Three Stars: April 1-7

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

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

2. Keystone State of Mind
(College Hockey News)

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

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

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

1. Pegula Ice Arena Virtual Tour
(YouTube)

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

I think the arena is disappointing.

Oh, okay.

Best of the Rest

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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



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

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

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

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

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

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

@Billy_Downey
(Twitter)

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

Nice.

A Day at NCAA Regionals

A few reflections on a day spent in Toledo, OH for the NCAA Tournament's Midwest Regional first round on Saturday...

For someone more used to the determination of an ACHA national champion than to the similar process of the NCAA, and in the interest of informing other Penn Staters, it may help to start with a few differences between the two, because ACHA National Tournaments are in fact significantly different than what we'll eventually see in NCAA Division I. First off, there's the number of teams - in the opening two days of the ACHA Division 1 championships, attendees cross paths with 20 different teams in the same ice facility, while in the NCAA, there are never more than four teams at any one site, which doesn't really offer nearly as much in terms of the sheer spectacle (I mean really, it's two games one day, one game the next day... as someone used to eight hockey games in one day on two adjacent sheets at ACHAs, big deal).

The second major difference is closeness. With the ACHA, it's not at all uncommon to mingle with teams watching other games from the stands or leaning up against the glass, while at NCAAs, teams maintain that degree of separation that comes in big-time professional or college arenas. Additionally, in the ACHA, people are sort of taken aback by the presence of "pure" fans or media - really, people in attendance who don't have a relative on the team and aren't part of a team's staff aren't all that common, even at nationals (at the recent ACHA women's tournament, I had issues getting a complimentary tournament pass, largely because the idea of someone like me independently covering the tournament was completely off the map for the event's staff).

I'm not trying to pass qualitative judgment on those differences here. They just are.

That last difference - the presence of fans - is something quite unique in NCAA hockey, particularly at the Frozen Four.

I attended the 2010 Frozen Four, and made a fairly egregious rookie mistake: I wore an RIT shirt, as they were my favorite team in Detroit that year. Long story short, despite an ignored up-front explanation of my status as a Penn State alumnus, I ended up spending most of the Tigers' blowout loss to Wisconsin talking about RIT to four bottled New Hampshire fans in front of me. How many people go there? What are its most competitive majors? I broke down and faked knowledge of my "alma mater" well enough to satisfy them, then wore an Icers jersey when I returned for the championship game two days later. Lesson learned. You don't pick a "tournament team" in NCAA hockey - it should probably be noted that UNH wasn't in the Frozen Four that year, yet four guys in head-to-toe Wildcat gear made sure the school was represented there.

Regionals are the same way, on a much smaller scale. In Toledo, Miami and Notre Dame had the best numbers, as one would expect due to proximity, while Minnesota State and St. Cloud State were much less represented, but certainly present. Host Bowling Green had a few fans there, as did Ohio State (with hockey-specific gear, so I'm reasonably confident that they weren't merely a few of the Walmart Buckeyes that dominate the state, not to mention the fact that they would have had to skip OSU's basketball team in that NCAA Tournament to be there). Relatively close Michigan had a few, and numerous other schools had singles, including every remaining Big Ten school - my hoodie and some serial killer-looking guy in a 2010 Capital One Bowl t-shirt took up for PSU.

No, there weren't 20 teams there, but in a way, there were even more than that. And that makes it a blast. Even when they're drunk and think you went to some other school, it's fun interacting with fans from around the country who you wouldn't ever meet but for the NCAA Tournament. This time around, I sat next to a Miami fan who, it has to be said, knew next to nothing about hockey, but was as passionate about it as anyone I've ever seen, in talking during the game, belting out the school fight song (which I believe uses the phrase "love and honor" about 72 times) and participating in all of the usual chants (including "it's all your fault" at the opposing goalie after an empty-netter, which doesn't make a ton of sense to me). I didn't want to root for the RedHawks against Minnesota State, but enthusiasm is contagious, as is often said. That same Miami fan was going hard for St. Cloud State over Notre Dame, and got exactly what she wished for, at least until the Huskies throttled the RedHawks the next day to represent the region in the Frozen Four.

St. Cloud State (red) crushed top seed Notre Dame, then Miami, to reach the Frozen Four

The present NCAA Tournament format, which divides 16 teams into four regions, with the four regional winners meeting at the Frozen Four, is frequently criticized, largely because of punchline-worthy attendance numbers. In other words, there are fans there, they represent many different schools proudly, there just aren't enough of them. Toledo's first-round attendance was 2,988 in a building seating 7,389, the second-lowest number of the four regionals. The West Region in Grand Rapids, MI brought up the rear with 2,289 in 10,834-seat Van Andel Arena. The East and Northeast Regions were much better with 6,253 (of 11,940) in Providence, RI and 8,049 (of 9,852) in Manchester, NH.

The hockey is great, it's entertaining to attend, the atmosphere can be fun... so what's the problem? Why doesn't the draw of the NCAA hockey regionals measure up to, say, the NCAA basketball tournament, or even the Frozen Four (that 2010 event had 37,592 at Ford Field's championship game, a record draw for an indoor hockey game)?

Interestingly enough, I recently attended a segment of the basketball tournament as well, the second and third-round sub-regional in Auburn Hills, MI, which I believe can offer some insight, as there's no perceived attendance issue there. Notably...

• Despite the immense popularity of the NCAA basketball tournament in our society - it's probably the U.S.' second-biggest sporting event behind the Super Bowl - the second-round games were not sold out. Thursday afternoon's Session 1 (Michigan State-Valparaiso and Memphis-St. Mary's) drew 18,863 to the 22,076-seat Palace, while the evening Session 2 (Michigan-South Dakota State and Akron-VCU) pulled 19,829.
• Each session had the benefit of one of the two most popular schools in a major metropolitan area. Without that, the numbers take a significant hit. None of the six other teams there had significantly greater support in their corner than Miami and Notre Dame in hockey. In fact, each school was only allotted 550 tickets for their "official" contingent, and it was extremely uncommon to see fans from the "other six" outside of their designated sections.
• Don't overlook the "major metropolitan area" part of that last bullet. Stunningly, the Detroit area is able to pull more casually-interested locals than the Toledo area (while the two cities are very close to each other, it's still not a drive generally made on a whim).
• There were eight teams represented there - while the two sessions are separate tickets, tons of fans paid for both. That crossover is something that hockey doesn't get, with each regional just half the size of a basketball sub-regional.

One frequently proposed solution to hockey's attendance woes is to move the tournament back to campus sites, a position recently advocated by my buddy Eric Burton.

It’s that time a year again, Division I college hockey soon will be taking center stage in the NCAA regionals playing in half empty arenas, in venues in cities across the USA.

It’s a yearly occurrence for college hockey, because we can’t have any more regionals on campus. God forbid, we can’t have playoff games in rowdy arenas stuffed with rabid fans.

The NCAA wants regional games played in arenas posing as quite emotionless mausoleums, all under the guise of the regional being held at “neutral” sites.

[In]essence, yearly, the NCAA is giving the eastern teams in the NCAA Division I hockey tournament home games. It’s no wonder they don’t want to move the regionals back on campus. Why should they? They might have to play a Michigan, North Dakota, Minnesota, Denver at their home arena. We can’t have that, they might not have an easier path to the Frozen Four.

That strikes me as shortsighted and driven by self-interest with a healthy dose of paranoia (why does the NCAA favor eastern teams... oh right, because his team isn't an eastern team.), particularly as long as the volatile PairWise Rankings are used to determine things. Under PWR, flipping a game result or two can turn the entire seeding on its ear, and that's not a decisive enough "win" in my opinion to take the step of forcing a deserving team to play a road game in the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA Tournament isn't a conference, where two teams played a full, generally identical round robin schedule and one had a better record than the other, it's "hey, if that game between two teams not in the tournament back in November had gone the other way and your opponent was a Team Under Consideration, we'd be playing at your barn instead of ours... I'm sure you'll find it hilarious later."

I believe instead that hockey should take a few lessons from basketball, which seems a fairly obvious exercise. Limit things to an East and a West Regional. Invite eight teams from each to a major-city neutral site for four games on day one, and two more on day two. Both day two winners advance to the Frozen Four. Continue the practice of placing teams to maximize attendance, because again, the idea of "bracket integrity" seems like a silly concept, given the fragility of PWR.

As long as the two host cities aren't Boston and St. Paul every year (I'm thinking something like Denver, Chicago, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Detroit in the west, Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh in the east, with sites furthest from the Frozen Four preferred on a year-to-year basis to keep this thing accessible), I think it's a great concept. Neutral sites keep the integrity of the competition and hockey's status as a big-time sport worthy of the distinction intact. Major cities provide a destination experience that Toledo and even campus sites just can't. The system also maintains that co-mingling of people from all over college hockey, what makes this whole thing unique and worth preserving - I have no doubt that campus sites would deter visiting fans and neutrals from attending, even if seats are allocated evenly.

But whatever solutions may or may not be down the road, I actually don't think the present system is all that broken. The NCAA clearly doesn't have too much issue with the attendance, or they'd change things. And I had a good experience as a neutral fan. Did I see the Miami fanbase in its full glory, as I would down at Goggin? No, but the NCAA Tournament experience isn't about that, nor should it be. I can't wait to attend one where I have a strong rooting interest.

Kurtz Joins PSU as Special Assistant

Morris Kurtz coached the Icers as they became the first collegiate team to play in Europe in 1976

Morris Kurtz, who coached the Icers to a 24-6-1 record from 1974-1976, has been hired by Penn State as a special assistant for athletic operations and will start Monday, as reported by the St. Cloud (MN) Times.

“I started talking with them because I still had a lot of friends from my time there,” Kurtz said. “It was just a progressive type of thing. I was thrilled at the opportunity. Penn State’s been significant for me. I met my wife in Happy Valley. It gave me the foundation that allowed me to eventually springboard to St. Cloud State.

“We never thought hockey would become a Division I sport. It was a pipe dream back when I coached. Thank goodness a lot of people worked hard to make it happen.”

After leaving PSU, where he earned a master's degree and a Ph.D. from 1973-1979, Kurtz, as mentioned, moved on to St. Cloud State, where he enjoyed a successful 27 years as athletic director before the 61-year-old retired late last year. Notably - and stop me if this sounds at all familiar - he oversaw SCSU hockey's transition to NCAA Division I in 1987 shortly after starting there. The Huskies, at the time, made quite an entrance, including the hiring of legendary coach Herb Brooks in 1986 and the construction of the 5,763-seat National Hockey and Event Center in 1989.

Since then, they have become one of the more stable programs in college hockey, making nine NCAA Tournament appearances (including this season, as they open their run with Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon) against just three losing seasons since 1996. Kurtz helped steer SCSU through the recent conference reshuffle by landing a spot in the NCHC, which will be one of the premier leagues in the country when it begins play next season, while several of their current WCHA rivals were left behind in the league, which is losing much of its luster.

His role at Penn State apparently will start with a heavy focus on hockey, but will broaden to include all areas of the athletic department.

“There are a lot of other assignments for me [outside of hockey],” Kurtz said. “But a lot of my time will be spent on hockey the first six to nine months with their transition to the Big Ten. My responsibilities will be department-wide.

“Sitting in the AD chair at St. Cloud State will certainly help me deal with things from budgets to fundraising to personnel issues. I’ve had invaluable experiences here that will allow me to help moving forward.”

It's a move clearly intended to help support PSU AD David Joyner, who has filled the role since the Jerry Sandusky scandal engulfed former long-time AD Tim Curley, but is often criticized for his lack of relevant experience as well as the manner in which the former Board of Trustees member acquired the job.

Even while still working at St. Cloud State, Kurtz had consulted with Joe Battista and Penn State's hockey people during throughout the Nittany Lions' DI launch and knows what awaits him at University Park.

“They’ve had an unbelievable reaction to hockey out there,” Kurtz said. “They’re putting seats into the arena this week. It’s going to be a wonderful place to play.”

“Retirement wasn’t what I thought it would be,” [he continued]. “I did some consulting work and that was OK. I just missed being around young people. I know the challenges that await me and I look forward to meeting them."

Notably, Kurtz also told the Times that he "definitely intends to make [an annual non-conference series between Penn State and St. Cloud State] happen. He'll also "do what [he] can" to continue to assist St. Cloud State with fundraising efforts for the National Hockey and Event Center, which is presently undergoing a renovation and expansion.

The Penn Stater's Guide to the NCAA Tournament III

Welcome to TYT's third annual "I'm a Penn State fan. Who should I root for in the NCAA Tournament?" post. To reiterate the rules: this post is not about prediction, serious analysis, or even personal preference (although that does creep into play on occasion). It's simply an attempt to rank the four schools in each of the four NCAA Tournament regions in terms of their relationship to PSU. Sometimes it involves past events, sometimes it involves future implications. Sometimes there's not a ton to go on, and I'll usually drop those schools somewhere in the middle. But if Penn State is your only concern, this is how I think your rooting interests should play out.

Until Penn State has a direct reason (ie. participation) to care about the NCAA Tournament, I'll defer to others for the hardcore stuff. Western College Hockey Blog, for example, has fantastic previews of each region (East, Northeast, Midwest, West), and I encourage you to go over there for further reading.

The winners of each region, of course, will congregate at the Frozen Four, hosted this year by Pittsburgh's CONSOL Energy Center and Robert Morris University on April 11th (semifinals) and 13th (championship game). It's actually the first of consecutive Frozen Fours to be held in the Keystone State, as 2014's edition will head across the commonwealth to Philadelphia.

Finally, before we get started, here are the tournament brackets (interactive and PDF) from NCAA.com.

East Region (Providence, RI)

1. Quinnipiac vs. 4. Canisius, Saturday 5:30 p.m., ESPN3
2. Boston College vs. 3. Union, Saturday 9:00 p.m., ESPNU
Regional Final, Sunday 6:30 p.m., ESPNU


1. Union. It seems almost crazy now, given what happened subsequently, but I was absolutely pumped by PSU's competitive losses in Schenectady back in November (2-0 and 4-1, with empty-netters in both games). That was at a time when I didn't honestly see a major-conference win coming in NCAA Year One, and suffice it to say, I think Penn State would have a shot at being more than "competitive" today. In last year's version of this post, while discussing the Dutchmen, I said: "It would be pretty cool if the Dutchmen carried something like a Frozen Four appearance from this season into next season's games with the Nittany Lions." And yes, it was. With Union rumored to be making a trip to Pegula Ice Arena next season, I'm saying it again.

2. Canisius. The two Atlantic Hockey teams in the tournament this year both get a bump due to the fact that Penn State was an honorary member of the conference in 2012-2013, going 5-8-0 against AIC, RIT, Air Force, Sacred Heart, Army, Holy Cross, Robert Morris and Connecticut - there's nothing at all wrong with wanting to see the champion of the AHA tournament do well under those circumstances, even if they are up against it with an opening game against top overall seed Quinnipiac. The Golden Griffins also get points for a previous series with the Icers, back when the school played in NCAA Division III. PSU went 2-6-0 in those games, spanning from 1981 until 1995.

3. Quinnipiac. In a weaker region for Penn State interests (see: Midwest), the Bobcats may very well have been number one, due to my new blood bias (hey, we're new blood too, after all). For the little it may be worth now, QU's home TD Bank Sports Center was part of the legendary "get ideas for the PIA" arena tour taken by Penn State leadership, and is generally credited with influencing the "steep as code allows" (finish your drink!) nature of our nearly-complete student section.

4. Boston College. Eef. If you really want to see Boston College win anything (again), go away. If you're still here, it does need to be said that BC's one saving grace is the Eagles' three Pittsburgh natives: starting goalie Parker Milner, stud defenseman Patrick Wey, and freshman blueliner Travis Jeke. Diminutive superstar Johnny Gaudreau, the leading scorer both for BC and for Team USA's gold medal winning entry at this year's World Junior Championships, gets an honorable mention as a Philadelphia-area New Jersey native who played for Team Comcast. The three PA natives are tied with UMass-Lowell's batch as a tournament high.

Northeast Region (Manchester, NH)

1. UMass-Lowell vs. 4. Wisconsin, Friday 4:30 p.m., ESPN3
2. New Hampshire vs. 3. Denver, Friday 8:00 p.m., ESPNU
Regional Final, Saturday 6:30 p.m., ESPNU


1. Wisconsin. Do I really need to explain this one?

In its first NCAA season, Penn State beat a team that is participating in the NCAA Tournament. The fact that the Badgers are also a Big Ten school, and yeah, "rah-rah, go conference," almost seems like an afterthought next to that. Feel free to extrapolate and call UW the overall top seed - I'll be rooting for them against anyone in the field. Could you imagine if Penn State ended up beating the eventual national champions?

2. UMass-Lowell. Things significantly drop off from a Penn State standpoint after the obvious Wisconsin call, but the aforementioned three Pennsylvanians (defenseman Joe Houk of Richboro, goaltender Brian Robbins of Scotrun, forward Terrance Wallin of Yardley) and the new blood factor give the River Hawks the edge over UNH. Lowell, a former Division II superpower that elevated to DI in 1984, has been thoroughly average since then, but has now made consecutive NCAA tournament appearances and won its first Hockey East tournament title on Saturday by ending Jack Parker's legendary career at Boston University. New blood is fun until it gets annoying (see Union, with Quinnipiac setting a land speed record on the way there), and Lowell isn't annoying yet.

3. New Hampshire. If the Wildcats were to take the whole thing, I wouldn't complain. The school, quite accurately dubbed the University of No Hardware by detractors, is always there - UNH has been to 18 of the last 22 NCAA Tournaments and a streak of ten consecutive was snapped last year - but never wins, and is quite possibly the most storied program in college hockey without a national championship. There's not much on either side of the ledger from a Penn State/Pennsylvania perspective though, other than gigantic (6'6", 225 pounds) defenseman Eric Knodel, a West Chester native and a Toronto draft pick. He was selected when Brian Burke was still the Leafs' GM, although that probably goes without saying.

4. Denver. The Pios have always been sort of a nothing team to me. There's no disrespect intended in that statement, DU's obviously one of the most successful programs in college hockey, I just have literally no feelings positively or negatively about them. What drops them to the bottom of the region, then? They're joining the NCHC next year. I get the feeling that Big Ten-NCHC in hockey is going to be like Big Ten-SEC in football for years to come, or at least until the entire conference structure gets reshuffled again. Except hopefully, the Big Ten will be the better conference at hockey.

Midwest Region (Toledo, OH)

1. Notre Dame vs. 4. St. Cloud, Saturday 1:30 p.m., ESPN3
2. Miami vs. 3. Minnesota State, Saturday 5:00 p.m., ESPN3
Regional Final, Sunday 4:00 p.m., ESPNU


1. Notre Dame. It's not an easy call in a region that's absolutely brutal for Penn State interests, but I've always been fond of the fact that once upon a time, the Icers played Notre Dame. The Irish temporarily removed varsity status from its hockey program for a single season, 1983-1984, and scheduled a series in Johnstown against eventual club national champion PSU, with ND taking three points from the weekend. The next season, with Lefty Smith's gang back in the NCAA, the Icers went to South Bend and were swept. Notably, Notre Dame was Joe Battista's second choice of college - try that alternate history on for size, you won't like it - and PSU brass has a good relationship with the school, so you can probably count on the teams meeting at some point. ND's Compton Family Ice Arena was a key influence on the Pegula Ice Arena design as well.

No shame in having the second-nicest arena in college hockey

2. Minnesota State. The Screaming Eagles Mavericks could be considered one of the victims of Penn State's entry into NCAA hockey, as next season they'll be going from the WCHA, the toughest conference in college hockey, to... the WCHA, the fifth-toughest conference in college hockey. Normally, I'd point out that under the new setup, teams like Minnesota State, Lake Superior State and Bowling Green might actually have a better shot at an NCAA bid since one of the WCHA "leftover" teams are guaranteed to go via the autobid, but MSU obviously didn't need that to get in this year, so... uhhh... sorry?

3. Miami. I've generally been fond of the RedHawks, as a relative newcomer to NCAA Division I hockey that is now firmly established in the "club" of national powers (in other words, saying Miami is going to be good or is going to win something no longer receives a sneer in response, as it has for PSU, although the Nittany Lions' 2012-2013 results certainly shut a few people up). Eight straight tournament appearances with two Frozen Fours and one almost-championship will tend to do that. From a 1978 start date, the then-Redskins first made NCAAs in 1993, before things really took off once head coach Enrico Blasi's tenure began in 1999. MU does receive some credit for participation in the Three Rivers Classic this season, although they managed to duck PSU, but... there's that NCHC thing rearing its ugly head again. Without it, Miami is first or second in the region. With it, they're third.

4. St. Cloud State. In the recent past, and in consideration of the fact that former Icers coach Morris Kurtz was a 27-year athletic director at SCSU, the Huskies would almost certainly be somewhere other than last. However, Kurtz retired last June, and... NCHC. Ew.

West Region (St. Paul, MN)

1. Minnesota vs. 4. Yale, Friday 2:00 p.m., ESPNU
2. North Dakota vs. 3. Niagara, Friday 5:30 p.m., ESPNU
Regional Final, Saturday 4:00 p.m., ESPNU


1. Minnesota. With the end of Michigan's 22-year tournament streak this year and the low seed given to Wisconsin (although many are pegging the Badgers as a dark horse, given the 10 wins in 12 tear that got them into this thing), stacked Minnesota has to be considered the favorite to represent the Big Ten deep into NCAAs, and Penn Staters should act accordingly. Since the announcement of the conference's formation, haters have had loads of ammo, thanks to frequently-underperforming programs, as judged by their traditional standards. In 2011, Michigan was the only Big Ten school to qualify for the tournament, although their run to overtime of the national championship game helped alleviate the issue. Last year, Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota all made it, but only the Gophers managed to win an NCAA Tournament game, two actually, before falling to eventual national champion Boston College in the Frozen Four semifinals. Until the Badgers' late run this season, things once again looked pretty bad for the Big Ten, particularly with usual powers Michigan and Michigan State slumping - but a Gophers national championship leading into Big Ten play next year would help the league's credibility immeasurably.

Bonus reason: Gophers forward Tom Serratore and PSU captain Tommy Olczyk are close friends

2. Niagara. Niagara is a team from mid-major league Atlantic Hockey and received an at-large bid. Not supporting that is un-American, or something. As mentioned under the Canisius entry, AHA teams get extra credit this season due to PSU's 13 games against the conference - it would be nice if the Nittany Lions' competition, or at least the teams that beat that competition to win the AHA regular season (Niagara) and playoff (Canisius) titles, ends up looking good.

3. Yale. The Bulldogs, along with New Hampshire and arguably UMass-Lowell and Minnesota State, stand out as a more or less completely neutral team from a Penn State standpoint. Don't root for them against Minnesota of course, but should Yale stun the Gophs, feel free to pull for them against North Dakota. You could even support them against Niagara, given the lack of truly compelling reasons to support the Purps, if you're a huge fan of junior forward Jesse Root, a Pittsburgh native who is fifth on the team in scoring with 20 points this year.

4. North Dakota. ...and in what's become an annual tradition, the Sioux bring up the rear due to what I'm calling the Eric Burton rule. I'm not sure that I have to elaborate at this point, but if I'm wrong, get at me in the comments. Because it will never stop being funny, here's what happens when the Sioux get eliminated (for those unfamiliar with the context, Michigan's Scooter Vaughan just scored an empty-netter to clinch victory for the Wolverines in the 2011 Frozen Four semifinals):

Three Stars: July 2-8

3. SCSU hockey lands recruit Tedesco with ... the logo
(sctimes.com)

Toronto Lakeshore (OJHL) forward Dan Tedesco has chosen St. Cloud State over Penn State (as well as RIT and Sacred Heart).

It sounds like the St. Cloud State men’s hockey coaching staff had Daniel Tedesco with the logo.

The school’s logo shares similarities with the one used by the Montreal Canadiens. Despite living in the Toronto suburb of Maple, Tedesco’s family is has an affinity for the NHL team that has a big ‘C’ on its jersey.

“Our family is big Montreal Canadiens fans and as soon as I saw the (‘ST’ surrounded by a capital ‘C’ logo), I saw it as a sign that it was meant to be,” Tedesco said. “But I loved everything about the campus, the dorms, the rink improvements really impressed me. Every day we went by the rink, more walls were built up. It was exciting.”

I know of a school that also has a rink with more walls being built up every day. It has a nicer logo than SCSU too. Just saying. Fans of the school winning Tedesco's services, apparently, are displeased with the caliber of the programs recruiting him. I'm displeased with the caliber of program beating PSU for recruits, so call it even.

Anyway, Tedesco might still join the Huskies this coming season, depending on how things shake out with a couple of serious injuries to their forwards. If not, he'll go back to the OJHL for another year.

2. 150 Miles for a Cure...
(nationalmssociety.org)

Women's assistant coach Casey McCullion is new to Penn State, but apparently not to being a Penn Stater, as she's participating in a bike ride for MS on September 29th and 30th. In her words:

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

This year I am going to take on the two-day challenge - 75 miles each way - a minor challenge compared to those fighting this disease. The National Multiple Sclerosis Society will use funds collected from Bike MS to not only support research for a cure tomorrow, but also to provide programs which address the needs of people living with MS today. Because we can fight this disease by simply riding a bike, because we have chosen to help thousands of people through a contribution to Bike MS, we are now getting closer to the hour when no one will have to hear the words, "You have MS."

If you're able, please consider supporting her in this most worthy endeavor.

1. @KPegula
(Twiter)

Here's your "billionaires are people too" moment for the week. Kelly Pegula tweeted the above picture on Thursday, captioned "My dad playing NHL..." If it's some kind of special team owner release of NHL 13 (available to us peons on September 11th), I don't want to know about it.

What I do want to know: how many of Darcy Regier's decisions he reverses in Be a GM. That would be juicy. Probably a lot.

Best of the Rest

Crawford Architects
(Facebook)

The PIA architects presented Joe Battista with what they called the "Project Passion Award," really just a custom bobblehead of the hockey czar, complete with his playing days afro swag.

I should note that the bobblehead is wearing a jersey different from anything that the Icers or the 1940s varsity team ever used (it does admittedly look similar to the last Icers jersey, minus the words "Penn State"). The smart half of my brain says that architects aren't in the leaking jersey design business, and that they probably just slapped a PSU logo on the front of a generic blue and white sweater...although it does bear an uncanny resemblance to a possible reverse design of this:

Hey, I'm not doing my job if I don't point these things out...

W 2012-2013 Schedule
(Thank You Terry)

On Friday, the women's team Twitter revealed the game times for the December 7th-8th series at St. Lawrence (7:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m.) and the February 22nd-23rd series at Robert Morris (7:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.). A quick check of the CHA website reveals that the January 25th-26th series at Syracuse had already been set for 7:00 p.m. and 2:00 p.m., meaning that all regular season game times for the women's team are now finalized.

Apologies for the self-linkage - the schedule on GoPSUSports.com was not updated for those three series as of the time this post went up.

2012 Golf Tournament
(Google Documents)

It sounds like the Icer Open is joining "attack the scoreboard end twice" on the list of Icers-era traditions relegated to the scrap heap as this year's tournament has been cancelled. While administration does plan to bring back a golf tournament in 2013, it will be part of a "Hockey Valley Weekend Experience" (your guess is as good as mine on that one) and will undoubtedly have a new name.

Also buried in the document: single-game tickets will be limited to a "limited number" of reserved seats, plus 300 standing room tickets. Of course, why stress over that when five-game packages - which cost all of $55 and include priority at the Pegula Ice Arena - still aren't sold out?

Would you send your son to Penn State?
(fairfaxunderground.com)

I suppose this was inevitable, but...

My son is a hockey prospect who is being recruited by several schools including Penn State. Given all of the other available opportunities, it seems pointless to even consider PSU.

Not that I really follow it, but from what I understand, recruiting for PSU football is going pretty well, and that particular program is obviously more directly tied in with current events. If they're surviving, I imagine this to be an isolated incident, and Guy Gadowsky confirmed that recruiting hasn't been an issue on Saturday. Wait, why is it pointless to consider PSU again? Worried about the negative association with the name of the school on the degree? That's fair, and admittedly a concern of mine as an alumnus...

It's really about the fact that since this story broke, it seems there was a great deal of institutional tolerance of Sandusky's crimes.

Oh okay...yeah, a few individuals is just like "a great deal of institutional tolerance." I hope you and your duster kid go somewhere else. Don't need anyone with your genes - or someone so weak-minded that daddy has to hit the message boards to pick a school for him - dragging the team APR down.

@NAIHockey/@KPegula
(Twitter)

KPeg makes a second appearance in this post. Why? For completely owning the NAIH, which is really representing itself as a professional, well-run organization in trying to...trying to what, exactly?

Kelly: Hey dad, something called NAIH said you should fire the whole scouting staff on Twitter.
Terry: NAIH?
Kelly: Yeah, I don't know what that is.
Terry: Well regardless, brilliant idea. I'll get on that as soon as I'm done unloading Derek Roy on Chel. Man it feels good to finally do that.

Seriously, that has to be pretty damn annoying. I saw her use that reply to someone else trying to suggest the Sabres go after Gabriel Landeskog (personal opinion: they should also trade Andrej Sekera and a first rounder to Edmonton for Hall, RNH and Nail's rights). Probably the best way to handle it.

Trouba sticks with word, will play for Michigan in fall
(The Michigan Daily)

Highly-touted 2012 Michigan commit Jacob Trouba, the ninth overall pick in last month's NHL Entry Draft by Winnipeg, was involved in quite a saga last week. First, the Daily, citing anonymous Ontario Hockey League sources, reported that there was only a 50-50 chance that Trouba will end up at Michigan. Then last Monday, citing a diffent OHL source, the paper said that the Kitchener Rangers offered Trouba $200,000 to break his pledge to the Wolverines. The story quickly escalated to the point that the Trouba family felt as if it had to issue a statement reaffirming his plans to head to Ann Arbor in the fall.

Rule number one when dealing with major junior: it's never over. That said, if Trouba does stick with the college route, I don't mind calling him one of my favorite players despite his choice of school. Kid's good enough that he may never face Penn State anyway, as he realistically could be a Jet by 2013.

Those people on the roller coaster aren't even looking. I'd look.

Hersheypark Arena Fire Contained; Roof Damage Should Be 'Easy To Repair'
(Broad Street Hockey)

The roof, the roof, the roof is on fire...fortunately on Thursday, they did get some water and did not let the motherf***er burn.

Hersheypark Arena is best known as the former home of the Hershey Bears, and many also know it as the edifice where Wilt Chamberlain dropped his NBA-record 100 points in a game. Some two decades before that though, it was the frequent home of Penn State hockey. What was then called Hershey Sports Arena hosted eight of 26 games played by the 1940-1947 varsity team with known locations (of 29 overall), and 16 of 43 with known locations (of 46 overall) when counting the unofficial teams that preceded the varsity years. Even without a Penn State team gracing the ice there since December 5, 1984, Hersheypark Arena probably still ranks in the top ten venues played by PSU hockey teams (just an educated guess - no way I'm taking on that project right now). Also, Mark Scally became the only Icer to ever start an NHL preseason game there. More on that later this week, I hope.

Basically, as a history geek and someone that appreciates one of the last true hockey barns still standing, I'm glad it's okay.

Expert says sanctions unlikely for Penn State

Penn State could pay tens of millions in Jerry Sandusky scandal fallout
(Centre Daily Times)

A couple of CDT items to close things out here, as well as follow up on Friday's post relating The Scandal to hockey. I know that the CDT is paywalling now - I'm still under my 15 pageviews per month limit for out-of-towners, fortunately, but that's why one of the articles is linked from a non-CDT site, in case you were wondering - so essentially:

1. A former NCAA infractions committee chair says that the association shouldn't punish PSU beyond what the legal system provides. He cites the idea that it's outside of the NCAA's scope and also argues that piling NCAA sanctions on to everything else would be "like shooting road kill." Great.
2. Penn State does, as mentioned in the comments to the TYT post, have liability insurance to pay Jerry Sandusky's victims. However, the insurer is apparently resisting payment of costs in at least one case and the amount of the school's coverage is unknown. A more sarcastic "great" fits here.
3. Anything beyond what insurance covers will be paid by interest revenues from loans given to PSU's self-supporting units. Since athletics is one of those self-supporting units, it seems as if its budget will remain safe from that specific expense, beyond the interest it was already paying anyway. Back to straightforward "great."

I think we're safe removing the direct legal costs from the "how does this affect hockey" equation, and I mentioned in the post that I haven't observed effects on operations (including recruiting, for example, despite the link above). That leaves the possible damages to hockey at a) A financial ripple effect from damage done to the football program, likely through lost ticket sales/donations, or possibly sanctions; b) NCAA or Big Ten sanctions that do something beyond simply bludgeon the football program and involve the entire athletic department. And of those, b) seems like a pretty remote possibility right now and a) will be impossible to fully assess for a while. There's also the matter of those $10-15 million surpluses that have been stashed away somewhere for a few years now. I'm not quite ready to start yelling "SUCK IT HATERZ!!!" but I am feeling a little better about my Penn State-affiliated distraction from Penn State than I was even a couple days ago.

Three Stars: September 19-25

3. Category:Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey players
(Wikipedia)

Curtiss Patrick and Alon Eizenman have Wikipedia entries. Cool.

2. Coach Gadowsky says practice will remain intense despite injuries
(The Daily Collegian)

The big blow: Senior defenseman Dan Petrick is out six to eight weeks with a broken wrist. Also bad: Nick Seravalli's groin is bothering him. Slightly better: Chris Cerutti's recovering well from the MCL sprain he suffered on the first day of practice.

1. The Long & Winding Road
(View From the Booth)

P.J. Musico and Guy Gadowsky were Steve Penstone's subjects this week. Neither seems to mind travel.

Steve had a busy week, also sneaking in a three-parter - Part 1 / Part 2 / Part 3 is pending - with Joe Battista. In Part 2, Battista says he can't wait to share the plans for Pegula Ice Arena. Really? Then what's stopping you? Throw something out there on a site that probably gets more hits in five minutes than TYT does in a month, add the caveat that changes may still be made, and give people what they want. There is absolutely no harm whatsoever in doing that, and to claim otherwise - or to act like nobody's seen anything - is disingenuous.

OMG WHAT'S THAT?!? Surely decoy mock-ups that PSU administration commissioned Crawford to complete with some of that $88 million just to throw bloggers off the scent.

Best of the Rest

Western Michigan, St. Cloud accept NCHC invites; WCHA ‘disappointed’
(USCHO)

About freaking time.

St. Cloud State will say 'No' to "Super League"
(Husky Hockey Time)

Hey, remember that time that the SCSU president said that they wouldn't join the NCHC (despite not having been invited at that point)? Even more funny now.

According to the St. Cloud Times, St. Cloud State University will say 'No' to any offer to joining the new proposed "Super League". SCSU President Earl H. Potter III said today that, "We expected to be in conversations about being in a new league. But as we looked at it ... we intended to say ‘no.’ " Potter also stated, "We intend to stay in the WCHA and a take a leadership role to continue the legacy of the WCHA."

College Hockey's Latest Head Scratcher
(The United States of Hockey)

Five Questions on Realignment
(Western College Hockey Blog)

Two of my favorite hockey bloggers check in with some analysis. And believe it or not, Bowling Green has leapfrogged Notre Dame as the school everyone's watching right now. They have asked for and received an extension on the WCHA's deadline for accepting their invitation, which expired over the weekend. Will they (following Notre Dame's acceptance of an NCHC invite) take the 10th slot in the Axis of Evil? Will they take the WCHA invite after some deliberation? Will they, as WCHB suggests is a possibility, drop their program? Or...

Bowling Green Meets with AHA Schools, Buffalo
(The Ciskie Blog)

...will they go ahead and start their own conference with Canisius, Mercyhurst, Robert Morris and Niagara, Air Force and...Buffalo? Buffalo? The Buffalo we beat for the 1989 ICHL championship at the Ice Pavilion? That Buffalo?

Yeah, that Buffalo.

Oh, and guess what? This extended itself beyond the rumor stage Sunday when UB officials confirmed their interest. Get Buffalo on board, and the MAC is just two schools away (Kent State? Ohio?) from forming its own college hockey conference. Then Akron can elevate its ACHA D2 program. This is all part of my master plan.

An open letter to Terrence M. Pegula
(buffalo.com)

Speaking of Canisius and at the risk of sounding like a guy who doesn't know where his DI programs came from, someone from the Golden Griffs camp has shamelessly requested that The Namesake pay for their arena as well. Despite compelling arguments like "the entire city of Buffalo thinks you're swell" and "we're Jesuit, you're Jesuit, so basically, you owe this to God," Pegula has yet to park the Sabres practice facility on their campus (although they are in something resembling talks to do just that).

As much as I hated the letter, I do quite like the little guys playing baseball at the top of the page.

RIT picked to finish first in Atlantic Hockey poll
(USCHO)

Future opponent watch. Yep, they're still good. Oh and if you didn't click on the Buffalo thing above, they declined an invite to the meeting about that new conference.

New Icers coaches in process of transition
(The Daily Collegian)

I can't really explain why I like this story, but I do. Maybe it's the jumbo picture of Gadowsky in a PSU windsuit. Still hasn't gotten old.

Checking In: Former CCHA commissioner Bill Beagan
(USCHO)

Some interesting words from Beagan:

It was inevitable that the Big Ten would establish an autonomous NCAA D-I college hockey conference once a sixth team [Penn State] announced the creation of a D-I hockey program. I envision the Big Ten hockey conference expanding exponentially in what I envision another two, and perhaps four additional programs, possibly including Notre Dame, by the time they officially launch their Big Ten college hockey conference. Just makes sense.

The Big Ten television network will eventually outshine ESPN, in my opinion, in terms of college sports coverage on television, and being as we live in a money-driven culture, by Notre Dame joining the Big Ten Conference they [Notre Dame] reportedly would increase their annual television revenue three-fold to what it is presently.

Mortenson Construction Awarded New Sports Facility Work at Penn State
(mortenson.com)

Guess they're doing a good job so far with the PIA.

Mortenson Construction has been awarded its second project with The Pennsylvania State University with the $5 million upgrade of the Artificial Turf Field, home of the men and women's lacrosse teams. Penn State awarded Mortenson’s Sports Group the construction of its new $89 million Pegula Ice Arena earlier this year.

Work on the Field upgrade gets underway this month on the University Park campus in Pennsylvania. The scope of work includes excavating and lowering the existing natural grass turf field, addition of a new artificial turf field, sports lighting, sound system, scoreboard, fencing, playing field accessories and netting. The project is scheduled for completion in December 2011.

Three Stars: August 1-7

3. Hey Hockey Valley, Get Ready to 'Roar into the Future!'
(statecollege.com)

Joe Battista gets his pump on with glowing words about Guy Gadowsky, Josh Brandwene, the four assistants on their respective staffs, Bill Downey, the new men's hockey SID and pretty much anyone else he could fit into a column of reasonable length. He's thrilled to get to the future, and why shouldn't he be with the people we have around both programs?

Clearly though, Battista's not an avid reader. If this blog leaves one lasting contribution to Penn State hockey, let it be the torpedoing of the 1946 myth.

One more thing: here's a challenge. Find someone saying something bad about Gadowsky on the internet. I bet you can't, and that says a lot in this day and age. My Google Alert (which sends Google hits to my email and has certainly helped with a post or two) reads "Guy Gadowsky," not "Guy Gadowsky + rad + bodacious" and I have yet to see anything.

My, how things have changed since the early 90s.

The closest thing has been a Twitter argument where the other side believed Mark Johnson would've been a better hire. And it's not like the other side said anything bad about Gadowsky, so...doesn't count.

2. Q&A: Men's hockey coach ready to start // Hockey gift endows goaltender, names coach's office // Former Icer Brandwene picked to lead women's ice hockey
(Nittany Lion Club Newsletter)

Admittedly, I didn't get around to reading the summer issue of the NLC Newsletter until this week, so it came as a little bit of a shock when I found three topical articles contained within. They probably don't include much you haven't read before (particularly the last two, on the John and Karen Davis donation and the Josh Brandwene hire, which borrow heavily from the original press releases), but hey, let me know if you find something that covers tons of new ground in August.

1. 2011 season preview: Looking at the CHA (Part 1 of 2)
(examiner.com)

Part 2 was promised "tomorrow," and "tomorrow" was last Wednesday, so you'll just have to survive on Part 1 for now. Anyway, get to know (half of) our future women's conference a year earlier than you need to. You'll thank me later. And actually, it may come in handy before the 2012-2013 season, since the Lady Icers open this season's ambitious schedule September 23rd at Robert Morris.

Best of the Rest

Well-rounded forward chooses PSU
(Lions 247)

Your money quote, from subject of the article Kenny Brooks:

“At first we’re all going to be young guys, so we all are going to have to work hard. But by the time I leave, I expect us to be competing with all of the top schools in the Big Ten and nationally as well. Hopefully we will be from the start, you can never really tell, and with the great coaching staff in place you never know what they can do.”

Winter Classic week full of possibilities
(Camden Courier-Post)

Fresh non-committal words concerning the in-negotiation outdoor game January 4th against NCAA Division III Neumann University, summarized nicely by:

Flyers president Peter Luukko, the driving force behind Philadelphia's bid for the Winter Classic, confirmed Tuesday night that games featuring the American Hockey League's Adirondack Phantoms and Penn State University men's hockey team are in the works.

"Those are both very good possibilities,' " Luukko said, adding, "There is a cost associated with keeping (the rink) up a couple days."

I'm equally excited for the idea of Holland Oates performing at the Winter Classic. As long as Peter Gabriel is there too (It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia reference).

Compton Family Ice Arena
(und.com)

Notre Dame's page containing all things related to their in-progress facility. Including a live look at the construction. Not bad, guys.

Huskies add to coaching staff
(St. Cloud Times)

Another week, another unemployed former Head Coach Candidate finds work. This time, it's former Wayne State women's boss Jim Fetter, who rudely had his program cancelled out from under him in May.

CCHA, WCHA talk merger
(Bowling Green Sentinel-Tribune)

Remember that thing everyone assumed wouldn't happen? Yeah, well it might.

Even with this news, it's still pretty easy to see the finish line:

• Notre Dame will pick a conference - most likely the NCHC or Hockey East - by August 15th (reinforced in the article). Western Michigan will beg to be allowed to join, citing the Andy Murray hire and undoubtedly a Powerpoint presentation.
• The CCHA and WCHA schools not locked into the Big Ten, the NCHC or wherever ND and WMU go will merge into one conference.
• Or they won't. The WCHA, which has already poached Northern Michigan from the CCHA and is eyeing Alaska as well, would be good to go with at least six teams, possibly adding potential new program Minnesota State-Moorhead later, should MSUM get paid.
• The CCHA would need to add the Four for 18 club (Mercyhurst, Canisius, Niagara, Robert Morris) from Atlantic Hockey to survive without a merger. Yeah, I just made that up. Fear me.
• In non-merger scenario, AHA would still have eight teams and wouldn't need to do anything.
• Alabama-Huntsville remains completely screwed.

Versus Nears Deal to Televise College Hockey
(College Hockey News)

Apparently, Western Michigan is the only entity waiting on Notre Dame.

The Versus package will not be a national deal, per se. It was not negotiated with College Hockey Inc. or the Hockey Commissioners Association. That is impossible given all of the deals conferences have separate Regional Sports Networks (RSNs) and teams have with other local channels.

But Versus is intending to reach agreement with all five current Division I leagues to air games on Friday or Saturday nights. Some of those deals have already been finalized. Versus is expected to make an announcement of its broadcast package once all of the deals have been completed.

Oh Pegula
(sabrenoise.com)

Yes, someone really wrote a poem about Terry Pegula. I didn't make it very far before I got embarrassed for the guy (the author, not Pegula) and stopped.

Who's the loser in the middle not wearing a cartoon animal costume?

Rescheduling of 'Furry' convention in Pittsburgh points to Penguins hosting 2012 NHL Draft
(The Hockey News)

THN's Ryan Kennedy observed that the rescheduling of an event at Pittsburgh's convention center might mean that the 2012 NHL Entry Draft is coming to the Consol Energy Center. As exciting as the idea of the first Penn State draft pick possibly hearing his name called in Pennsylvania is, for now the more interesting story is what was moved.

The city required the use of its convention center, which had already been booked for June 21 to 24 by Anthrocon, an annual gathering of Furries.

"Furries?"

Anthrocon...is for people who enjoy dressing up in mascot-style costumes, emulating animals.

Oh, okay. Well, at least Anthrocon was bumped up instead of back. So your teddy bear collection is presumably safe from overanxious plushophiles (not that far of a reach, people).

2011 Junior Evaluation Camp Central
(usahockey.com)

I'm not going to go huge on the World Junior Championships until actual Penn Staters are involved. For now, the essential knowledge is that 28 current or committed college players are presently among the 44 total at the USA Hockey Junior Evaluation Camp as they attempt to make the USA U20 team for the 2012 WJC tournament - held December 26, 2011 through January 5, 2012. The Big Ten is represented by Jon Merrill (Michigan), Nick Bjugstad and Justin Holl (Minnesota) and Mike Mersch (Wisconsin). Also of note: PSU coaching finalist Scott Sandelin is an assistant on the WJC team. Follow along with the camp and related exhibition games (all of which runs through the 13th) at the link.

Three Stars: July 18-24

3. College Township looks at traffic impact of planned Penn State ice arena
(Centre Daily Times)

You know that fun part of arena planning that involves sketches and imagination? This is the opposite of that. A traffic impact study for the Pegula Ice Arena is underway, and the College Township Planning Commission will discuss it on August 16th, after it's completed. But just as a heads up, there might be new turning lanes in the area of the arena.

2. Lions Add 2013 Defenseman
(Lions 247)

The Whalers fan in me desperately wants to find a way to drop "Varley Valapski" in a post somehow. Guess I just did.

1. @tommyolczyk
(Twitter)

BRIERE!

TSA agent just mistook me for Danny Briere. #shouldhavegonewithit #compliment #thanks #iwish.

Other than changing things up from the usual "recruiting, recruiting, other" pattern, I wanted to use this occasion to point out how much the new players have elevated Penn State hockey's tweet game. Olczyk, Steve Edgeworth, P.J. Musico and Josh Daley in particular are clutch follows. Thanks, gentlemen. #beauties

Best of the Rest

Lions Add Some Fire Power
(Fight On State)

Did I give FOS a demotion for their apparent unawareness of Jonathan Milley until last week's Lions 247 piece? Nah, I just didn't want to put a picture of him at the top two weeks in a row. Beyond that, newer recruits get tiebreaker advantages.

An early glimpse at incoming freshman commit Zach Hyman
(The Michigan Daily)

This isn't included as a what-might-have-been as much as for its insight into Guy Gadowsky's recruiting methods.

Former Princeton hockey coach Guy Gadowsky told Zach Hyman to go be "The Man."

At the young age of 15, Hyman committed to play for Gadowsky and the Tigers. With already two years of experience in the Ontario Junior Hockey League, that still wasn’t enough for the college stage — Gadowsky wanted Hyman to play one more year in the OJHL.

According to Gadowsky, once Hyman became "The Man" in the OJHL, he’d learn what it felt like to be the best and translate that feeling into being an impact player as a Princeton Tiger during his freshman campaign.

Hyman, of course, did as Gadowsky asked and was heavily criticized for playing beneath his abilities. Then he decommitted from Princeton when Gadowsky left, ending up at Michigan.

As we've figured out by now, Gadowsky likes players who have proven to be "the man," even if it means staying in junior a year past the comfort zone of most. Winning players bring a winning culture with them - and it worked at former doormat Princeton, so why not at new program Penn State?

...then it got a lot less tough. Then it got a little tougher, but not as tough as it was originally.

Northern Michigan to Rejoin WCHA Family
(WCHA.com)

Your conference alignment segment of this week's post begins with another conference that's official and effective for 2013-2014. As of that season, the dub is now up to a membership of Alaska-Anchorage, Bemidji State, Michigan Tech, Minnesota State, NMU and St. Cloud State.

Huskies are left with only questions
(St. Cloud Times)

Kurtz led PSU from 1974-76.

I feel like St. Cloud State is one of the big losers of the conference shifting - a competitive program in a top conference that's now in the hockey equivalent of the MAC. They might end up needing an autobid to make the NCAA tournament after taking an at-large slot six times in the last thirteen years. In the aftermath, a former PSU coach and faculty member (who, by the way, has made recent trips to State College) was not spared from criticism.

SCSU also is paying athletic director Morris Kurtz nearly $130,000 to stay around for a lame-duck year before his June 2012 retirement. What exactly is his role with the hockey program now? Does he even have one?

WCHA commish has no guarantees for MSU Moorhead
(The Dickinson Press)

“It is really tough to make a commitment … and if I could tell Moorhead in three years you’ll be in the WCHA I would, but in these circumstances, I cannot even come close to that,” [WCHA commissioner Bruce] McLeod said. “I cannot make promises, but at the same time I’d love to encourage that the Fargo-Moorhead area is really fine.”

Nothing to see here, I suppose. But it's pretty clear that school and conference need each other right now.

Another view: Thinking of history and the conference realignment
(USCHO)

Of course, I realize this is not about storied teams and traditions, but about money. If you don’t think this is the case, then consider this — a three time NCAA Champion [Lake Superior State] is being (kind of) replaced by a school (Penn State) that up to this point has had nothing more than a club team. I cannot be the only one that finds this astounding.

Flexible definitions of "storied" aside, I think people need to wake up to the fact that winning a national championship doesn't grant your program some sort of immunity, or even respect, until the end of days. Northern Michigan realizes that, and is trying to position themselves as well as they're able in the present reality. RPI does too. Evolve or die - it's true in life, and after a period of complacency-inspiring status quo, it's true in college hockey too. LSSU has done very little evolving since losing Jeff Jackson to the newly-formed U.S. National Team Development Program in 1996.

CCHA, Atlantic Schools To Meet, Weigh Options
(College Hockey News)

Speaking of, four Atlantic Hockey programs are using the upheaval to grow.

CCHA officials will meet within the next two weeks with representatives of four Atlantic Hockey schools about a potential change in conferences in 2013-14.

Robert Morris, Niagara, Mercyhurst and Canisius are all actively exploring the possibility of switching from Atlantic Hockey to the CCHA. It is believed that the four would leave as a group, or not at all, though that is not set in stone.

Depending on when Notre Dame decides to move, this could be the one that brings this all to an uneasy detente. AHA would still be viable with eight teams, and the WCHA and CCHA both would have added enough to survive.

Canisius coach Dave Smith may be looking to grow his program through a move to the CCHA - and none other than The Namesake may be helping him by financing another college hockey rink.

Like how I snuck a bonus link in the caption?

Serious discussions have been ongoing about [Terry] Pegula backing (see: major donation) a movement toward a new on-campus events center. It would serve as a home for Canisius and the Buffalo Junior Sabres, a practice rink for the Sabres and be available to youth teams. There's talk it could also become a basketball venue and a place for graduation ceremonies that are now held at UB.

Just as this whole thing might be hurting St. Cloud State, it might be helping the former Icers rival.

Alberts says 'The National' will raise Mav profile
(Omaha World Herald)

I already have an anti-NCHC bias, in part because I really think Big Ten-NCHC in hockey will be a lot like Big Ten-SEC in football in due time. Hopefully minus the part where the Big Ten is pretty vastly inferior to the other side. So to get their side of things in here and make it somewhat palatable, I took an article from my favorite NCHC school, Nebraska-Omaha (and yes, Trev Alberts is the AD there if you didn't know that).

To be honest though, I hate conference chest beating, and I hate it even more when schools and fans identify themselves as a member of a conference seemingly ahead of all else (PSU administration is guilty of this on occasion). In the grand scheme of things, I couldn't care less about the Big Ten. I didn't go to school at "Big Ten," I went to Penn State.

Minnesota Gophers Hockey: Creating A New Tournament Tradition
(SB Nation)

...so let's segue into to talking about another Big Ten team just because they're in the Big Ten! The Gophers and their in-state soon-to-be-former conference rivals are looking to possibly start an in-season tournament at the Xcel Energy Center - like a State of Hockey Beanpot by all accounts. Sounds great to me, it could be huge if given time to grow into the deep hockey culture there.

Timeline: College hockey conferences through the years
(USCHO)

In case you're lost.

Versus may be interested in college hockey TV package
(Schenectady Daily Gazette)

While most have heard by now that Versus is looking to get into the college hockey business (in all likelihood via a deal with whichever conference Notre Dame ultimately joins), it's somewhat of a surprise that they may look to take the plunge as soon as this season.

Numerous sources have indicated that Versus is discussing the possibility of televising regular-season college hockey games, beginning in January. What conferences would be involved, or what night the games would be shown (either Friday or Saturday) is unclear right now. Versus, part of the NBC Sports Group, is the cable home of the NHL. A few months ago, the NBC Sports Group signed a 10-year deal to keep the NHL on NBC and Versus.

Skating through the past
(The Temple News)

A look at the history of Temple hockey, which dates back to 1940. Penn State, as we now know, dealt the Owls a pair of losses in their inaugural season. Today, Temple is a fierce rival of PSU's ACHA Division 2 Ice Lions.

Brian Slugocki has been a key figure throughout the reorganization of Arizona hockey. Now, he and his mates finally have a new coach.

Sean Hogan Returns to the ACHA as Head Coach of the University of Arizona
(ACHAHockey.org)

A while back, I wrote about the state of affairs in a former PSU nemesis' program. And despite the accusations from some (possibly people affiliated with former coach Leo Golembiewski) that the coup out west was a case of hockey parents run amok, it's a story with a happy ending. Sean Hogan takes over the newly-rechristened Wildcat program after a year as Jeff Blashill's video coach at Western Michigan. Icers fans may remember him as the guy who led Oakland to the ACHA D2 national title in 2006, then moved the team up to D1 and won another in 2007 - a championship made possible by an upset of Penn State in the final.

Best wishes to Arizona Wildcat hockey as they move forward with a fresh start.

Arvanitis Named Head Coach
(OUHockey.com)

Speaking of coaching changes, one of our opponents this season made one as well, promoting Peter Arvanitis from his assistant position. The former Oklahoma City Blazer has been with the Sooners for two non-consecutive seasons, 2005-2006 and last year. For what it's worth, OU has also acknowledged cancellation of the January 5th game with the Icers in Norman, one minor step towards finalizing the game at Citizens Bank Park on the 4th.

I'll close by saying that I like how Oklahoma registered "OUHockey.com" before Ohio. Sucks to suck, fake OU.