Kim Pegula.

The nature of the stories, of course, is that they are easy to forget - and that includes by me. If you think I've missed something more deserving than what's listed here, let me know in the comments!

Honorable Mention: PIA Groundbreaking

While Pegula Ice Arena's groundbreaking event on April 20, 2012 - notable for Terry Pegula's announcement that he had upped his donation from $88 million to $102 million - hardly qualifies as a "forgotten story," one quirk of the proceedings does. The two men's players made available to the media that day to talk about the arena were goaltender Matt Madrazo and forward Justin Kirchhevel, neither of whom lasted on PSU's NCAA roster until its opening.

Honorable Mention: Pennsylvania Puck

On October 1, 2011 and following a healthy buildup, Pennsylvania Puck (papuck.com) officially launched with the promise of delivering the best coverage available of Keystone State hockey. Although it tended to be a bit too focused on the AHL's Hershey Bears, it came through for the most part with an interesting mix of behind-the-scenes features, how-to videos, first-person blogging and more conventional reporting (arguably its most notable Penn State-related article concerned then-broadcaster Steve Penstone).

Rather suddenly and after only five months, the site shut down, citing traffic and ad revenue that did not meet expectations. PA Puck still maintained Twitter and Facebook accounts that shared hockey news from around the commonwealth after discontinuing its site content, but on Monday announced that those would be stopped as well.

10. Reed Linaker

Given the way his story suddenly re-emerged in June, it's possible that Linaker doesn't qualify as "forgotten" right now, although he will certainly re-enter that territory in time. The skinny: Linaker committed in May 2011 and, as that made him the first pledge for the 2012-2013 season, he became the first pure NCAA player and first scholarship player in Penn State hockey history.

However, before his freshman season began, the Albertan abruptly disappeared from the PSU roster, and although he attended games in a suit, he never played in one. As it turned out, Linaker was not cleared to play by the university's medical staff due to a heart issue (Linaker, for his part, disputes the assessment) and was not allowed to join the team. He eventually left school and will sit out the 2013-2014 season while continuing to explore other college options both north and south of the Canadian border.

9. The Blowout at RMU

Contrary to popular belief, the Penn State women did not play Robert Morris for the first time on November 10, 2012 at the Ice Pavilion. The meeting in question actually took place the previous year, on September 23, 2011, at RMU's 84 Lumber Arena as an exhibition opener to the final Lady Icers season. Although PSU's team included future NCAAers Kate Christoffersen, Tess Weaver, Katie Murphy, Madison Smiddy, Lindsay Reihl and Cara Mendelson (Taylor Gross and Jess Desorcie didn't arrive until mid-season), the hosts scored early and often in a 12-0 shellacking.

The Colonials' goal scorers included players like Rebecca Vint, Thea Imbrogno and Jamie Joslin who would star against the Nittany Lions' NCAA entry the following year, while Murphy and current Women's Ice Hockey Club president Allie Rothman led the Lady Icers with two shots apiece. RMU went on to win the College Hockey America playoff title, so it's not like they were a terrible team.

8. The CCHA "Invitation"

In a bit of a bizarre maneuver - particularly since Penn State had not yet announced its intent to elevate hockey to varsity status - current Michigan State coach Tom Anastos, then the commissioner of the CCHA, told the Detroit News in August of 2010 that he'd love to have the school in his league. "They are a very attractive choice - very attractive," Anastos said. "They're in a different market than we're in, more and more U.S. players are on college rosters, and there's tremendous growth of the sport in Pennsylvania."

The quote actually hurt PSU in the public's estimation. One year earlier, the CCHA had rejected an application from struggling independent/cause célèbre Alabama-Huntsville, and in tandem, the two events led many to speculate that the 11-team league was "saving a seat" for PSU, to UAH's detriment. The CCHA met its demise after last season when the later-formed Big Ten took away Michigan, MSU and Ohio State (as well as Penn State) and other schools followed in jumping ship. Anastos, in all likelihood, saw that outcome in his crystal ball a couple years ahead and, without regard to UAH's application, was doing what he could to preserve his conference.

7. Tim Carr

Like Linaker, Carr was a first - along with Jake Friedman, he was the initial Penn State commit following the Pegula donation. Unlike Linaker though, Carr actually played at PSU, suiting up in three games as an Icers freshman in 2011-2012 and going 2-1-0 with a 2.00 goals against average, a 0.919 save percentage and a shutout of Rutgers. The product of Pine Bush, NY had enjoyed a great campaign with the EJHL's New Hampshire Jr. Monarchs the season before, earning a good chunk of minutes in a tandem with current Boston College netminder Brian Billett. As a result, many (guilty) pegged him as a significant contributor to the inaugural Nittany Lions, but he quickly fell behind Matt Madrazo and P.J. Musico in the Penn State crease and never recovered.

Over winter break and just before the Icers' outdoor game against Neumann at Philadelphia's Citizens Bank Park, Carr transferred to NCAA Division III Western New England University. In a season and a half with the Golden Bears, he has compiled a 7-8-1 record, a 2.94 goals against average and a 0.919 save percentage.

6. Name The Student Section

Prior to and throughout most of the 2012-2013 season, there was a push from the fine folks in the athletic department to develop a name for Penn State's hockey student section. In addition to the standard social media solicitations, there were suggestion boxes set up at the Ice Pavilion during games. Given that we haven't heard a thing about it in roughly nine months, it's probably fair to consider the effort abandoned. And I'm fine with that. After all, PSU's well-regarded football student section doesn't have a name. The lesser-regarded basketball student section does have a name, one that does little other than draw out snarky hoops loyalists when an "ill-informed" journalist dares to use "Nittany Nation" in any sort of general context. To paraphrase noted vampire hunter Abraham Lincoln, better to remain nameless and be thought a fool than to come up with a really terrible name - The A-Team at Michigan State, for example - and remove all doubt.

5. The Shoot Twice Founders Club

The what? Yeah, pretty much. One early rendering of Pegula Ice Arena (below) included a large banner for the mythical association fronting the upper level. However, as I'm sure all of you know by now, the "shoot twice" end is, in actuality, home to the student section and not the Founders Club - and it looks nothing like what is depicted. Although the rendering quickly became dated, it remained a favorite among bloggers and media well past its sell-by date, possibly due to its showing a packed bowl with a game on the ice (something that was generally not the case with other, more accurate versions). The Founders Club was still receiving circulation as recently as January, even with the actual arena over halfway complete.

4. PegulaVille

In July 2012, then-junior John Romano initiated a movement for a student hockey campout, similar to the well-known Paternoville Nittanyville for football games. There was a Twitter account, which quickly gained a couple hundred followers. There was a Facebook page. There was some publicity, including a pretty cynical Three Stars entry on this blog and a much more positive turn in the Collegian that included quotes from Connor Varley. Then, shortly after the Nittany Lions' inaugural jersey unveiling event that September, it went poof faster than Keyser Soze and hasn't been heard from since.

3. Mark Johnson

The last, frantic days of the search for Penn State's first NCAA men's coach in April of 2011 were truly a spectacle, one that gained national interest as the college hockey world waited to hear which of finalists Guy Gadowsky, Scott Sandelin and Mark Johnson would get the nod.

The choice, obviously, ended up being Gadowsky, but Wisconsin athletic director and noted windbag Barry Alvarez stirred up controversy when he claimed days later that Johnson had received an offer from PSU and turned it down to remain the women's coach at UW, his alma mater. Was Gadowsky a Plan B, or even a Plan C (Sandelin and Minnesota-Duluth, his employer both then and now, remained silent on the issue)? Not so fast. A couple weeks after Alvarez's comments, Johnson went on the record to dispute his boss' claim of an offer and even said that he was relieved at not having to face a difficult choice.

2. The 2011-2012 Co-Coach Plan

When Gadowsky was hired, he did not directly replace then-Icers coach Scott Balboni. In fact, the two were listed as co-head coaches for 33 extremely awkward days. The idea, initially, was for Balboni to remain as the game-day, ground-level coach, allowing Gadowsky and his staff additional time to recruit while also evaluating players and implementing systems. Fortunately, sanity eventually won out: Gadowsky expressed a desire to take on the whole ball of wax, and Balboni obliged by resigning.

1. Jessi Hilton

While Penn State has had a couple of traditional major junior defections already in the forms of Thomas Welsh and Conor Garland, Jessi Hilton was sort of the backwards version of that. In early July 2011, and at the same time as Kenny Brooks, Hilton committed to PSU.

He was with the AJHL's Sherwood Park Crusaders at the time, but had previously played 12 regular season games with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen during the 2008-2009 and 2009-2010 seasons, which not surprisingly presented issues. Quietly, Hilton disappeared from the Nittany Lions' commit list just one week later, when the NCAA wouldn't grant his appeal concerning those "professional" games - even if the appeal was granted, he still would have had to sit out a full season plus 12 games. Fortunately, the Hilton story has a happy ending, as he wound up at the University of British Columbia (the CIS is okay with major junior participation and UBC, by the way, is where former PSU women's player Katie Zinn transferred) and scored 10 points in 22 games as a freshman last year.

Three Stars: June 17-23

3. Detroit plans for new downtown arena
(detroitredwings.com)

Plans are moving forward for a new arena in Detroit that would replace Joe Louis Arena as the home of the NHL's Red Wings. Olympia Development (a company owned by Wings owners Mike and Marian Ilitch), the city's Downtown Development Authority and Wayne County announced a memorandum of understanding last Thursday, essentially a non-binding document indicating that all parties are interested in heading down the road together. Previous reports indicated that construction could begin by the end of the year (I assume everything would have to click perfectly for that to happen), with the project taking roughly two years to complete.

So what's this have to do with Penn State? Easy. The Big Ten has committed to holding its tournament in Detroit in 2015 and 2017, and at the moment, it seems conceivable that by the time 2017 rolls around, Joe Louis Arena - redundant if a new building goes up - will be rubble. A sparkling new facility could also influence the awarding of the Big Ten championships beyond 2017.

2. Eamon McAdam
(The Hockey News)

By the time, the next Three Stars hits, Eamon McAdam's rights will (probably/hopefully) be the property of an NHL team, through this coming Sunday's NHL Entry Draft. So as you might expect, he got a fair deal of exposure this week, including the nice profile by THN's Ryan Kennedy leading this entry. McAdam also penned his final blog post for The Pipeline Show while also appearing on the show on Saturday.

In addition to all of the usual hockey firsts for PSU's program, McAdam has also crushed out a couple unique to this day and age: 1. First NCAA-era Penn State player with a Wikipedia entry, and 2. First Penn State player, to the best of my knowledge, with a parody Twitter account (language advisory on that one).

1. @TaylorCVincent
(Twitter)

Ice Lion Taylor Vincent and his teammates toured Pegula Ice Arena last week... so obviously, we'll pop a photo in.

Best of the Rest

@mikebroc23
(Twitter)

From new Icers and Ice Lions alumnus Mike Broccolo:

My mom just informed me that one of her student's name was seven

The Seinfeld episode where George Costanza shared his preferred baby name (after New York Yankees legend Mickey Mantle's jersey number) originally aired on February 1, 1996. Therefore, "Seven" is more or less in play for anyone 17 years old or younger. So there you go.

Junior A gems: NHL Draft prospects from OJHL, AJHL, BCHL, and beyond
(Hockey Now)

While McAdam is the only Penn Stater more likely than not to be scooped up by the NHL on Sunday, guys like Mark Yanis, Mike Williamson and 2014 commit Bo Pellah have a chance at getting a late-round look. Here, Williamson gets a mention (literally just that) in an article listing Canadian Junior A products with draftability.

Ten members of the class of 2017 will join RIT women's hockey for 2013-14 season
(ritathletics.com)

CHA rival RIT unveiled a large and mostly Canadian freshman class, then made a routine announcement super awks by retweeting this on their official team account:

As much as I complain about Penn State's ultra-buttoned up approach to things, it could be worse I guess.

Local hockey player’s University future up in the air
(globalnews.ca)

Reed Linaker has continued to make the media rounds to share his unfortunate story. This latest news report (including video) comes from Dean Millard, who doubles as a co-host of The Pipeline Show.

National Champion Hockey Coach Interviews for UAH Job
(WHNT)

George Gwozdecky still in limbo
(Wisconsin State Journal)

Over a couple days last week, college hockey circles exploded with the news that two-time national championship coach George Gwozdecky (let go by Denver after this past season) interviewed for the vacant job at Alabama-Huntsville. Then they exploded again with the news that he withdrew from consideration.

Opinion nobody asked for: Gwozdecky has had a legendary career. However, I believe that much like athletes, coaching careers have a rise, peak and decline, and I also believe that Gwozdecky is more of a name than a great coach at this point. Still very good, of course, just not to the level of his reputation. Now, UAH could do worse than "a name" given what they've been through - and maybe the credibility coming from that name would have been a huge boost - but hopefully Gwoz passing on the job allows the Chargers to get a guy who ultimately becomes a name through his accomplishments in Alabama.

@BobcatsHockey
(Twitter)

Former Ohio forward Tyler Pilmore, who just ended his outstanding career as a Bobcat in March, has signed with the ECHL's Toledo Walleye for 2013-2014. In 2012-2013 and following the conclusion of the ACHA season, Pilmore played eight games with the Walleye and the Wheeling Nailers.

While a Penn Stater will do even better than the ECHL soon enough, I have to admit that I'm a bit jealous, as (to the best of my memory, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong) the last surviving Icers playing in professional hockey were Curtiss Patrick (who kicked around the minor leagues from 2004-2009) and Justin Depretis (2006-2009).

The work of former ACHA assistant Spiros Anastas helped Tomas Tatar and the Griffins to a title

Grand Rapids Griffins win the Calder Cup thanks to late goal by Brennan Evans
(MLive)

I'm obviously a sucker for a good ACHA-to-the-show story, especially one with ties to Pennsylvania, and Grand Rapids winning the AHL title last week offered one in the form of Griffins assistant coach Spiros Anastas. Anastas, a Toronto native, played for Lebanon Valley College from 2006 through 2010, when the Dutchmen were an NCAA Division III program. He stepped directly from the ice to the bench in the middle of his senior season when LVC head coach Ted Russell abruptly resigned. Anastas stayed on as an assistant in 2010-2011, the program's successful (21-4-2) ACHA Division 1 debut following a 3-95-2 stretch over the last four DIII seasons (yikes). He then left to become a volunteer video coach at Western Michigan in 2011-2012 before moving on to the Griffins under head coach Jeff Blashill (who also hired him at WMU), where he's responsible for advance scouting and statistical analysis.

Anastas actually didn't go directly from Western Michigan to Grand Rapids, by the way. From August 23, 2012 until October 29, 2012, he was the general manager of the BCHL's Alberni Valley Bulldogs. On October 31, 2012, the Bulldogs acquired Bo Pellah from the Langley Rivermen. Either Anastas is a big fan of Pellah who started negotiations before taking the Griffins job, or he was standing in the way of the trade being finalized. Your call.

Matt Thomas named head hockey coach
(goseawolves.com)

After one of the messiest coaching searches in college hockey history (fourth entry from the bottom), Alaska-Anchorage finally got their guy in Matt Thomas, who will join the Seawolves program after a long run as an ECHL coach. He also played for RIT back in the 1990s (when the Tigers were an NCAA Division III program) and served as an assistant at Maine from 2000-2002. I'm still not sure why anyone would want the UAA job, but regardless, best of luck to him.

In other Anchorage news, charges will not be pursued against the guy Thomas replaced, Dave Shyiak, over an alleged stick-swinging incident at a practice in 2011. So other than any blowups to come from discarded former athletic director Steve Cobb, it seems as if things might finally be getting back to semi-normal at Alaska's second-best hockey program.

Former Maine coach Tim Whitehead to be new hockey coach at Kimball Union Academy
(Western College Hockey Blog)

Fired Maine coach Tim Whitehead, who spent 12 years in Orono (and therefore one with Thomas), will coach PSU commit A.J. Greer's prep school team. Nice pull for the KUA Wildcats.

#AskTCR Mailbag: The Hockey Pipe Dream
(The Champaign Room)

Illinois: still not about to add NCAA hockey, if you needed that.

@LetsPlay_Hockey
(Twitter)

It won't be at Penn State, but the Big Ten could see at least one outdoor game this season:

The U of M is in talks with Intersport on hosting an outdoor hockey game vs. Ohio State at TCF Bank Stadium on @HockeyDayMN 2014.

Let me guess: both teams will receive $2 million for their participation (yes, I'm still upset about being burned by that).

The Ballad of Reed Linaker

Once upon a time, Reed Linaker was set to make Penn State hockey history. In early May, 2011, within three weeks of Guy Gadowsky's hiring as head coach, Linaker committed to PSU for this past season. The timing of the pledge made him the first player on board for 2012-2013 entry (the initial NCAA campaign, obviously) and as it pre-dated those of 2011-2012 Icers notables Tommy Olczyk, Justin Kirchhevel, Taylor Holstrom, Nate Jensen and Bryce Johnson, it was probably fair to call Linaker the first scholarship player in Nittany Lions history. Or even the first pure NCAA player, if you want to go that route.

Really though, he was more than first, he was a very exciting add. The Edmonton-native forward was nearly Wisconsin bound before the Badgers ran out of scholarships, and in a day before anyone knew Penn State would beat UW in year one, getting someone who received a hard look from a storied program was a big deal.

For his part, Linaker posted stellar numbers with the AJHL's St. Albert Steel: 193 points in 162 regular season games for the perennially below-average team, one that relocated after an abysmal 9-48-3 2011-2012 season. He was shipped off to contending Brooks in December of that year - then took a knee-on-knee collision in his second shift with the Bandits and was out until the AJHL finals, where he played in a pair of games to help the title-winning effort. He had previously torn his MCL in 2010-2011.

Brooks lost out to the BCHL's Penticton Vees in the Doyle Cup, which was formerly awarded to the winner of a series between the AJHL and BCHL champions, with the winner advancing to the RBC Cup national championship tournament (Penticton, featuring Curtis Loik, ultimately won the RBC Cup). With that, Linaker headed off to Penn State. For a while, anyway.

The signing of the 2010 World Junior A Challenge selection was announced by the school on November 21, 2011, at which time Gadowsky said that "Reed is a great playmaker and has the uncanny ability to see the ice and make plays that others do not see." As the 2012-2013 season approached and the team's roster was posted, Linaker was assigned number 26.

Our story takes a turn in early September 2012, when Linaker suddenly disappeared from that roster. Dom Morrone, who was not part of the initial group of Icers set to make the NCAA transition, was added around that time. I asked Gadowsky about Linaker's status following PSU's 3-2 upset of RIT on October 20th, and he said that "he has a medical injury, and that's why he's not playing."

I took that at face value, assumed he was still having issues with his knee, and that was pretty much it. The season proceeded and kept everyone busy while Linaker, who never played a game as a Nittany Lion (although he was often spotted at the rink in a suit with the scratches), was largely a forgotten man. By the time the 2013-2014 roster was posted this month, naturally without him on it, I actually had to be reminded of the whole situation.

The Pipeline Show, the Edmonton-based radio program that is required listening in the junior hockey world, didn't forget. Host Guy Flaming tracked down Linaker and had him on Tuesday night to discuss what happened at Penn State, as well as his future plans. The following is a transcript of his appearance, followed by the university's response. If you want to listen for yourself, because tone of voice and things like that matter, the archived show is available here.

---

Guy Flaming: How are you tonight Reed?

Reed Linaker: Good, how are you guys?

GF: Doing fantastic. We want to talk to you about what happened last year, and maybe more importantly what happens now. But let's go back and start from your AJHL days - I believe you ended it with the St. Albert Steel, oh no, you had a very brief cup of coffee with the Brooks Bandits, didn't you?

RL: Yeah, actually I was at St. Albert there for three and a half years, then got dealt to the Brooks Bandits at the deadline, and got injured in my first couple games there, but was able to come back for playoffs and enjoyed a league championship. Unfortunately we lost out in the Doyle Cup, but it was a great experience for myself.

GF: Right, that's what I recall now. Tell me when Penn State became clear to you that that was the program you wanted to be a part of when you got to the NCAA. What was it about Penn State that just seemed like the right fit?

RL: It just offers a two-for-one package, I find. It's a good academic school, great academics. For the most part, I thought I would have a good opportunity to play. Gadowsky seemed like a great coach, I liked the offensive tempo. So I mean, just the two-for-one package was a huge draw for myself.

GF: Okay, let's get to it: what happened last year? Because you look up the Penn State Nittany Lions' stat sheet, and you're not on it. And speaking with coach Guy Gadowsky before the season began, you were one of his key recruits out of the AJHL. So what happened?

RL: Long story short, I basically had heart problems as a younger child, was getting that all cleared up. Before training camp started, we needed physicals done. Went through my physical process, they wouldn't clear me until I had spoke with my Canadian doctor. After speaking with my Canadian doctor, they figured it would be best if I had one more simple procedure done before clearing me. So I didn't pass my physical right off the bat, came home, had the procedure done, came back just before the season had started with my full clearance. My medical bill of health was totally clear, I was completely healthy, came down, and when shown to the Penn State doctors, they basically said 'it's good that you're healthy, but we still can't clear you as an athlete here at Penn State.' They basically told me I would never, ever be cleared. So it's still kind of a foggy situation as to why I was never medically cleared, I don't know if I'm going to get a straight-up answer to that question.

GF: Alright well... heart issue. I'm sure there are several different varieties and different levels of seriousness. It's something you said you had since you were young, and you played junior hockey with it. How serious was this, I mean was it something you definitely needed to get corrected ASAP, can you give us some kind of background, explain it a little bit?

RL: Yeah, sure. Basically, my heart was a little faster than normal. For the most part, obviously at the beginning it was a serious matter, obviously being the heart, we were a little worried as to what was going on. But as we figured out what was going on, the last few years it was basically normal for me. I mean, I played junior hockey throughout it. Even in the recruiting process with Penn State, I told them about it, and it wasn't an issue for me. I know getting injured... going down with a fairly serious knee injury, that was my worry. Even going into my physical, I figured the knee would be the biggest issue. I didn't even go down thinking that my past history with my heart was even going to come into line. Apparently it did, and it definitely caught me by surprise when they weren't able to clear me.

GF: Where do you go from here? I know you're hoping to get back on to the ice, but there are some complications for that.

RL: Yeah, I mean, I'm kind of in a tight bind here, kind of just weighing options and looking at what's best. Obviously I want to go NCAA. I like the idea of playing hockey and getting an education paid for. As of now, just kind of keeping my options open. I could potentially maybe go towards [the University of Alberta] but basically just training as if I'm going to be playing next fall and just going from there, seeing what the future holds for me. Obviously in terms of NCAA programs, I'm kind of in a tight bind, not really able to transfer into another scholarship, that kind of puts me in a sticky situation. As of now, I have a few options out there, we're just going to see what's best for my future and come to a decision within the summer here.

GF: Well, like you said, you know you're not going to be playing for Penn State. According to you, they told you that they would not clear you. Do you know if your situation - you say you have a clean bill of health now from your medical team - can you go to another NCAA program, and do you know if they would clear you? I know there's the whole issue about having to redshirt, and I'm told that if you transfer to another Big Ten school there might not even be a scholarship option available. So there are lots of complications, but medically, could you go play for another NCAA team, or would that other program say the same thing that Penn State has?

RL: Medically I can definitely play. To be honest, I'm just as medically healthy as any individual playing hockey at the moment. Knees feel fine, my heart is fine, I've been told to not even come back and see my doctors, so I would be shocked if I went anywhere else and they told me otherwise. As of now, I'm as healthy as I've ever been, and I should be able to play.

GF: So are you talking to any schools, whether it's Big Ten or any of the other conferences south of the border, or do you look at CIS programs as an option?

RL: During the school year, I have to look at a couple of options. The NCAA has a couple sticky rules. Obviously the redshirt thing. Transferring, obviously you have to sit out a full year. The Big Ten schools... before committing to Penn State, I had serious conversations with a couple Big Ten schools. I'll obviously talk to them in the fall about the situation. The only problem being, as you mentioned earlier, when transferring to a Big Ten school, you're no longer allowed a scholarship. So I mean it comes with a steep price tag to go play at those schools. Coming from a family of six... the big thing for me playing junior hockey is I wanted a scholarship, I wanted school paid for. So if I'm potentially going to pay for school and play hockey, the U of A seems like the best program. A great hockey program, still great academics, and they compete for national championships year-round. It all depends what happens in the future, we'll see what happens this summer. I'm just down to play where I can develop best, playing hockey and to the highest level possible is the goal. If I can't fall back on that, at least I have my education and I can go in that direction as well.

GF: Is there any kind of appeal option? Can you talk to the NCAA - like the regulatory branch of the NCAA - and try to get a ruling on... a player gets hurt in the early part of the season, and they can kind of use that as a redshirt season and come back as a freshman. I'm thinking of a guy like Rocco Grimaldi at North Dakota was hurt very early on his freshman season, sat out the rest of the year, then came back and still retained his freshman status. I don't understand why that would be different for you if you're medically able to play, why you would have to sit out another year. It seems like red tape that you could maybe clear up through some appeal. Is that an option, is there any kind of appeal procedure for you?

RL: Through the NCAA, I'm not aware of any, I've looked into it, and we haven't found anything. There is an appeal process through Penn State, just the institution itself, through that appeal, what they can do is if they feel you've been wronged, they can offer me my full scholarship still. I could still go to school there for potentially four years and have it paid for. The only thing they can't do is they can't go against the doctors and say 'ok, we can clear him to play.' I could go to school there, but I would not be allowed to play hockey. As for the redshirt thing, if you're injured in any sort of competition, you're allowed to redshirt obviously. What their mindset was, I came on to campus with this injury knowing that I had the injury, so that's where things get a little fogged up where they think I came down with this injury, therefore all those redshirt rules are somewhat voided to a certain extent. I don't even have all the answers. It's a very frustrating process, obviously I got down there and within the first week wasn't cleared. I wasn't able to travel with the team, wasn't able to practice, wasn't even able to work out with the team. I basically just turned into a Penn State student. Wasn't allowed to skate at any time with the team, wasn't allowed to physically do anything.

GF: Well, it's a very unfortunate situation. I did reach out to Penn State and we're going to try to get their side of the whole story as well and see where it goes from here. I guess the Pro Hockey Life Question of the Night is what happens now for you? I mean, you're still exploring your options, but do you see yourself back on the ice? I mean, you have that opportunity to get school paid for, which is what you said you wanted, but you also want to play. Where do you draw the line, what's the deadline, where do you really have to make a final decision?

RL: My fallback option would be the U of A, still a very good hockey program. I want to play hockey though, so if that means semi-pro somewhere... regardless. If I have the opportunity to play and get my name out there, I'll definitely look into taking it. As of now, it's kind of tough having missed the last year. But we'll see what comes, and worst-case scenario, then yeah, I can attend the U of A and play hockey there and obviously compete for national championships with those guys. They tend to have a pretty strong squad year after year it seems.

---

PSU team physician Dr. Peter Seidenberg, who addressed the Linaker situation in a statement.
Photo: Joe Hermitt/The Patriot News

At the conclusion of the interview, Flaming read a statement from Penn State, issued through Dr. Peter Seidenberg. Seidenberg is the Penn State team physician with responsibility for men's hockey and several other sports. If the name rings a bell, it's probably because he was a central character in Sports Illustrated's lame attempt at stirring up controversy surrounding his replacement of Dr. Wayne Sebastianelli as the physician for PSU football in a story published last month.

"Penn State disagrees with Mr. Linaker's conclusion that he was cleared to play. Penn State cannot provide additional specific information due to HIPAA privacy protections. However, we must underscore that the university's determination was based on its student-athlete's safety and the physical standards required by Penn State's policies and procedures."

Analysis? For the most part, I don't have anything to offer in that department. It's an unfortunate situation. I can't blame Penn State for sticking by their doctors' determination - even Flaming mentioned that they're putting player safety first, and that's commendable. I also can't blame Linaker for disagreeing with that determination, wanting to play, and seeking a place that will allow him to do so while getting an education.

Regardless, best of luck to Reed Linaker moving forward. Here's hoping that we may yet see him play in Pegula Ice Arena, although on the opposite bench from where he was expected.

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."

Vees Win Doyle Cup

Just over two weeks after taking the Fred Page Cup as BCHL champs, the Penticton Vees, including 2012 forward Curtis Loik, have added to their trophy case. The Vees took home the Doyle Cup (symbolic of Canadian Junior A Pacific supremacy) Friday night with a game five series-clinching 6-2 win over the AJHL-champion Brooks Bandits. The Vees will now head to the Royal Bank Cup in Humboldt, Saskatchewan, where they're slated to face four other title-holding teams for the Canadian Junior A national championship. That tournament begins May 5th.

During the series with Brooks, Loik had an assist in a 7-2 game one Vees romp, then scored in game three, the only game Penticton lost in the series. On the goal, Loik capped a dominant shift for his line by going between the legs of a Bandit defenseman and popping it past the goalie. The tally gave the Vees a 2-0 lead in the second period before Brooks rallied with four of the game's final five goals.

The Bandits, of course, feature 2012 forward Reed Linaker, who recovered from a December knee injury in time to play in the first two games of the team's AJHL championship series. In the Doyle Cup, he played in games three, four and five, running up 10 penalty minutes.

Penticton becomes the final team to have its name engraved on the Doyle Cup, as a format change next year will see the champions of the junior A leagues in British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba and Saskatchewan compete for the Western Canada Cup. It's both the first and last Doyle Cup for the Vees, as they lost the 2008 Doyle Cup to the AJHL's Camrose Kodiaks in their only other appearance.

Other than Linaker's and Loik's titles, 2013 goaltender Eamon McAdam and 2012 forward Casey Bailey remain alive for the USHL's Clark Cup championship (they're facing each other in the Western Conference semifinals, with McAdam's Waterloo up 2-1 in the best-of-five series). On the women's side, 2012 forward Hannah Hoenshell won the USA Hockey Tier II 19U national championship with her Alliance Bulldogs team on April 1st and 2012 forward Shannon Yoxheimer won the JWHL with NAHA, while 2013 forward Amy Petersen won a second straight Minnesota high school AA title with Minnetonka this year.

Three Stars: April 9-15

3. Brooks Bandits win first AJHL Championship
(juniorhockey.com)

2012 forward Reed Linaker's team took home the Enerflex Cup with a six-game finals win over the Fort McMurray Oil Barons (Enerflex, if you're wondering, sells products and services to the oil industry, which is obviously huge in western Canada...I had it between that and something sold at GNC, go me). The Bandits will now play 2012 forward Curtis Loik and the Penticton Vees, the BCHL champs, in the Doyle Cup beginning Friday. The winner of that series advances to the RBC Cup, Canada's Junior A national championship.

I downplayed the Bandits relative to the Vees and their solo-post status for an obvious reason: Linaker didn't play very much. Following a mid-season trade from bottom-feeding St. Albert (where he spent three and a half seasons), Linaker busted his knee 8:46 into his first game with Brooks on December 3rd and didn't play again until the first two games of the championship series. Hopefully a healthy Linaker can be a bigger part of two more Bandit accomplishments this season.

2. Pride of Pegula
(forumotion.com)

Hey look, it's a message board. Devoted entirely to Penn State hockey. Get after it.

1.Penn State Hockey- We will show them who we are
(YouTube)

Hey look, it's a YouTube pump-up video. Devoted entirely to Penn State hockey. Get after it.

Best of the Rest

IceDogs Sign 2011 2nd Round Draft Pick Anthony DiFruscia
(niagaraicedogs.net)

I think a reasonable argument can be made that Penn State isn't really an NCAA DI program until a recruit or player bails for major junior. DiFruscia doesn't technically count towards that - he wasn't a commit, he only had an offer - but still, it's a first taste of the frustration top programs experience more or less all the time. I don't like it.



Inside Pegula Ice Arena - Applied Research Laboratory CAVE Model
(YouTube)

I put this one later in the post simply because I assume that at least 68 percent of the free world has seen it by now. If not, it's pretty freaking cool and you should take this 808th chance to watch it. Although I imagine that the arena would cost about $78 million instead of $89 million without dropping some Disclosure-looking stuff on us. (Correction: I'm told that this pile of niceness has been on the house to this point.)

Okay, the technology's improved a little since 199whatever. Also, evil Demi Moore is evil.

Penn State Coaches Caravan To Hit The Road This Spring
(gopsusports.com)

The Nittany Lion Club and the Penn State Alumni Association will team up to provide fans the chance to meet and hear from some of the leaders of Penn State Athletics this spring when the Penn State Coaches Caravan hits the road for destinations across Nittany Nation, encompassing seven states and Washington, D.C.

Long story short and of interest to us: both Guy Gadowsky and Josh Brandwene will be at the Buffalo, NY stop at 6:00 p.m. on May 16th. Brandwene will also be in Pittsburgh at 6:00 p.m. on May 14th. The events cost $40 for alumni association members and $55 for non-members.

Gadowsky, program looking forward
(Lions247)

Worth a read, especially if you like Gadowsky or (in this cut/paste) Taylor Holstrom telling you you're awesome.

“The fan support was really growing too that was the coolest part about it. I started seeing hockey stuff pop up in the stores and seeing people wearing it around campus. The entire year almost every game was sold out, that was really impressive.”

Hastings Named New Minnesota State Coach
(College Hockey News)

In the only real news from elsewhere worthy of this post from last week, Minnesota State poached UNO assistant Mike Hastings to replace Troy Jutting.

@CoachBrandwene
(Twitter)

Speaking as one of those myself, I completely agree. Know who isn't a neutral observer?

#trollsohard

Reed Linaker on The Pipeline Show

The following interview with Penn State 2012 commit Reed Linaker was conducted by Sherwood Park Crusaders broadcaster Taylor Medak and aired on the Inside the AJHL segment of The Pipeline Show Tuesday night. The audio is available for download here.

Taylor Medak: We'll start this week of Inside the AJHL with the spotlight on St. Albert Steel forward and Penn State recruit Reed Linaker. The 20-year-old is looking for a solid season and hoping to return to the form he was in 2009-2010, where the Edmonton native put up 37 goals and 81 points. Linaker has six points on the year, but the Steel have yet to find a victory, and that's a disappointing start for Linaker and his team.

Reed Linaker: It's been pretty frustrating, obviously I don't think our record shows how well we've played. We've been in a couple games, we just can't get any breaks. I know, myself, obviously only one goal in the first six games, it's been tough to get some goals, so hopefully we can just work our bags off here and ride it out.

TM: You're going to Penn State - basically, kind of go through the process of how they contacted you and maybe Guy Gadowsky talking to you, and what led to that decision.

RL: It actually came out of the blue. I was actually in some pretty serious talks with Wisconsin, then at the time, I got a phone call from Gadowsky and a week later he phoned and offered me a scholarship, so I mean, pretty tough to say no there. So I took a visit down to campus and just an amazing place there, so it's exciting, looking forward to going down there.

TM: Will you go right in once the Big Ten conference starts?

RL: They're going to be going Div-I next year, they'll be an independent, so we'll kind of tour around and play some teams, and my sophomore year they'll join the Big Ten conference. So I mean, it'll be a good taste to get your feet wet in Div-I hockey, because I know the Big Ten conference is going to be a pretty stacked division, so it'll be pretty tough for us our first year.

TM: And good exposure too. Do you think that will help not only bring exposure to you and your team, but the college game in general?

RL: Oh yeah, for sure. Obviously you're going to have big-name teams in big-name barns, a lot of high-end hockey players are going into some of those programs. So I mean, it'll be a good stepping stone for us to build off, because we play some of the best people in the country.

TM: Up against, tonight, future teammate Jessi Hilton. Do you guys know each other well, or do you - you know you're going to Penn State eventually, will you be friends then, or how does that relationship work?

RL: Yeah, probably then. I don't really know him too well personally, I've played against him all my life, but nothing too personally, so probably once we get down there we'll build something then.

[Note: Hilton committed to Penn State for 2012 over the summer, but his college plans hit a snag due to 12 games played with the WHL's Calgary Hitmen over two seasons. I have yet to receive confirmation that anything has changed on that front, although according to recruiting guru Chris Heisenberg and assuming a successful petition to the NCAA, he could be eligible to play for PSU halfway through the 2013-2014 season. That would be his sophomore year (the NCAA won't allow a redshirt to get around the issue), but as we all know, a short Penn State career is better than no Penn State career.]

TM: Did you get a chance to meet Joe Paterno when you went down to Penn State?

RL: We did actually, yeah. He was injured, so he couldn't go on the field, but I ran into him, so that's pretty cool. The guy's a legend in college football, so that was pretty nuts.

TM: Well Reed, good luck the rest of the way this year, I know it's been a tough start, but hopefully you guys come through, a lot of potential on this Steel team. We look forward to seeing you down the road at Penn State and hopefully beyond that.

Three Stars: August 15-21

3. Brewpub plans put on ice - for now
(Centre Daily Times)

The four [College Township Planning Commission] members present approved and sent to Township Council the development plan for Penn State’s Pegula Ice Arena.

The arena is planned near the intersection of University Drive and Curtin Road, across from the Bryce Jordan Center. The site also is partially in State College.

McCormick Taylor, the State College engineering firm that conducted the traffic study, addressed concerns, saying that added traffic “will be small compared to the existing traffic.” The firm indicated other campus lots will accommodate parking.

As boring as that all sounds, it's one of those things you won't notice unless it's brutally executed and you're stuck in a line back to Burger King on University Ave. trying to get to a game. So here's to that never, ever happening.

Oh and that brewpub in a barn in Lemont? Tabled until the Happy Valley Brewing Company figures out a way to fit 84 parking spaces on the site. Booooooo....

2. New season for Steel
(St. Albert Gazette)

If you couldn't tell by now, this is the time of year when people write "team x is excited for the season" articles. We hit the teams of Eamon McAdam and former commit Jessi Hilton last week, and just below, we have one on David Glen's Spruce Grove Saints. Now, here's the obligatory piece on Reed Linaker and his mates. Linaker, as you might expect of a guy who averaged 1.53 points per game last season when healthy, is mentioned as a key player. Brother Cole is expected to come in and make an impact as well.

1. Saints begin looking for third title in a row as 2011-12 training camp kicks off
(Spruce Grove Examiner)

Up front, the Big Three this year are going to play a vital role in providing leadership and mentorship to the first-year guys. The trio, David Glen, Nicholas Bourgeois and Tim Nolte know they're going to be the go-to guys, at least early on.

"They'll play a huge role," [head coach Jason McKee said]. "Tim and David have been around a while - we got Nicholas part way through last year - and they'll be relied on for a leadership role. We're excited to have them back and they'll be a huge part of continuing the culture here and passing it on to the new guys."

Speaking of leadership, Glen was announced as captain of the Saints this past week. The team is clearly aware that Penn State is a member of the Leaders Division, so naturally, it would be wise to name a PSU commit captain. That's what that means, right?

Best of the Rest

Icers 2011-12 Schedule/Results
(pennstatehockey.com)

The Icers have added a Blue-White Game, on September 30th at 6:00 p.m.



Joe Paterno Feuding With Penn State Hockey (1979)
(YouTube)

You may not realize it from all the time I spend on TYT, but I'm also a huge Penn State football fan. In fact, starting in late July every year through the start of the season, I make a point of plowing through every one of the football DVDs and, yes, VHSs I've accumulated over the years. Some highlight videos, some full-length games, all sweet blue and white goodness. Anyway, as part of this ritual, I stumbled on this exchange between JoePa, legendary broadcaster Fran Fisher and wide receiver Kip Vernaglia during the 1979 episode of Joe Paterno's TV Quarterbacks discussing the Syracuse game that season.

As background for those who don't read Breakout Past, the football team took over the original Ice Pavilion in 1978 and converted it into an indoor practice facility, forcing hockey into home games in Mechanicsburg and outdoor practices. It turned out that Vernaglia wasn't too happy with the new fieldhouse, particularly the amount of padding under the turf. It's also pretty obvious from Paterno's exasperated "don't get me involved" that he was sick of hearing it from the hockey team and didn't want to add fuel to the fire by joining in on the complaints or by agreeing with Fisher's (joking...I think) suggestion to do some fundraising for extra padding. That would be akin to whining to a homeless guy that your garage door doesn't work, then asking him to buy you a new opener.

@SheldonKeefe
(Twitter)

Here's an encouraging tweet from Pembroke Lumber Kings president/GM/coach Sheldon Keefe.

Great 2 see 5yr vet Jon Milley pushing the pace in skating test. 2nd best set completing 3 laps in 38seconds. J. Pelock led the way at 37s.

I'm already developing my favorites among PSU commits' junior teams this year, and the defending national champs are definitely very high on the list.

BTN still not available to all Penn State fans
(standardspeaker.com)

Please allow me to be self-indulgent for a moment and remind you all that many unfortunate people out there still don't get Big Ten Network. I'm one of them. If you're a fellow Armstrong subscriber, or even if you're not, jump on the Armstrong Cable Must Carry BTN Facebook group (after calling them to express your displeasure). It's linked on the right side of TYT because I run it and can do things like that. I can also give out free BTN stuff for not that much work on your part, since I have a box full of it in my guest bedroom. Just saying.

Oh, and hockey mention.

Curley pointed out that not only has the BTN benefited Penn State's football and basketball programs, but the so-called "minor" or "Olympic" sports and particularly women's sports have received far more media exposure than they would have without the network. Penn State's fledgling ice hockey program also will get a boost from the BTN, Curley added.

One thing I've never understood: basketball's an Olympic sport, is it not? In fact, I believe every sport anyone's ever heard of besides (American) football is, so what exactly is the point of that designation?

PU-Cornell Men’s Hockey Rivalry Getting New Twist As Veteran Big Red Assistant Garrow Joins Princeton
(Town Topics)

After Helping Niagara Build Solid Foundation, Gardner Excited to Join PU Men’s Hockey Staff
(Town Topics)

Princeton has filled out its coaching staff to replace the one now at PSU. And no, talking about it hasn't gotten old yet.

UNO Hockey Taps Renfrew as New Assistant
(omavs.com)

Most people assume that Ohio State will be the first program in Penn State's way during the inevitable climb to the top of the Big Ten. I'm not so sure that's the case. Observe Michigan State, a historically great program, but one that's been on a steady downward trajectory since winning the 2007 national championship. That hastened the retirement of Rick Comley, and the still-a-head-scratcher Tom Anastos hire followed. Now, well-regarded associate head coach Brian Renfrew has departed for what's at best (from MSU's standpoint) a lateral move pretty late in the offseason. At worst, it's a move up from a sinking program to a rising one.

Sure, it's possible that Anastos wants his own staff, and that Renfrew was told as much. Then again, Anastos was hired nearly five months ago.

Incidentally, Renfrew is connected to Guy Gadowsky through a stint assisting at Alaska in 2000-2001.

Since transferring from hell, Tyler Pilmore has clicked with center/fellow minion of the Prince of Darkness Michael Schultz.

Bobcats gear up for championship run
(The Post)

It's kind of cute that OU thinks they have a "championship run" in them. Go back to the kiddie table guys, grown-ups are trying to settle something.

Seven-Bedroom Home on Norwood Sells for $1.1 Million
(patch.com)

In case you need to borrow $365,000, I have one idea where you can go. Oh, it doesn't work like that? Regardless, congratulations to the Brandwenes on unloading their house in Connecticut.

$365,000. 68 Lemay Street. Joshua A. Brandwene and Leona M. Brandwene to Peter A. Junggren Jr., deed filed on Aug. 8, 2011.

If it's me though, I hold on to it at all costs. You have any idea what the return of the Whalers will do for property values in the state?

Committee Approves Tournament Criteria Change
(College Hockey News)

On its face, I think this change - related to the record against common opponents component of the Pairwise (which is the objective tool used for NCAA tournament selection in hockey) - is a positive one. But I'll save final judgment until an RPI grad explains it to me. Or until PSU loses a comparison it would have won under the old system. Then it's on. RABBLE RABBLE!

1989 And Still Waiting
(ecachockeyblog.blogspot.com)

Speaking of RPI, heads up on a new blog covering their conference. I'm an ECAC guy at heart and would call it my favorite conference if I wasn't bound by some unwritten rule of fanhood to plug the Big Ten, despite feeling ambiguous at best about five of its six teams. Meanwhile, if you asked me to list my ten favorite non-PSU NCAA programs, at least half of them would be in the ECAC (Cornell, RPI, Union, Brown, Princeton in case you care...I suppose UNO, Providence, Alaska, RIT and UAH would be the other half, although I could be forgetting someone).

Three Stars: August 8-14

3. Cru prepare to make roster
(Sherwood Park News)

Most junior teams are right on the cusp of camps and preseason (in fact, by the next Three Stars, Jonathan Milley's Pembroke Lumber Kings will have played an exhibition game), so before we move forward with tracking the progress of recruits who didn't play major junior, here's one more look back at Jessi Hilton - the recruit that wasn't - and his squad.

"We've got a strong goaltender in Pat Terriss and returning players like Jesse Koch and Jessi Hilton, so expectations are high," [head coach Tim Fragle said]. We want to have a good season this year and finish in that top-four position in the North Division to get home ice."

Hilton stepped up as the team's captain approximately halfway through the season, with the departure of former captain Josh Lee, who was traded to the Fort McMurray Oil Barons.

He'll have big stats to live up to this season, having earned 50 points in his 60 games played, managing 28 goals and 22 assists.

2. Linaker focused on winning
(St. Albert Gazette)

Okay, now we can get on to probably the most informative and comprehensive thing written about a PSU recruit to this point - and it's one of our best, Reed Linaker. He's poised to break almost every St. Albert Steel scoring record, provided he stays healthy, which has been an issue in the past. Here's the big Penn State quote from the article.

“It was pretty much talk to me and sell me it. They offered me a scholarship right way so it was kind of hard not to say no,” said Linaker, who will check out the Penn State campus for the first time in early September. “I had some serious talks with Wisconsin, but I figure going to Penn State would be a pretty cool experience. Obviously I can put my own stamp on the program and maybe be the face of the program with some hard work over the next few years. If I work hard, I have the opportunity to be a go-to guy there, so I love that.”

Oh, and there's this: Linaker has a well-regarded, hockey-playing younger brother, Cole. If PSU wants to get serious with the 1995 birth year, they'll have to keep him away from the WHL's Kelowna Rockets, who own his draft rights (6th round, 2010). But maybe the shot at playing a couple years with his brother turns the tide, who knows.

1. Meet Assistant Coach Keith Fisher
Meet Assistant Coach Matt Lindsay
Meet Director of Hockey Operations Bill Downey
(YouTube)

GoPSUSports has come up with literally five men's hockey articles and one video since the aftermath of Guy Gadowsky's hiring. Three of the articles were announcements - the hirings of the three subjects of these videos, and the Scott Balboni resignation. Another was an admonishment concerning NCAA rules.

So it's nice to finally get some fresh content beyond what's absolutely necessary from the official site, even if it's just 9:28 spread over three interviews. Steve Penstone, incidentally, spent 5:45 with Downey alone, scooped the people who hand out the access by nearly two months, and asked questions that demonstrated knowledge of the subject (the best moment of the three videos was the completely serious "what brings you to Penn State" inquiry at the beginning of the Downey interview).

Why Fisher at the top? Why not?

Best of the Rest

O'Handley pleased after Black Hawks camp
(wcfcourier.com)

One more recruit-related article, this one on 2013 goalie Eamon McAdam's team. Waterloo's USHL entry just completed an orientation camp, and reading between the lines, it doesn't sound like the goalies did too well. Here's head coach/general manager P.K. O'Handley to explain that one.

"As far as the goalies, I liken the goalie position at this time of the year to maybe a golfer who has had the winter off. Now all of a sudden you are thrown into a competitive environment and you're going to struggle from time to time.

"We're going to score because we have more skill. I wouldn't read too much into all the goals we allowed this week. I'm certainly not. We did not put in any form any kind of team defense. It was fairly wide-open out there.

"Plus, I don't think these guys were ready for [former Black Hawk and UMass Minuteman and current Worcester Shark] James Marcou [who participated in the camp] to be barrelling down on them."

Waterloo figures to carry veterans Jay Williams and Eamon McAdam as its top two goalies this year, but Petersen, the Waterloo native, also will factor in when he arrives back.

Big movements on campus
(Pennsylvania Puck)

A new site, Pennsylvania Puck (papuck.com), takes its shot at summarizing PSU's DI program to this point.

The site is launching in the fall, although it's obviously posting articles and it has a pretty active Twitter account (not to mention a pretty flexible definition of "launch"). Semantics aside, I'm intrigued. If it's done right, with a good deal of focus on minor, college and junior hockey, I think it could be a fantastic addition to the internet.

Indians ready for another winter of Snow Days
(indians.com)

Fenway may host UMaine hockey
(Portland Press Herald)

Penn State and Neumann continue to work on the proposed game at Citizens Bank Park, but six other schools are set (or at least reportedly set) to play outdoor games at other baseball stadiums. Michigan-Ohio State at Cleveland's Progressive Field is finally official for January 15th. Eight days prior, a doubleheader of New Hampshire-Maine and Vermont-UMass is everything-but-official for Fenway Park.

Is Joe Paterno Influencing the Climate?
(statecollege.com)

I could not run the same study on Joe Battista's hockey teams when he was coaching cause they never had any down years, show-off that he was.

Yeah, Joe Battista was kind of okay.

The_TimmyC
(yfrog)

Tim Carr's mask continues to just crush it.

2011-2012 Women's Ice Hockey Tickets
(rmu.edu)

Getting into the Lady Icers' season opener at Robert Morris on September 23rd will cost most people $7. If you're in the Pittsburgh area, or even if you're not, get to it.

DII Penn State Plucks DI Assistant to Fill Head Coach Slot(hockeyyall.com)

Because it's a quiet week, I'll pass around this Josh Hand piece one more time. By the way, the origin of the link is truly one of the best college hockey sites out there. It's specific to non-varsity hockey in the south, but since the Ice Lions are actually in the Southeast Region of ACHA D2...basically, it works out quite well for us.

Curtis Carr was once one of the ACHA's most dynamic players at Kent State. Now he's rapidly rising through the coaching ranks.

Carr joins coaching staff at Merrimack College
(ushl.com)

As a general rule, I only give coaching moves involving the Big Ten or CHA a mention here, but I'm definitely willing to make an exception when an ACHA guy quickly moves up the ladder. Carr was a former player (1999-2003) at Kent State, then moved into coaching with the Golden Flashes as an assistant (2003-2004) and head (2004-2006) coach.

Probably as much as any individual, Carr was responsible for KSU's rise from the waste left over from their failed NCAA program - the Icers beat them 65-5 over the first six meetings after the loss of varsity status in 1994, through the 1998-1999 season - into a respectable ACHA entry with two nationals appearances as a player and one more as a head coach.

Since leaving his alma mater, Carr had been with the Youngstown Phantoms for five seasons, rising from an assistant coach with personnel and development responsibilities to head coach and general manager during the 2010-2011 season. Notably, he helped the Phantoms move from their previous home in the Tier II NAHL to the Tier I USHL in 2009. Now he's an assistant with an on-the-rise Hockey East program that went 25-10-4 and made the NCAA tournament last season. Not a terrible career track.

N. Dakota ready to drop Fighting Sioux
(espn.com)

I routinely take jabs at NoDak, but regardless of the circumstances or your opinion of them, you have to feel for the vast majority of Sioux fans who are obviously passionate and well-intentioned (basically, meaning that they like the nickname but aren't racists). I really don't know how I'd react if "Nittany Lions" was suddenly - or not so suddenly, since this has been going on for a couple years, after all - ripped from PSU.

That said, if the Sioux people were of one mind and approving of the nickname, this is never an issue. Miami somehow survived without "Redskins," and UND will be fine as well.