PSU Announces Men's Single-Game Sales

On Friday afternoon, Penn State announced its highly-anticipated offering of single-game tickets for 2013-2014 men's games at Pegula Ice Arena.

Some quick highlights:

• The on-sale date is Thursday, October 3rd
• Tickets can be purchased at the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office (open weekdays 9:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.) or by calling 1-800-NITTANY
• Prices range from $15 to $23 per seat, while standing room is $10 per person and student tickets for the six games not included in the student ticket package are $10 as well
• Roughly 200 seats and 200 standing room admissions are available for most games, with 1,200 seats available for the six games not included in the student ticket package
• The opening-night game against Army is an exception to the previous bullet, as it is completely sold out other than a very limited number of scattered single tickets held back for season ticket sales

Here's the full release:

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Single-game tickets for the Penn State men's hockey team's inaugural season in Pegula Ice Arena and the Big Ten will go on sale Thursday, Oct. 3.

Fans interested in purchasing tickets can visit the Bryce Jordan Center Athletic Ticket Office, which is open weekdays from 9 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., or by calling 1-800-NITTANY. Single-game tickets in the main bowl start at just $15 per game, with the most expensive ticket priced at $23. Standing-room only tickets cost $10 each.

For most Penn State games, 200 single-game tickets in the main bowl will be available, in addition to the standing-room option. Approximately 1,200 general public tickets will be available for the six games that were not included in student season tickets (Nov. 30, Dec. 1, March 7-8, March 14-15).

The Nittany Lions' highly-anticipated opener against Army Friday, Oct. 11 is sold out, with no bowl seats or standing-room tickets available. Fans interested in attending the first game held at Pegula Ice Arena can purchase one of a limited quantity of single seats that are available for the season.

In addition, student single-game tickets for the aforementioned games not included in the season ticket package cost $10 each.

In 2013-14, head coach Guy Gadowsky welcomes back 18 returning letterwinners, as well as nine newcomers, as the Nittany Lions join the Big Ten for the league's first season. Penn State, which returns its top 13 point producers and nearly 94 percent of the team's scoring, also boast four NHL draft picks on the roster, including juniors Max Gardiner (Deephaven, Minn.) and Patrick Koudys (Smithville, Ont.) and freshmen Eamon McAdam (Perkasie, Pa.) and Mike Williamson (Leduc, Alta.).

Women's Ticket Information Released

Jess Desorcie and the Nittany Lions play their first Pegula Ice Arena game October 18th vs. Union

Late Thursday afternoon, Penn State announced ticketing details for the women's team's first season at Pegula Ice Arena.

The major details aren't particularly startling, as they've been floating around since being published in a PIA ticket brochure last season: season tickets will cost $50 for all 17 regular season home games, while individual general admission tickets are $5. Penn State students will be admitted free of charge with a valid ID card.

While some might bemoan the fact that women's games now cost money after being entirely free last season in the Ice Pavilion, I support the move not only for the mild revenue bump but for the symbolism. Women's hockey games are something of value, and charging admission for them reinforces that idea.

Interestingly, while tickets will be general admission, seat selection will be limited to the side of the arena containing the team benches. Penn State averaged 238 fans per game last year, so forcing attendees to cluster in one area rather than spread all over the cavernous PIA lower bowl should help the game atmosphere and home ice advantage. Behind the scenes, it will allow staff to cut costs by shutting down services in half of the arena.

Tickets go on sale October 2nd, which is next Wednesday. The entire release follows.

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With just three weeks to the first game at Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State women's hockey announced its season and individual ticket packages on Thursday, which will go on sale Oct. 2. Season tickets start at just $50 for all 17 games, while individual tickets are $5 for general admission. Penn State students are free to all games with valid ID.

Tickets to women's hockey games gain you entrance to the arena and seating will be done on a first-come, first-serve basis on the team bench side of the arena. Ticket purchases can be made over the phone (814-865-5555) or by visiting the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office (Monday-Friday, 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m.).

The Penn State women open Pegula Ice Arena against Union (Oct. 18-19) a week following the men vs. Army (Oct. 11). The Nittany Lions host eight straight contests in October and November to christen the building. In all seven non-conference matchups dot the home calendar including visits from New Hampshire (Oct. 26-27), Maine (Nov. 30) and Colgate (Jan. 10-11).

The Nittany Lions host a slate of 10 home games against College Hockey America foes highlighted by a pair of contests against preseason No. 7 Mercyhurst (Feb. 15-16). Also visiting Pegula for the first time will be Robert Morris (Oct. 31-Nov. 1), Syracuse (Nov. 9-10), RIT (Jan. 31-Feb 1) and Lindenwood (Feb. 8-9).

Penn State moved into $90 million Pegula Ice Arena on Sept. 9 and full team practice began Sept. 21. The Nittany Lions open the 2013-14 season on the road with games at Vermont (Oct. 4-5) and Quinnipiac (Oct. 11-12). The Nittany Lions return 24 letter winners, 98.6 percent of their scoring and all three goaltenders.

Dropping The Deuce

Does this prove that men's hockey is Penn State's number two sport?

Following the incredible turnout that overwhelmed Tuesday's student ticket sale, one popular discussion was men's hockey's potential to become the second-most-popular team at Penn State. It was initiated by two of the best journalism products PSU has to offer - Rob Greissinger, who first broached the topic, and Darian Somers, who felt through it a bit further with a column in the Daily Collegian.

Football, of course, is number one. But how do we know that? Sure, it's easy to point to the 90,000-plus in Beaver Stadium on a handful of Saturdays per year and say "there you go." But it's more than that. It has to be, otherwise men's hockey as the number two sport can't even come up, since men's basketball drew 7,672 fans per game last year, well over Pegula Ice Arena's capacity.

For possibly biased reasons, I believe that blogs are the truest, most easily-studied window to a fanbase. Generally, they're written by fans and not professional media types, but blog writers and readers/commenters - in my experience -tend to read a few rungs up on the evolutionary ladder (don't get mad, message board guy - I was a huge board guy before TYT, and the issue is the medium combined with a minority of those present, not most of you).

Look at Black Shoe Diaries, purportedly a Penn State all-sports blog. As I write this, the front page of BSD include an analysis of the football team's third down efficiency, a Q-an-A with the author of a book involving Penn State football and a preview of week three in Big Ten football. Over at Victory Bell Rings, it much of the same: PSU's upcoming game with Central Florida and college football generally are broken down from all angles imaginable, including a parody of head coach Bill O'Brien picking games from around the nation. Onward State is a general PSU blog, not a sports-specific one, but all four of its sports posts on the front page as of this writing were football-related. There is nothing at all on the highly-successful and in-season Nittany Lions women's soccer or volleyball teams on the front page of any site.

If you really want to wade into message board territory, you'll see more of the same, I promise.

I don't point that out to criticize, but as an illustration of Penn State football's dominance in the university sports landscape. Attendance counts for a lot, sure, but it's just one measure of "interest," that vague measurement we're really after here. TV ratings (or appearances for some of the smaller sports), donations, media coverage, advertising and the like all play a role as well - as does something I'll call "engagement," which is closely tied to interest and drives most of those bottom-line factors. Absent full data in some areas and under the assumption that you know how to look up attendance numbers, that slippery concept of engagement is what I'm really trying to nail down because it leads to most of the other things.

Football is obviously the top of just about any measure one can devise. But underneath that, I'm looking for the same things, just in lesser degrees. And that's precisely what hockey's lacking, for the most part.

Photo inserted to pump my stats - it almost always works

Through last season and into this preseason, Pegula Ice Arena moves the needle. There's little doubt about that. It's the focus of an overwhelming proportion of stories that hit major media outlets, possibly more than 90 percent, and the media, generally, is trying to respond to public interest. It's also my opinion - and no, I don't have a scientifically-conducted survey in hand - that it was the major driver for robust ticket sales both with the students and the general public. When a major story hits that has little to do with PIA, the NHL Entry Draft for one, there's interest as well.

But for the "regular" day-to-day stuff, it just isn't there. Other than a few die-hards, nobody wants to talk about the new uniforms (yes, they're slightly different this year), the just-announced outdoor game between Minnesota and Ohio State, the brand-new commitment of Scott Conway for next season, some of the exciting lineup battles on tap, where they think PSU will finish in the Big Ten this year, or the fact that former Icers and Ice Lions player Brandon Russo is now on an NCAA Division I roster at Canisius.

Things of that nature always receive plenty of discussion from the mainstream in football and men's basketball. And most of the time as well in wrestling, women's volleyball and women's basketball. Even Somers who, in disagreement with my opinion, pegged men's hockey as the current number two, seemed to acknowledge that.

The reason Penn State hockey will be the most popular team behind football this season, at least at first, will have nothing to do with the product on the ice. It will have everything to do with the novelty of a new arena and a new conference.

Where my opinion differs: I think it's important to draw a distinction between the arena and the team. Sellouts early in the history of Nittany Lion basketball's Bryce Jordan Center, after all, meant nothing in terms of the team's long-term position in the PSU sports landscape. Yet if the men's basketball team underperforms this year, people will be upset and individual players, coaches and strategy will be analyzed. If men's hockey suffers the same fate, people will say "wow, Pegula Ice Arena is amazing!" That, to me, proves that hockey is not number two. It might not even be number three, but it's not really worth drawing those lines.

Is there potential for more? Absolutely. PIA is, first and foremost, a hockey venue. One that's generated a ridiculous amount of attention. So I suppose it could be said that PIA proves the potential for interest. But the engagement, the nuts and bolts stuff that leads to sustained, long-term interest well after other schools have built newer and nicer arenas, is lacking in my view.

When that comes along, probably with the team winning something (because whether you admit it or not, that's how it usually starts), Penn State will truly have made it as a hockey school.

Student Turnout Tilts Roar Zone Sale

Photo: Eric Bress

Throughout the construction of Pegula Ice Arena, Penn State power brokers like Joe Battista and Guy Gadowsky promised the most intimidating student section in college hockey. Many can recite their points from heart by now: the approximately 1,000 seats will be virtually as big as the entire Greenberg Ice Pavilion, the PIA's low ceiling will bottle in noise, and the steep-as-code-allows block of seats will be located behind the opposing goaltender for two periods per game.

Of course, design can only do so much, with the rest up to the people inhabiting those seats. But so far, Penn State students have played their part to perfection, as the newly-christened Roar Zone will be packed for at least the 12 Nittany Lions home games offered in the student ticket package (the other six games fall on breaks and will be sold as single-game tickets at a later date).

The packages went on sale Tuesday morning at 10:00 a.m. in the HUB, but the line actually began some 12 hours before that - eventually numbering close to the Roar Zone's capacity, snaking throughout the building, and dwarfing a simultaneous line for tickets to a Jay-Z concert on January 31, 2014 at the Bryce Jordan Center.

Wait, did I say "snaking throughout the building?" My mistake.

Photo: Leah Blasko

By approximately 11:15, and due to massive wait times harming class attendance, Penn State shut down the process by collecting contact information from those in line and handing out numbered notecards. The athletic department will then reach out to those students based on line position, eventually distributing remaining tickets online. Technically, the Roar Zone isn't sold out yet, but that seems like a foregone conclusion at this point. The Daily Collegian's Darian Somers reported that, according to a PSU spokesperson, 700 student seats remain (meaning that just over 300 were sold through the original plan) and that anyone receiving a notecard will have a shot at that inventory.

Tuesday's turnout, as much as anything, once again proved the drawing power of Pegula Ice Arena, particularly when contrasted with last year's student sale for the first varsity season at the Ice Pavilion, which drew some diehards at about 5:00 in the morning but ultimately only had 56 people in line when the doors opened at 7.

Some rushed to declare this year's explosion of interest a sign that hockey would quickly overtake basketball as Penn State's number two sport. I'm not quite ready to take that leap yet, because in my perception, the excitement at this point is mostly for the arena and not necessarily the team playing in it. The hope, obviously, is that down the road, "arenaarenaarena" turns into the mainstreamers talking about things like what should be a fantastic goalie battle between Eamon McAdam and Matt Skoff, some tough decisions elsewhere in the lineup, predictions for the coming season and even recruiting. I believe that will come in time, but it's not there just yet.

Regardless, let's reset to the here and now. I, for one, can't wait to hear the noise level generated by a group of students who, quite literally, broke the planned ticketing process. See you guys on October 11th.

Three Stars: September 2-8

3. Club plays crucial role in success of Penn State hockey
(The Daily Collegian)

As a Hockey Management Association alumnus - that's how I got involved with Penn State hockey in the first place, for those who don't know - I'm absolutely thrilled to see that the organization survived the NCAA transition and continues to thrive, including a robust turnout at the year's first meeting last week.

I'm a little less thrilled with current president Eric Bress, who apparently feels that now "the club will have a lot more hands-on jobs compared to other years." Bress is a junior and probably isn't fully aware of the state of things before the athletic department became involved, the quote in question was paraphrased and he didn't elaborate on what was meant, so I won't lay into him as originally planned. I'm maturing, I guess.

2. Joe Battista’s Dream Will Soon Become Reality
(Onward State)

In what was an unusually competitive fight for the top three slots this week, particularly with a new Pegula Ice Arena story seemingly out every day, Jessica Tully and Onward State win the coveted honor. Why? Because Tully went above and beyond "wow, the arena's nice" to truly understand the subject matter, offering the historical backdrop that framed one man's 30-plus year journey to October 11th.

1. @BattistaJoseph
(Twitter)

As has been mentioned in a couple posts already, the official move to PIA began early Friday morning and is expected to be complete on Monday afternoon. It turns out that moving isn't very photogenic, but given the significance of the story, Joe Battista's shot entering the reception area for the last first time should do the trick.

Best of the Rest

@PSUA_IceHockey
(Twitter)

Penn State football legend Derrick Williams held his first weight room session with the Altoona campus' team last Tuesday. Here's some evidence.

Toontown's season gets underway against IUP on September 28th at 3:50 p.m. in Galactic Ice Arena.

WJAC-TV Exclusive: Tour of Pegula Ice Arena
(WJAC)

The exclusive "tour of Pegula Ice Arena" was really more like a Battista interview with a few establishing shots mixed in, but nevertheless, it's good watching. Battista, by the way, indicated to WJAC that talks about holding a game in Beaver Stadium are "ongoing."

The Pegula Ice Arena will be ready to rock during its Homecoming Weekend debut
(State College Magazine)

So what does this PIA article offer that the other 87 don't? Admittedly not much, although it does have a couple photos, some discussion of the facility's amenities, and - if you haven't heard it yet - the story of how the men's team's THON child will have his or her own stall in the locker room.

Rinkside Update: Patrick Koudys 8/19/13
(Monumental Network)

A video interview with Patrick Koudys from (I think) July's Capitals Development Camp that apparently wasn't posted until August and didn't hit my radar until September. Well done all around on that one. Nevertheless, it's an interesting look as the RPI transfer discusses his developmental goals and his expected role at Penn State this season.

Things Always Happen in Threes
(statecollege.com)

JoeBa used his column last week to reflect on the recent passing of three friends, most notably (for our purposes) including former club sports czar Vance McCullough. And as Battista tends to do, there's also a bit of news buried in there:

The director of the documentary we are producing on Pegula Ice Arena, (former Icer Mike Messner), asked me what I was thinking about just before I took the first step onto the new ice surface in the arena. I said it was a dream come true, that I was so grateful to Terry and Kim Pegula and that I wanted to dedicate that first step to the memory of my friend and mentor, Vance McCullough.

Documentary, eh? Messner's involvement more or less ensures that it will be fantastic - you may remember his work from this now-incredibly dated video (warning: watching it now will give you some sort of negative feeling, but not because of the production). Can't wait for that.

@MarkHorgas
(Twitter)

PIA photos? Sure, why not?

Other than the Community Rink photo above, the Horgas Collection also includes that rink's lobby, the student section, a 45-pound plate from the weight room (not as boring as it sounds, trust me), an overview of said room, and an exterior view from the staff parking lot.

Big 10: Ranking the Offenses by Returning Players
(Western College Hockey Blog)

In what can be classified as your typical Jeff Cox McPost (working definition: quick filler posts that probably didn't need to be anything more than a tweet), it's observed that Penn State returns more of its scoring production than any other team in the Big Ten. And immediately after, Cox argues that it's pointless to look at PSU's returning scoring due to the team's schedule last year. Okay. Thanks for that.

If you couldn't tell, I'm not really a fan of the post. Just doing my job and sharing it.

Students Invent Bag to Get Around Stadium Security
(Onward State)

While Beaver Stadium has been the focus of Penn State's new policy prohibiting bags other than ones that are clear, plastic and one gallon or less in volume, it's important to remember that the rules apply to all athletic events - including those at Pegula Ice Arena. Fortunately, enterprising individuals, including a group of current PSU students and recent alumni, are already at work helping people cope with the new reality through an innovative new product.

Single-Game Tickets on Sale Tuesday
(ohiostatebuckeyes.com)

Ohio State's men's single-game tickets are on sale now, which obviously includes Penn State's trip to Columbus on the January 31-February 1, 2014 weekend. Go forth and conquer.

PS. The women are also at OSU this year, on January 3rd and 4th of next year, but those are free admission.

So. Much. Weed.
(Deadly Nuts)

Sticking with the Buckeyes, here's an amazing review of the men's team's new alternate jerseys from a blog that makes me think OSU people aren't all that bad, provided they're not big American-style football fans.

Not looking any better for Michigan State
(Big Ten Ice Hockey Blog)

After calling for a last-place Big Ten finish for the Nittany Lions, the Big Ten Ice Hockey Blog has pegged Michigan State for fifth. I just don't see it. If anything, I have a bias in favor of Sparty - I sincerely like the school and the program, and MSU is certainly one of the most storied programs in the sport. But PSU is a better hockey team right now.

2014 Hockey City Classic: Outdoor College Hockey Doubleheader Announced For Minneapolis
(Western College Hockey Blog)

On January 17, 2014, Minnesota will host an outdoor doubleheader at TCF Bank Stadium. The Gopher women open up against Minnesota State at 5:30 p.m. eastern, followed by the men's team versus Ohio State. So if you're one of those people who still gets excited for open-air hockey not involving your favorite team (I'd place myself in the "heightened interest" category, but "excitement" is too far), enjoy.

@GopherPuckLive
(Twitter)

It looks like Mariucci Arena is ready for the Big Ten:

Student Tickets Available September 10th (Updated)

The PIA's student section seats will be spoken for on September 10th

UPDATE 8/30 1:45 P.M.: Penn State has released full details of the ticket sale, confirming the first-come, first-served nature of the event, which will take place on September 10th at 10:00 a.m. in the HUB. It also corrected a couple of inaccuracies in the Onward State report (below). First, with respect to payment:

Season tickets for the 1,000-seat student section are being offered at $96 for 12 of the team's 18 home games in the brand-new, $90 million facility. A valid student ID is required and tickets may be purchased with cash, check, a credit card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express) or LionCash.

Note that only 12 of the 18 home games are part of the student package, as the Union, Wisconsin and Ohio State series take place during either Thanksgiving or Spring Break. It appears as if student single-game tickets for those games will be available on the same TBD date as the public single-game sale:

The six home games not included in student season tickets fall during Thanksgiving and Spring Break (Nov. 30, Dec. 1, March 7-8, March 15-16) and will be available once single-game tickets go on sale (date to be determined).

The original post follows.

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After the date, time and location of the long-awaited student ticket sale for the inaugural men's season at Pegula Ice Arena leaked out of Sunday night's Be A Part From The Start rally, Penn State confirmed the news on Monday but promised that more details would follow.

Onward State didn't feel like waiting though, and issued the following report.

Students who want to be part of the inaugural hockey season in Happy Valley will get their chance on September 10 [at 10 a.m.]. Student season ticket for the 16 home games will go on sale in the HUB that day for $128, or $10 for individual game tickets.

Penn State’s new $90 million arena is nearing completion and, by all accounts, will help set the standard for collegiate hockey rinks in the country. The student section is located directly behind the opposing team’s goal for two out of three periods at the steepest slope allowed by code. A virtual tour of the seating bowl is available here.

There are over 1000 student tickets available for purchase and seating is based on a first come first serve basis. Tickets for holiday games are also available for purchase later in the season. The additional space will allow more fans to enter the stadium, which was a common problem at the previous Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

First of all: "Steepest allowed by code." Finish your drink!

As mentioned and as is customary in college sports, both at PSU and elsewhere, student ticket packages will only include games played while classes are in session. Fortunately, according to Onward State, 16 of the Nittany Lions' 18 Pegula Ice Arena games fall into that category. Unfortunately, the two that don't will likely be from either the Union series (November 30th and December 1st, the weekend after Thanksgiving) or the regular season-closing Ohio State series (March 14th and 15th, 2014, the weekend on the back side of spring break), four of the most anticipated contests on the schedule. Information on games excluded from the student package, I suppose, is the one remaining loose end.

Regardless, there's little doubt that the seats will sell quickly and, as is the case in other sports, provide Penn State with one of the nation's best home-ice advantages.

The Show on the Road

Here are three things I know to be true:

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

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

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

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

Men

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

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

Women

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

First PIA Seat Selection Assigned

More than 3,000 season tickets for the inaugural men's hockey season at Pegula Ice Arena will be scooped up between Tuesday, July 16th and Wednesday, July 24th, according to an email communication from Penn State Athletic Ticketing Services assigning selection dates and times to those making the first deposit deadline, May 24th. A second deposit group for stragglers, limited to 450 tickets, will grab remaining seats after the first group has had their choice.

Here's the text of the email:

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Thank you for your interest in supporting Penn State Hockey through your season ticket interest and/or your generous Nittany Lion Club donations. Along with us, you have been anxiously awaiting the opening of our new and state-of-the-art facility; the Pegula Ice Arena.

Renewing and relocating seats in the Pegula Ice Arena will become an annual online event and your selection date and time for the inaugural season is indicated above. All of the selection assignments have been ordered according to the standards determined in advance by Penn State and as published on our website and via direct communication in mid-May. We are also sending a hard copy of this assignment via the US Mail.

We are very pleased to offer the cutting-edge digital technology of the Virtual Venue™ to our hockey fans. You can expect life-like seat views, location information, amenities, and pricing so you can choose with confidence. We also believe that this unique look into our newest venue will help familiarize you with all seating areas.

For our customers who need wheelchair seating, please phone 1-800-NITTANY for assistance with securing appropriate accommodations. Please remember that we will not be able to provide this assistance before your scheduled selection date/time.

We are here to help you with your seat selection questions! There are some details below and a Penn State representative will be happy to assist, if needed! Feel free to phone a representative at 1-800-NITTANY between 8 am – 5 pm, Monday through Friday.

---

These are the "standards determined in advance" mentioned in the second paragraph - and tons of credit is due the people who came up with them, as those going back with the Icers and renewing for the first NCAA season clearly have an advantage:

1. Current NLC members who were also Penn State 2012-13 hockey season ticket holders
2. Current NLC members with 500 or more priority points
3. Penn State 2012-13 Hockey Season Ticket holders who are not current NLC members
4. Penn State Hockey team alumni
5. Current NLC members with fewer than 500 priority points
6. Non-NLC members, not a previous season ticket holder with a deposit

The selection process will be conducted through a Virtual Venue, essentially a digital representation of the arena and its seats, as mentioned in the email. While the ability to make a purchase has been disabled until July 16th, the rest of its features are online so that users can familiarize themselves with the technology before their d-day and time. If all else fails, purchases after the selection time are allowed by calling 1-800-NITTANY. All seats must be paid in full at the time of selection.

Only the On The Glass ($700), Club Seating ($500/$900), Center Ice ($400), Attack Zone ($300) and End Zone ($240) sections (green, orange, gray, red and blue, respectively, on the seating chart leading the post) are available through this selection. Those seeking opera boxes, loges and suites (pink, lime green and purple) are directed to call 1-800-NITTANY. The 1,000 student tickets (yellow), of course, will go on sale in September and will not require a deposit.

PSU has set up an FAQ page to help people through the process as well.

Other information - specifically single game and partial plan availability, as well as ticketing for the women's team - is still to come.

Three Stars: June 10-16

VIOLATION!

3. Outdoor hockey game works best in 2016
(The Daily Collegian)

Like my subtle move in bumping the outdoor game from first star last week to third this week? Me too. Guess it's not subtle if you go out of your way to draw attention to it.

Anyway, here's a well-thought-out argument for staging Beaver Stadium hockey in the 2015-2016 season, rather than in 2014-2015. The essential points:

1. From an NHL perspective, the extra season will give the Penguins and Flyers separation from previous outdoor games and allow deserving markets like Minnesota and Colorado get in on the fun before the PA cities get a 54th bite at the apple.
2. Pushing things back a bit creates time for the Nittany Lions' program to grow before tossing it into a national showcase and also could position the outdoor game to combat the luster wearing off of Pegula Ice Arena and the fan fatigue that will inevitably come when things stop being new and different all the time.

In other outdoor game "news," the AP got athletic director Dave Joyner on record saying that this thing won't happen before the end of the 2014 football season. He also confirmed that he's spoken with Comcast-Spectacor (the entity that owns the Philadelphia Flyers) president Peter Luukko.

Joyner characterized the preliminary talk as exploratory and high level. “A wouldn’t-it-be-kind-of-cool thing to do” type-talk, Joyner described in a phone interview.

2. UMass Lowell Offseason Thread '13: In Norm We Trust
(USCHO)

I try to give message boardy things a sniff check before posting them, and this one passed:

I was told that Lowell will be going to Princeton on a Tuesday, followed by 2 games at Penn State on a Thu/Fri, with Penn State hosting a football game on the Saturday. Looking at their football schedule, there's only one Saturday home game that Lowell doesn't have a hockey game scheduled yet - Sat 11/16 against Purdue. So, expect to see Princeton on Tue 11/12 and Penn State on Thu 11/14 and Fri 11/15.

Double-checking the check of Penn State's football schedule, the home games after the start of hockey season (known UMass-Lowell hockey games that weekend in parentheses) are October 12th vs. Michigan (vs. Sacred Heart/UMass Classic, October 11th and 12th), November 2nd vs. Illinois (vs. New Hampshire, November 1st and 2nd), November 16th vs. Purdue (none) and November 23rd vs. Nebraska (vs. Notre Dame, November 22nd and 23rd). So that much works. And that Princeton game has in fact been confirmed on Tuesday, November 12th.

If this guy's intel is good, it then becomes likely that the series at Air Force (the only unsettled full road series left) will slide into October 18th and 19th while the women are taking their turn opening Pegula Ice Arena. It seems kind of silly to guess at the Robert Morris (away) and Boston College (home) single games, since they can fit in a lot of different places, including mid-week. But for whatever it's worth, I'm hoping BC comes to town on Saturday, January 25th, which falls on a weekend clear for both teams and the arena.

And that's it. There are just six games not completely locked down right now. For the rest, as always: M Schedules/Results.

1. Ban Announced on All Bags at Sporting Events
(Onward State)

Long story short, if you try to bring any kind of bag - purses included, ladies - into Pegula Ice Arena, you're gonna have a bad time. Don't be that guy or girl.

Best of the Rest

EAAAAGLEEEE(S)!!!

MMQB: Renting Out Beaver Stadium
(Black Shoe Diaries)

Simple question: Which professional sports matchup would you rather see played in Beaver Stadium, Steelers vs. Eagles or Penguins vs. Flyers? According to BSD readers, it's a very, very, very tight call (in fact, a dead heat at the time this post went up). I'm not sure whether to be discouraged that the hockey game didn't take it in a walkover - I mean...wow, a American-style football game in Beaver Stadium, how novel - or to be pumped that hockey still contended in a poll on a site that lets Bill DiFilippo write about the sport.

U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame adds professor's photographs to permanent collection
(Penn State News)

From the "stories I didn't really expect to hit my inbox" file:

Mary Lou Nemanic, associate professor of communications at Penn State Altoona, has had documentary photographs accepted into the permanent collection of the United States Hockey Hall of Fame. Taken during the 1980s, the 16-inch by 20-inch, toned silver prints feature former U.S. hockey great John Mariucci. They are a part of a 20-print exhibit of hockey photographs that will be placed on regular display.

Mariucci, if the name rings a bell, has Minnesota's home arena named for him. He both played for (1937-1940) and coached (1952-1966) the Gophers, and still sits third on the program wins list behind Doug Woog and current coach Don Lucia. He's also credited for helping to grow Minnesota (the state) hockey at the grassroots level, as well as hockey in the U.S., partly though a silver medal as an assistant coach from the 1956 Olympics.

Eamon McAdam: 2013 NHL Draft Prospect Profile
(The Hockey Writers)

With a thoroughness impressing even yours truly, The Hockey Writers have assembled everything you could possibly want to know about Eamon McAdam ahead of the rapidly-approaching NHL Entry Draft. I'm not even offended over not being quoted this time around. Well, okay, I am a little bit.

@TomAnastos
(Twitter)

Big Ten logo on the ice at Michigan State's Munn Ice Arena? Big Ten logo on the ice at Michigan State's Munn Ice Arena.

Anastos says Big Ten could get creative
(Lansing State Journal)

Sticking with my second-favorite Big Ten coach, he dropped some interesting knowledge - the league is talking about centralizing instant replay...

“It would be implementing our current NCAA video replay policy through a command center-type setup like the NHL does,” Anastos said. “Now, we haven’t done that yet. But that’s something we talked about at the (NCAA) rules committee and we talked about the Big Ten potentially exploring its benefit and reporting back to the (NCAA) committee.”

...and also (possibly, at some point) 4-on-4 overtime, which would join the already-implemented shootout in the category of non-traditional overtime rules used in the Big Ten and nowhere else in NCAA hockey.

The Big Ten will continue to hold overtime shootouts to decide winners this season. That’s something the CCHA had pioneered during Anastos’ tenure as commissioner, starting to use them in 2009-10.

“There’s talk about, in the future, putting on our radar more discussion on the potential of modifying our overtime procedure to include 4-on-4 overtime play as opposed to just 5-on-5. That’s technically available in the rule book today, but I don’t think anybody at the Division I men’s level has gone to it,” Anastos said. “We could choose to do that if we wanted to. But because of the impact that people feel in the RPI process, I don’t think we’re going to do something like that unless everybody does it across the board.”

Also, if you really need to know, media timeouts in the Big Ten will be at the first stoppage after the clock hits 15, 10 and 6 minutes remaining in the period and will last for 30, 60 and 30 seconds, respectively.

@psuicelions
(Twitter)

Penn State's home rink? Glad you asked. It's ridiculous how done this thing is. We're literally just about at the phase where we start plastering the thing with gas company ads.

@1_800_NITTANY
(Twitter)

In case you were worried that they'd forget about seat selection until after the season had started (I was mildly concerned):

Thanks #PennState Hockey fans! First seat selection group full! Only 450 deposits can be taken for next group. Hurry! Call 1-800-NITTANY... notifications for selection time coming from Tix Office in advance of July start. Can't wait!

Alumni Challenge Final Countdown: Last Chance for Former Student-Athletes
(gopsusports.com)

Icers alumni are proving that they value Penn State's athletic department more than Penn State's athletic department values them, or at least their achievements.

With only a few weeks left to go in the Penn State Alumni Challenge for Former Student-Athletes, teams can still make a final push to win one or both $6,000 prizes. Women's Soccer continues to lead for the first prize for the highest percentage of former student-athletes who have supported Penn State Athletics with 40.85 percent participation. Trailing the Women's Soccer program are Football (35.76 percent), Men's Hockey (31.69 percent), Men's Lacrosse (28.65 percent), and Men's Volleyball (24.17 percent).

The $6,000 prizes referenced are a pair of awards, one for the team with the highest donation rate among former student-athletes, the other for the team with the greatest increase in participation from last year to this year (women's soccer leads in that category as well).

Gina Kearns: Penn State hockey's APR news for this year

Interactive data: NCAA’s academic progress scores for college hockey teams
(USCHO)

The NCAA made its annual release of Academic Progress Rate scores last week, and while the data hasn't caught up with Penn State having NCAA hockey yet (this latest batch includes everything through 2011-2012), PSU did well as an institution with a 984 four-year score across all teams.

In men's hockey, Ohio State put up a 997, tops in the Big Ten and tied for seventh nationally. That's... uhhh... paradigm shifting. The other Big Ten schools: Minnesota (987), Michigan (981), Michigan State (978) and Wisconsin (977). Dead last in all of DI? Alaska-Anchorage with a 931. Dear God, is there anything that hockey program isn't terrible at? A 924 gets you an unfriendly phone call from the NCAA, although according to Western College Hockey Blog, UAA had an extremely weak 2008-2009 score that will roll off of the books next year, so they're unlikely to be in grave danger of losing scholarships (not that it really matters because, again, they're terrible).

While hockey, generally, performed well across the board, the women did even better than the men, with Quinnipiac's 959 the only female score below 973. Boston University was one of six schools to post a perfect 1,000 - notable for our purposes because PSU assistant Gina Kearns' senior year with the Terriers is still included in the data. Robert Morris led the CHA with 991, with Mercyhurst and 982 and Syracuse at 979. And... that's it, because RIT and Lindenwood are also new to DI.

Minnetonka’s Conor McGinnis Places Ninth at State Golf Tournament
(Minnetonka Patch)

Penn State freshman Laura Bowman ended up in a tie for 26th place at the Minnesota big-school golf tournament after shooting an 87 on the first day then improving to an 80 on the second day. If nothing else, that result gives her bragging rights over Amy Petersen, who finished tied for 29th with a 173 two-day score last year.

PIA Ticketing Clarified

On Tuesday afternoon, Penn State sent an email to those who have placed season ticket deposits updating some frequently asked questions concerning the process. The main body of the email is below, but among the highlights:

• Seat selection for the inaugural season at Pegula Ice Arena will begin on July 16th (previously, the process' opening date had been given as "expected June 2013").
• Selection order will be determined by Nittany Lion Club point totals and by history as a PSU hockey season ticket holder. That latter criterion is obviously welcome news in this corner, as it gives long-time Icers ticket holders who may not have been NLC donors some unspecified measure of priority. Once each buyer's selection comes up - subsequent emails will communicate specific dates to those who have deposits in - the purchase will be made through the PIA Virtual Venue.
• A $25 per seat deposit is required to participate in the selection and the deadline for submitting a deposit is May 24th at 5:00 p.m. (previously, May 24th had been given as a soft deadline, that no longer appears to be the case).
• NLC membership is not required to purchase "End Zone" seats, which include those in the main bowl wrapping the end of the ice opposite the student section, ending roughly at the faceoff dots in that zone. All seats, however, must be supported by a minimum donation of $50 - unless the buyer is already donating that amount or more to the NLC annually.
• Ticketing procedures for the women's team are still TBA, possibly because they are still TBD. Obviously, the same also goes for single-game men's tickets as well as any partial plans that may be offered.

Through other recent releases, we also know that fewer than 1,000 of the seats set aside for season ticket sales remain available. Joe Battista was recently quoted as saying that 3,000 tickets have been claimed via deposit. With those numbers in mind, it's probably fair to break down the PIA's 6,000 seats as roughly 3,000-4,000 season ticket holders (depending on the final number sold, of course), 1,000 students, and 1,000-2,000 tickets available for single game sales (with that number plus the number of season tickets equaling 5,000).

Student tickets, by the way, will go on sale in September.

Hockey-Related Revenue Questions Answered?

Throughout TYT's existence, I've taken many positions on different issues. Sometimes I'm right, sometimes I'm not, sometimes I change my mind. One position I've held fairly consistently is that the Big Ten Network's impact on hockey was being overhyped by school and conference officials. Given hockey's sad history on television generally, the thought that BTN is unlikely to add many new subscribers or advertisers solely because of the sport and the equal division of network revenue among conference members, I felt it was a reasonable opinion.

Today, I'm owning up: There's a pretty good chance I was wrong about that. According to Minnesota-based publication Let's Play Hockey...

It's just a tweet with no link and no named source (something that didn't go unnoticed by BTN personnel), so assign credibility as you generally would for something like this. For whatever it might be worth to you, I'll vouch for LPH on matters within the state of Minnesota - and clearly, this information could have come from a source at The U, as they call it up there - although they're hit and miss on many things beyond their home state's borders. One of the more famous misses came in 2011, when LPH advanced the rumor that Illinois was on the verge of adding NCAA hockey through a donation from Jimmy John's founder Jimmy John Liautaud.

For now though, we'll proceed as if the news is true. I just try to be as honest as I can about information, because I despise when people, like Let's Play Hockey right now for example, drop intel without giving audience members a chance to assess its credibility for themselves. Equally maddening is the tendency of LPH to drop a bomb and walk away, offering nothing in the way of follow-up or additional information. That's what happened with the Illinois story, and it's probably what will happen here as well.

Anyway... how much is $2 million annually in terms of college hockey? It's a lot. A ton, actually. It's more than many NCAA Division I schools spend in total. Precise bottom-line numbers aren't always easy to locate, but back in 2009 when Bowling Green's program was near death, it was reported that the Falcons' annual expenses were roughly $1 million, generally considered typical for a lower-middle class program. Even among Big Ten schools (again, in 2009), spending was minuscule compared with the much-more-publicized football numbers, ranging from $2,155,223 (Minnesota) to $4,002,512 (Wisconsin).

Just to touch on some more current data regarding components of a hockey program's budget, Penn State's highest possible undergraduate tuition in 2012-2013 (for an out-of-state, upperclass nursing student) was $32,992. Multiply that by 18 scholarships, and you get $593,896. According to Department of Education filings for the 2011-2012 academic year, Big Ten schools spent between $437,047 (Ohio State) and $933,506 (Wisconsin) on operating expenses for men's hockey.

There are, of course, many other pieces of the pie including things like coaching salaries and recruiting expenses. Still, I've hit two pretty big chunks, and it's safe to say that the checks from BTN, if they are in fact coming, will go a long way towards ensuring Penn State hockey operates in the black each year. That's true even when accounting for the women's program and for the fact that the Pegula Ice Arena will be operated as its own entity, much like the Bryce Jordan Center, and won't feed directly into the hockey programs.

It's fair to ask how BTN is able to commit $12 million to the hockey schools on top of the usual payouts ($284 million to the 12, soon to be 14, members at last check) before a single conference game is televised and particularly considering the factors noted at the top of the post. And really, your guess is as good as anyone's at this point. BTN is expected to broadcast 40 hockey games in 2013-2014, up from 15 this past season, which may have spurred a bump in ad revenue. It's entirely possible that the other shoe to drop will be a press release about how Ro-Tel has signed on as the title sponsor for all Big Ten hockey telecasts and the league tournament. Or maybe, as Western College Hockey Blog's Chris Dilks suggested, it's all just an accounting trick based on the windfall created by the admission of Rutgers and Maryland to the conference.

Are we one step closer to seeing the Blackshirts in Big Ten hockey?

The $2 million payout has obvious effects well beyond the present six conference members. It signals the introduction of real television money to college hockey (sorry North Dakota, your cute little broadcast network is no longer top-of-the-food-chain stuff), something that has big - and not necessarily in a positive way - implications for a lot of schools that are used to big-time status but might have to settle for a mid-major reality. Naturally, it's also quite a chalupa laying out there for any other Big Ten members considering adding hockey... like Nebraska.

If you assume that college hockey programs will break even with revenue approaching $3 million [note: a reasonable assumption, as indicated], then a $2 million television deal for Big Ten hockey programs should make hockey viable at any Big Ten school. Each campus is going to be different: is there a facility available to play hockey, and how much will it cost to operate? Are there any Title IX issues that are raised by starting a men's hockey team, and would you need to add another women's sport to compensate.

And that includes Nebraska. I've long felt that Husker hockey probably wasn't viable at Nebraska. Shawn Eichorst dismissed the idea of hockey in February on his statewide call in show, and should have known at that time that this type of revenue was being discussed. But these numbers are hard to ignore. If they are true, that is.

Okay, so it's not set in stone that the BTN money will lead to new programs. But let's circle back to Penn State for a moment before leaving this because the dollars and cents flowing through PSU hockey look pretty rosy even beyond BTN money.

According to the Nittany Lion Club's recently-issued annual report (not yet online, unfortunately), there are at least seven men's hockey scholarships endowed at the "highest and most fully funded levels in Intercollegiate Athletics." Four of the seven originated with the Pegula donation and are named after Terry's children (both with Kim and from his first marriage). The others are named after Joe and Heidi Battista, Ralph Kerr and the John Davis family. There is also one "fully funded" women's hockey scholarship named after Laura, another Pegula daughter. The list presented in the NLC report is identified as "a portion of" the scholarships across the athletic department, leaving open the possibility of more than the seven and one given being in place.

Beyond those, many smaller donations have been made towards the endowment, including five listed in the Spring NLC Newsletter alone.

Furthermore, ticket sales for the coming season have been brisk, with Battista telling the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Scott Brown that season ticket deposits are in for 3,000 of the 5,000 non-student seats in the PIA. While I continue to believe that consistently filling the place may become a concern down the road if the inevitable dissolution of its novelty isn't met with a lot of winning, in the short term, things look fantastic.

Fantasic on the ice, fantastic on the business end as well. Look out, college hockey.

Three Stars: April 15-21

3. Sara Evans to Headline Pegula Ice Arena Show
(Onward State)

I thought about writing a stand-alone post to mark the first non-hockey event scheduled for Pegula Ice Arena, but...

1. A family-themed skating show headlined by country star Sara Evans isn't really my thing, and I'd probably do a terrible job feigning interest. No offense intended if you're excited about it.
2. Penn State basketball bloggers don't write about concerts at the Bryce Jordan Center, unless one forces the team to practice in the IM Building on crooked hoops. To the best of my knowledge, Ms. Evans and the figure skaters won't go full Bon Jovi on us.
3. Onward State covered it just fine.

That said, it's nice to see the arena serve a broader purpose than hockey (cue audio of Joe Battista saying "it will be an asset not just for hockey, but for the entire community," which he says only marginally less often than "steep as code allows" in reference to the PIA's student section). Tickets for the show, called the Musselman's Apple Sauce Family Skating Tribute, go on sale September 3rd. The event is on November 3rd at 5:00 p.m. and will be broadcast on NBC November 24th at 4:00 p.m.

2. Sabres' owner keeps hockey comments brief
(Buffalo Business First)

The groundbreaking ceremony for the Terry Pegula-financed HarborCenter complex in Buffalo is old news - it was covered in last week's Three Stars - but James Fink of Buffalo Business First hit a pertinent angle unexplored by others, and his article wasn't on the TYT radar until after the previous post was up, so...

A Penn State alumni [eef... "alumni" is plural... hate that one] and major underwriter of its hockey program — including financing the construction of the Pegula Arena in State College, Pegula said he’d love to see the team play a local college at the HarborCenter’s main 1,800-seat arena or in First Niagara Center in the future.

Canisius has been in negotiations to move into HarborCenter, but hopefully I'm not alone in apathy towards the idea of a Golden Griffins-Nittany Lions matchup in an 1,800-seater. If it's all the same to TPegs, what about Cornell at the First Niagara Center? Less local, sure, but also much more compelling.

1. Penn State Hockey: Pegula Ice Arena construction looking "very good"
(PennLive)

Penn State gave a media tour of the Pegula Ice Arena on Saturday morning before football's Blue-White Game, and TYT continued its run as the only PSU hockey-credentialed entity to never once have been invited inside the facility. While I believe I deserve better, I've come to the realization that, for whatever reason, Battista and company are bothered by my existence and that I'll most likely have to adjust to life without access going forward. If that involves traveling to more road games next year, since I've never once had an issue getting a credential from an opponent (provided, of course, that PSU doesn't sabotage my application, as was attempted for the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff against Vermont back in January), so be it.

Anyway, as far as I've seen (as of Sunday night), the tour has only produced three puff pieces, and - based on the photos and video that were part of those - there were definitely more than three people present Saturday morning. So it's PSU's loss, I guess. I would have made it four puff pieces, and last I checked, a post to a small audience is better PR than no post to a large one.

I'm giving Greg Pickel of PennLive the "official" link, because his was the most comprehensive story, but be sure to check out the video StateCollege.com's Ben Jones took on the tour, as well as the third write-up, from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review's Scott Brown. Both Pickel's and Brown's articles have attached photo galleries, and Brown presents an additional item of note:

Battista said he has received season-ticket orders for 3,000 of the 5,000 seats that will be sold to the general public.

Nice.

Best of the Rest

Former Icer Josh Daley finished fourth on Wisconsin-Stevens Point in scoring

UW-Stevens Point men's hockey announces team awards
(uwsp.edu)

Someday, when I'm done being lazy, I'll do a full update on the December post covering the players who transferred away from Penn State after not making the jump from the Icers and Lady Icers to the NCAA men's and women's teams. For now, here's some news on one such player, Pittsburgh-native forward Josh Daley, who is now at NCAA Division III Wisconsin-Stevens Point after spending 2011-2012 with the Icers.

Daley got off to a slow start this year, thanks mostly to irregular appearances in the lineup, but came on strong over the second half of the season. He finished with eight goals and 19 points for a squad that went 15-11-1 overall, a run that culminated with his recently being named Most Improved Player at the Pointers' postseason banquet. Without a doubt, the marketing major will be considered a key part of UWSP's nucleus next year, as the team returns its top five scorers, top two defensemen and starting goaltender.

Force-Waterloo series offers glimpse into Big Ten's future
(The Forum of Fargo-Moorhead)

Perceptive Fargo Force writer Chris Murphy noted the several future Big Ten rivals participating in the USHL first-round playoff series between the Force and Waterloo Black Hawks - led 2-1 by Waterloo after a game three win Sunday afternoon - including Penn State entry Eamon McAdam. Others are Fargo's Gabe Guertler (Minnesota) and Dave Gust (Ohio State), as well as Waterloo's Justin Kloos (Minnesota), Taylor Cammarata (Minnesota) and Zach Stepan (Ohio State).

Cue Maxine Nightingale. We're right back we we started from.
(Deadly Nuts)

Undoubtedly, Gust and Stepan joined the rest of the hockey world in being shocked at Ohio State's firing of head coach Mark Osiecki last Monday. Osiecki, almost universally considered a rising star in the coaching world, seemed to have the perpetually-underachieving Buckeyes finally moving in the right direction, as noted by many over the last week, including Deadly Nuts. Some have speculated that Osiecki was let go so that OSU can hire newly-unemployed former Denver coach George Gwozdecky... but as someone who believes that coaching careers follow a rise-peak-decline curve not unlike the athletes they mentor, I'd honestly rather have Osiecki at this point. In what looks like a boring offseason on tap (compared to the last couple years anyway), the Buckeyes' coaching search will undoubtedly be one major story to watch.

For whatever it may be worth, the change in Columbus means that Guy Gadowsky will not be the newest coach in the Big Ten during the coming season.

Yep, that's a hockey house

Cal U hockey players facing drug charges
(Cal Times)

Brothers Jesse and Steven Powell, both hockey players at California (PA), were arrested last Tuesday and charged with dealing marijuana out of the hockey house at Cal (if you're not familiar with the term "hockey house," it's pretty much what you think, see above for reference). During a raid, police discovered roughly seven pounds of herb being delivered to the brothers - I believe that falls under the statutory definition of "shitload" - as well as two more pounds and $13,000 already on the premises. A preliminary hearing for the Powells will take place on Thursday.

In what could be viewed as a knee-jerk reaction, and likely because five other players lived with the Powells at the hockey house, the university responded to the arrests by suspending the operations of all three of the Vulcans' hockey teams including, as reported by CBSSports.com, the school's ACHA Division 2 women's team. Cal's women, the first-ever opponent for Penn State's ACHA D2 women back in October, spent much of the 2012-2013 season ranked first in the East Region and qualified for the ACHA National Tournament in Ashburn, VA last month. Similarly, Cal's top men's team, which plays in ACHA D3 and in the College Hockey East conference with the squads at PSU-Altoona and PSU-Behrend, finished the season as the Atlantic Region's number one team and also qualified for its ACHA championship playoffs, held in Springfield, MO March 12th through 16th.

Basically, we're talking about a quality hockey operation, and one that's never been implicated in any wrongdoing until now. Here's hoping that any investigations find that the issue was limited to the Powells - if they are, in fact, guilty of a crime, because this is America and they are innocent until proven otherwise - and that all three teams are reinstated in time for the coming season.

...but seriously, that's a lot of pot.

All-American Teams and All-Region Teams
(achahockey.org)

Congratulations to PSU-Brandywine defenseman Joe Naselli, who was named to the ACHA Division 3 All-Atlantic Region Third Team. Naselli, a senior from Media, PA, posted 13 goals and 32 points in 28 games this past season, helping Brandywine to a 19-9-0 record and a berth in the Atlantic Region tournament.

I suppose I would be remiss if I didn't follow up the previous story by mentioning that six different Cal players appear on the All-Atlantic Region teams, including goaltender Zach Stewart, who was also a first-team All-American. Additionally, Vulcans head coach Justin Berger was the Atlantic Region's coach of the year.

Penn State 2012-13 Women's Hockey banquet video
(Facebook)

If I had it to do all over again, I'd develop an aptitude for video production like Vince Chandler, who was nice enough to share the women's team's highlight video he put together for their postseason banquet.

@MarkHorgas
(Twitter)

Last Wednesday, PSU hockey insider Mark Horgas dropped the news that the Pegula Ice Arena will not, as was planned, include a stand-alone Tim Horton's location. A Subway, of all things, will now occupy the space previously set aside for the cyber cafe, although Tim Horton's coffee will still be served at concession stands.

As someone of the opinion that Tim Horton's, while good, is only held in such high esteem by the hockey world because it bears the name of a Hockey Hall of Fame inductee, I'm going to drop a yawn on this development while saying that Dunkin has better food and Starbucks has better coffee. Come at me, bro.

Women's hockey announces its captains for the 2013-14 season; four players will serve in the leadership role
(ritatletics.com)

Forwards Celeste Brown and Lindsay Grigg will be the captains for CHA rival RIT next season, while defenders Melissa Bromley and Morgan Scoyne will don the A for the Tigers. The four take over for a triumvirate of graduating 2012-2013 captains: Kim Schlattman, Ariane Yokoyama and Tenecia Hiller.

Penn State, of course, returns all three of its letter-wearers in captain Taylor Gross and alternates (yes, alternates) Jenna Welch and Lindsay Reihl, so don't expect a similar announcement from the bowels of the Jordan Center anytime soon.

Plan to preserve Ice Zone fails
(Youngstown Vindicator)

And finally, a last-ditch effort to save the Ice Zone in Boardman, OH - a ridiculous scheme that attempted to sell 1,000 season tickets for the USHL's Youngstown Phantoms through families who use the rink - failed (try to contain your shock long enough to finish this post), and the facility will close for good between May 15th and early June.

The Ice Zone hosted the 2007 ACHA Division 1 National Tournament, which saw the Icers qualify for a record tenth straight championship game, only to be dismantled 5-1 by future ACHA hall-of-famer Will McMahon and Oakland. Earlier that season, the Ice Zone was the site of the 2006 ACHA Showcase, an event that also included Penn State. The Icers' final game of the showcase (following a loss to Oklahoma and a win over Minot State) was against a Weber State team featuring defenseman Aaron Dufford, the great grandson of former Nittany Lions varsity star John Dufford. With the elder Dufford in attendance, PSU topped the Wildcats 5-1.