Guy Gadowsky Coaches Caravan Recap

Penn State's second annual Coaches Caravan tour made its final stop Thursday evening at the Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburgh, an event that featured Guy Gadowsky, as well as fellow PSU coaches Bill O'Brien (football) and Mark Pavlik (men's volleyball).

The Caravan, which hit 12 cities across Pennsylvania and on the east coast over the last two weeks, was created last year when the heat of the Jerry Sandusky scandal was still white and largely to revive Penn State pride while promoting then-new football coach O'Brien. O'Brien, the headliner and only coach to appear at every stop, was joined by various coaches from other Nittany Lion teams - generally two or three others per stop - and each greets fans and alumni during a cocktail hour before giving a presentation.

Gadowsky, who was only involved with the Caravan's final day (which included an afternoon stop in DuBois, PA prior to Pittsburgh), fired off an inspiring talk. Apologies for the sound and video quality.



His number was called twice during the Q-and-A session that followed the speeches:

• When all three coaches were asked how they recruit a kid from California to Penn State, Gadowsky cited "the special thing you [the attendees] bring to us" and the feeling of pride that permeates PSU's campus.
• Another question involved trying to figure out, while on the recruiting trail, whether a prospect would be a good fit for Penn State's rigorous academic culture for athletes. Gadowsky said that he asks a player's teammates because, and I absolutely love this line, "hockey players can fool their coaches, but they can't fool their teammates."

Prior to the public event, both O'Brien and Gadowsky conducted a media availability session. PSU athletic communications recorded it for posterity.



The press conference was attended by Scott Brown of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review and, as happened last year, the idea of hockey in Beaver Stadium got some attention.

Gadowsky said Penn State's football stadium would be an ideal place to hold the NHL Winter Classic and pit cross-state rivals like the Penguins and Flyers against one another.

“I think it would be fantastic,” Gadowsky said Thursday.

The central location of Penn State to Pittsburgh and Philadelphia makes Beaver Stadium an attractive location, he said.

One final note: the video shown during Gadowsky's speech is the Pegula Ice Arena Virtual Tour, which was published to YouTube about a month ago. Here's a better look if you've never seen it:

2013-14 Big Ten Schedule Released

PSU's Luke Juha and OSU's Ryan Dzingel will continue their feud with conference points on the line

The Big Ten has unveiled the conference schedule for its inaugural hockey season in 2013-2014. The entire list of 60 games is available through the league website, but let's dive right into the 20 that include Penn State, ten of which represent the first Big Ten season in Pegula Ice Arena history.

Date	Opponent	Location
Fri., Dec. 6	at Wisconsin	Kohl Center // Madison, WI
Sat., Dec. 7	at Wisconsin	Kohl Center // Madison, WI
Sun., Jan. 12	Minnesota	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Mon., Jan. 13	Minnesota	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Jan. 17	at Michigan State	Munn Ice Arena // East Lansing, MI
Sat., Jan. 18	at Michigan State	Munn Ice Arena // East Lansing, MI
Fri., Jan. 31	at Ohio State	Value City Arena // Columbus, OH
Sat., Feb. 1	at Ohio State	Value City Arena // Columbus, OH
Fri., Feb. 7	Michigan	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Feb. 8	Michigan	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Feb. 14	Michigan State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Feb. 15	Michigan State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Feb. 21	at Michigan	Yost Ice Arena // Ann Arbor, MI
Sat., Feb. 22	at Michigan	Yost Ice Arena // Ann Arbor, MI
Fri., Feb. 28	at Minnesota	Mariucci Arena // Minneapolis, MN
Sat., Mar. 1	at Minnesota	Mariucci Arena // Minneapolis, MN
Fri., Mar. 7	Wisconsin	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Mar. 8	Wisconsin	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Fri., Mar. 14	Ohio State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA
Sat., Mar. 15	Ohio State	Pegula Ice Arena // University Park, PA

As was already known, the conference tournament will take place March 20th through 22nd at St. Paul, MN's Xcel Energy Center. All six teams will qualify for the single-elimination event, with the third through sixth seeds playing each other on the first day for the right to meet the top two seeds in the semifinals.

Game times and television information will follow at a later date (suffice it to say that those two things are pretty intertwined with one another) and it's certainly possible that dates could be adjusted to accommodate BTN as well. It is, however, worth pointing out that the Minnesota home series, the first conference games at Pegula Ice Arena, is on a Sunday and Monday, making it a likely candidate for the primetime treatment.

The Big Ten schedule joins press-release-official non-conference games on October 11th against Army to open Pegula Ice Arena, October 26th in the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff versus Vermont and the second Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh on December 27th and 28th with Boston College, Robert Morris and Bowling Green. Others, including games with Union, RIT, Air Force, RMU and UMass-Lowell, range from "rumor" to "confirmed, just without a date." As usual, refer to the schedule page for the full scope of what is known so far.

Admittedly, it's a little difficult to project highlights for the simple reason that we don't yet know which of the five Big Ten opponents are of the most interest to Penn Staters from a hockey standpoint. But right away and contingent on the rivalry carrying over from other sports, it's probably fair to circle that home series against Ohio State on March 14th and 15th. If only because of football, geography and the tidy ability to pair off the Big Ten as Minnesota-Wisconsin, Michigan-Michigan State and Penn State-Ohio State, the Buckeyes will probably have first dibs as PSU's biggest rival, unless the games force things in a different direction. And who knows, given that it's the last weekend of the regular season, conference tournament seeding could be in play.

Minnesota, which has been the most successful of the super six over the last couple of years with a pair of WCHA regular season championships, a pair of NCAA Tournament bids and a Frozen Four appearance in 2012, probably is known enough as a hockey school to the mainstream crowd to generate a great atmosphere to initiate Big Ten hockey at the PIA on January 12th and 13th, in spite of the non-traditional Sunday-Monday setup. While the Gophers lost several stars to the pros, mammoth Nick Bjugstad, Erik Haula and Zach Budish among them, the always-stacked program still has their pipeline flowing with marquee recruits including centers Taylor Cammarata and Justin Kloos, who played alongside PSU newcomer Eamon McAdam with the USHL's Waterloo Black Hawks. Electric National Team Development Program product Hudson Fasching - remember, we saw the NTDP at the Ice Pavilion back in January - will also join the team.

Storied Yost Ice Arena - the team that plays there is okay too, I hear

Without a doubt, the games at Michigan's Yost Ice Arena - arguably the most noted of college hockey's classic barns - on February 21st and 22nd are ones to circle as well. Contrary to what some may tell you, it won't be Penn State hockey's first time there, but the nine-time national champion Wolverines are obviously a slightly different animal than Eastern Michigan's Eagles. Michigan will be well positioned to bounce back from missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1990, as incoming NTDP forwards J.T. Compher, Tyler Motte and Evan Allen complement a roster that hopes to successfully replace departures Jacob Trouba and Jon Merrill on the back end.

The games against Minnesota and Michigan will open those respective series for the Nittany Lions. PSU played, and beat, of course, each of Ohio State, Wisconsin and Michigan State this past season, going 3-2-0 in all against the now-conference foes.

Des Moines Snaps Up Greer in USHL Draft

A.J. Greer (black) is emerging as a highly-regarded power forward

A.J. Greer, a 2015-committed forward originally from Repentigny, Quebec, was selected in the fifth round, 66th overall, by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the USHL Draft, Phase 2, on Tuesday afternoon.

The USHL Draft, just as background for those unfamiliar, is divided into two phases. Phase 1, formerly known as the Futures Draft, includes only players who will qualify as under 17s for the coming season (so 1997 birth year players this time around) and was conducted on Monday. Phase 2, more or less, covers all other players eligible for junior hockey and whose rights are not already owned by a USHL team.

In his sophomore year at Kimball Union Academy in 2012-2013, Greer managed to stand out on a loaded team that included ten Division I commitments by finishing sixth in scoring with 16 goals and 19 assists in 30 games and receiving an all-scholastic underclass second team nod from Over The Boards.

KUA's campaign did not end on a high, though. After a 27-2-0 regular season and the top ranking in prep hockey for most of it, the Wildcats were stunned 4-1 by Gunnery in the quarterfinals of the Stuart/Corkery Tournament, the New England prep championships.

In 2011-2012, Greer played for College Esther-Blondin, helping the Phenix to the Quebec midget AAA championship and a silver medal at the Telus Cup, Canada's midget national championships.

Part of Greer's rising stock however, at least in this corner, was his thinly-veiled Twitter blast of Conor Garland, a former Penn State commit who elected to jump ship for the QMJHL's Moncton Wildcats back in December.

Kid's already one of my favorite players.

Penn State does have a bit of history with the Buccaneers, as soon-to-be-sophomore defenseman Connor Varley played for the team, as did incoming forward Zach Saar. Former Icer-turned-Ice Lion Mac Winchester played seven games for the Bucs in 2008-2009. Still, Des Moines' franchise is not in the best of shape - they finished seventh in the eight-team Western Conference this past season with a 25-35-4 record, which was actually improvement from their 2011-2012 mark of 20-33-7. That raises at least a question of whether Greer will report to Iowa at any point prior to attending Penn State two to three seasons from now.

Another notable pick took place just two slots before Greer, as Team Illinois' Nick Olczyk went 64th overall to the Sioux City Musketeers. Olczyk, as one might guess from the rather unique last name, is the younger brother of Penn State captain Tommy Olczyk and Eddie Olczyk, who just completed his senior season at Massachusetts. Both Tommy (205 games) and Eddie (71 games) played for Sioux City during their USHL careers.

Three Stars: April 29-May 5

Scott Wilson, a 2011 Pittsburgh Penguins draft pick, may lead his River Hawks into the PIA in the fall

3. Ryan Patrick Named Pegula Ice Arena Hockey Director
(gopsusports.com)

Former Icer Ryan Patrick is the new Hockey Director for Pegula Ice Arena.

Patrick will oversee and implement all aspects of the community's youth, student and adult hockey programs. He will manage the facility's learn to skate and play hockey programs, the youth amateur hockey program and the student and adult hockey leagues. In addition, Patrick will coordinate and organize youth hockey tournaments and high-level independent travel teams.

Patrick, who graduated in 2003, is the son of long-time NHL executive and Miracle on Ice assistant coach Craig Patrick, the brother of former Icers captain and 1999 graduate C.J. Patrick and the cousin of Curtiss Patrick, class of 2004, another former Icer who enjoyed a five-season career in professional hockey. Carrying that family tree a little bit further, Ryan's great-grandfather was Lester Patrick, who has a major trophy named for him and formerly an NHL division as well. Craig, Lester, grandfather Lynn, and great great uncle Frank (Lester's brother) are all in the Hockey Hall of Fame, while those four in addition to great uncle Muzz Patrick (Lynn's brother) have all won the Stanley Cup in some capacity. That's... uhhh... quite a legacy.

That stuff aside, maybe the most striking element to this, at least for me, is how it drives home the idea that a Pegula Ice Arena story no longer automatically equates to a Penn State hockey story, something that initially crossed my mind when that Sara Evans skating show was announced (and the reason this news didn't get a stand-alone post). Basically, that just means that the building is closer than ever to opening.

2. Penn State Selects XOS Digital for Hockey Technology
(PRWeb)

Slow news week when the coaches' video system is your second star? Yeah, pretty much. Still, it's important, and sounds pretty damn cool to boot.

XOS Digital designed both the men’s and women’s hockey video rooms as a one-stop video production center. Once complete, the facility’s video rooms will be fully equipped with edit stations and remote control systems for capturing video directly from the camera systems installed throughout the arena. The control system enables staff to capture HD practice and game footage from these cameras directly into XOS Thunder HD editing system for in-depth analysis.

The XOS Thunder HD platform enables the Nittany Lions to access all game preparation, including video analysis, reports, diagrams and other player development applications from a single interface.

With full audiovisual integration, the Nittany Lions are able to utilize new technologies that provide workflow automation between video editing systems, content distribution and coaching tools. The entire coaching staff will now be able to easily acquire, manage, distribute and display content throughout the facility including the varsity locker rooms, conference rooms, recruiting lounge, team lounge and coaches offices.

“How well we perform is a direct correlation to how well we prepare,” said Head Coach [Guy] Gadowsky. “It’s important to have the right resources and technology to ensure our preparation is efficient and effective. Individual player development is also critical to the team’s success, and our student athletes will be able to utilize these systems to propel them toward their goal of playing in the NHL. We are excited to enlist XOS Digital’s expertise for this project.”

1. 2013 / 2014 PSU Hockey Schedule?
(Blue White Illustrated)

It's just a message board rumor right now, but if BWI poster VaNtyLion is to be believed, 2013 Hockey East Champion and Frozen Four participant UMass-Lowell will be visiting the Pegula Ice Arena this coming season - obviously an instant highlight of the schedule.

Assessing credibility... well, the guy does sound like he knows what he's talking about for the most part. At the very least, he pays close attention, as he is aware of the Three Rivers Classic, the Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff, RIT and Army. Issues? He has Air Force making a "return trip" to PSU when that series will be in Colorado Springs after the teams played at the Ice Pavilion back in November. Also, he states that Connecticut will be in town after January's series in Storrs, but tweets from Huskies hockey voice Will Moran laying out his team's non-conference schedule (1, 2) don't include PSU. It's entirely possible that UConn will visit PSU in 2014-2015 to reciprocate, though - one thing I've learned in doing this is that leaked information is never perfect. The only people who have every piece to the puzzle are the decision makers, and I'm pretty sure VaNtyLion isn't Billy Downey.

Verdict: Thumbs up, I buy it.

Speaking of scheduling things, Union beat writer Ken Schott "fully expects" the Dutchmen's already-known series at PSU to take place over Thanksgiving weekend. Makes sense I guess, since the 2012-2013 games at Union were also over Thanksgiving weekend.

Best of the Rest

Allie Rothman, Katie Vaughan, Carly Szyszko and Mary Kate Tonetti will lead the WIHC in 2013-14

2013-14 Executive Board Elected
(psuwihc.com)

Before parting ways for the summer, the Women's Ice Hockey Club elected its 2013-2014 officers, including Allie Rothman (president), Katie Vaughan (vice president), Carly Szyszko (treasurer) and Mary Kate Tonetti (secretary). Trust me when I say that no organization on campus has a better leadership group.

Wisconsin set for 10 home series during 2013-14 men's hockey campaign
(uwbadgers.com)

Want to know for sure who Wisconsin is playing? Here you go. No dates of course, as the Big Ten's entire schedule, when ready, will likely be released as one giant ball of... something. In other words, we're probably not going to know the dates of any of PSU's conference games before they're on GoPSUSports.com.

PSU looking to extend hockey fan base into area
(Williamsport Sun-Gazette)

This is a poorly written and researched (Penn State didn't play a single home game last year? Really?) article, but leave it to Joe Battista to say something to make me include it.

Aside from the monetary gift provided from the Pegulas, Battista said that they have raised an additional $10 million in private donations.

That's a new number, at least as far as I've seen, one that meets that "additional fundraising" goal set way back when the Pegula donation was first announced. Nice.

Former Penn State assistant athletic director Mark Sherburne hired by Lock Haven University
(PennLive)

It's really old news by now (I meant to throw it in last week and forgot), but long-time Penn State athletic department lieutenant Mark Sherburne has been hired as the new athletic director at Lock Haven. Sherburne, of course, spent ten days as PSU's acting AD during the initial fallout from the Jerry Sandusky scandal in November, 2011, after his former boss, Tim Curley, went on leave while under investigation for his role in the mess. He returned to his previous post as an assistant AD once the Board of Trustees decided that one of their own - Dave Joyner, who controversially moved directly from the board to the AD office - was better for the job, and was abruptly fired a few months later for withholding documents related to Curley.

And yes, that story is still bizarre, even more than one year later.

NCAA bans hashtagged fields, having solved all other problems
(SB Nation)

While my impression is that the vast majority of you are supportive of my covering the ACHA teams at some expense to the NCAA teams (because while it's not a pure zero sum game, it's close to one - any time I spend on the ACHA teams could be spent on the NCAA teams, hypothetically), I do get the sense that at least a few wonder why I bother. Well this, combined with things like that stinkbomb at North Carolina, offers at least a partial explanation, if you needed one. Really, NCAA? Hashtag legislation? Stick to exploiting student-athletes for billions of dollars, you're better at that.

Anyway, guess we won't be getting #OneTeam in Gretzky's Office at the PIA.

Vulcans hockey is back in good standing

Cal U will begin drug testing hockey players
(Pittsburgh Tribune-Review)

Cal (PA), after suspending their entire hockey program - including two men's teams and one women's team - over a massive pot bust involving two now-former players a couple weeks ago, has now restored everything back to normal, but with required drug testing for all players. Seems sensible to me.

The Vulcans' top men's team plays at the ACHA Division 3 level and in College Hockey East with Penn State-Altoona and Penn State-Behrend. The women's team, which competes in ACHA Division 2, was Penn State's first-ever opponent back in October and will join a new conference with the WIHC for next season. Both qualified for their respective ACHA national championship tournaments in 2012-2013.

Utah awarded 2015 ACHA National Championships
(universityofutahhockey.com)

At the ACHA annual meetings on Saturday in Naples, FL (which, as always, coincided with the American Hockey Coaches Association meetings), Utah was awarded the 2015 ACHA Division 2 national tournament, which will be played in Salt Lake City. Provided the Ice Lions don't win their first-ever national title this coming season, they'll win it there, book it.

The 2014 D2 tournament is likely headed to Ashburn, VA after the Northeast Region failed to produce a bid during its turn in the four-year cycle. That hasn't been officially announced, however, and is probably still subject to change.

The women's D2 tournament (as well as those for men's and women's D1) will be in Newark, DE this coming season.

News from 2013 ACHA Annual Meeting
(ouhockey.com)

Penn State is now out of the ACHA D1 game of course, but this can still be filed under "interesting to know:" the top men's division will no longer utilize the controversial coaches poll for rankings and will now rely on computers. Hooray for that.

Also, while the format of the national championships will remain the same, the scheduling will be different. The second round, which involves playing from 16 teams down to eight, will now be spread over two days, and the day off between the quarterfinals and semifinals has been eliminated. The end result is that the tournament (which will run from Thursday-Tuesday instead of Friday-Wednesday) will never have more than four games on any one day. That re-opens the possibility of hosting by facilities with only one sheet of ice, something that hadn't been possible since the tournament expanded from 12 teams to 16 in 2005.

Examining the Big Ten Network and College Hockey
(Western College Hockey Blog)

Possibly the biggest story of the last week was the report that each of the six Big Ten hockey schools will receive an extra $2 million per year from the Big Ten Network, in addition to the rather large annual haul all 12 (soon to be 14) member universities receive.

Undoubtedly, most who follow the Big Ten closely are aware of why BTN has been so profitable since its 2007 launch - its insistence on being carried on basic cable within the conference's footprint and the escalated subscriber rates in those states that make adding schools in large TV markets a smart idea. Still, this is a nice primer for those unfamiliar, and it takes things a step further by looking at the implications of the $2 million windfall (again, it should be said, if true) and even argues that we may be near the ceiling of all of this.

Time to drop college hockey's gentlemen's agreement?
(Bucky's 5th Quarter)

Should college hockey coaches back off of a potential recruit after he verbally commits elsewhere or continue to go full Urban Meyer on him? Here's one well-thought-out and discussion-provoking opinion.

Seriously, thanks again, UConn

Ex-Niagara coach MacKenzie to guide UConn women
(Buffalo News)

Chris MacKenzie will attempt to correct Connecticut's women's program after the ouster of Heather Linstad, as the Huskies have devolved into a dumpster fire over the last few years. One that proved quite beneficial for Penn State, in case you've never seen UConn transfers Nicole Paniccia, Taylor Gross and Jenna Welch play.

MacKenzie coached the women's team at Niagara, his alma mater, from 2009 until 2011. The Purple Eagles, of course, would have been one of the Nittany Lions' conference rivals in College Hockey America had NU not chopped the program in 2012.

USA Hockey takes preemptive strike at scandal
(UPI)

USA Hockey has a shiny new zero-tolerance program for abuse, called SafeSport. And Executive Director Dave Ogrean would like you to know that...

"The catalyst for it is absolutely and admittedly a byproduct of the horror of what took place at Penn State University with the football program and Jerry Sandusky."

Is that right? You sure it wasn't something strikingly similar to that, but slightly closer to home?

On Monday January 24th, 2011 USA Hockey's Executive Director Dave Ogrean received a very disturbing email from the parent of a member describing the extremely deviant sexual behavior of Massachusetts Maple Leafs coach Anthony DeSilva. Instead of following through and contacting local law enforcement authorities, Ogrean and USA Hockey allowed a sexual predator to fall through the cracks.

I realize that Penn State is going to be cited as an example of administrative failure by too many people to count for a very long time (in fact, I recently had to write a case study on the Sandusky reaction in one of my grad school classes, which was obviously rather difficult). I accept that much as the bed made on my behalf by others. What I do not accept is a hypocritical attempt to blame the Penn State bogeyman by someone who, when presented with nearly identical circumstances, apparently did little differently.

Basically, nice try, douchebag.

Commit Cycle: May 2 (Men)

With all of Penn State's men's commits now eliminated from their respective playoffs, this will mark the season finale of Commit Cycle. While nobody finished quite like Curtis Loik in winning the RBC Cup with the BCHL's Penticton Vees in 2011-2012, it was still a very successful year. Arguably, the headliners were Chase Berger, who won the Challenge Cup with Saint Louis University High School as well as a silver medal at the USA Hockey Tier I 18U national championships with the St. Louis AAA Blues and Eamon McAdam who, among other things, picked up the Junior Club World Cup's top goaltender award, a gold medal at the World Junior A Challenge, the MVP award at the USHL/NHL Top Prospects game and a lofty final pre-draft ranking from NHL Central Scouting.

There were plenty of highlights across the board though, as 10 of 12 future Penn Staters playing Junior A hockey this season made their league's playoffs, notably including the pair of Spruce Grove Saints - Dylan Richard and Mike Williamson - and their run to the AJHL championship series. Additionally, 2015 entrant Kevin Kerr won an Atlantic District title with Team Comcast to qualify for nationals, and fellow 2015 freshman A.J. Greer was a key part of New England prep hockey's dominant team for most of the season.

Of course, news floating out there during the summer months and outside of the primary hockey season will still be passed along, but through Three Stars (for the small stuff) or a stand-alone entry (for the big stuff).

Chase Berger very nearly won the highest possible championship with both of his teams

Before getting to the last two commits standing, here are the players whose seasons ended prior to the previous Commit Cycle post, and a quick look at how things turned out for them. As always, check M Current Commitments for full stats.

• 2015 F A.J. Greer (Kimball Union Academy - New England Prep) enjoyed a highly-successful first year in New Hampshire after coming to the states from his native Quebec. The power forward finished sixth in scoring, with 16 goals on a 19 assists, on a stacked team that had ten Division I commitments and went 27-2-0 in the regular season - earning a second-team all-scholastic underclass team nod from Over The Boards. The season, however, ended in disappointment when the top-seeded Wildcats were stunned 4-1 by Gunnery in the opening round of the Stuart/Corkery Tournament, the New England prep championships.
• 2014 F James Robinson (Langley Rivermen - BCHL), despite a quick ouster from the playoffs at the hands of the Surrey Eagles, had a fantastic rookie season in the BCHL. He helped the Rivermen to a 24-26-6 regular season record with 42 points, good for third on the team in scoring, with his 33 assists rating second best among all first-year players in the league.
• 2014 D Bo Pellah (Alberni Valley Bulldogs - BCHL), after briefly teaming up with Robinson in Langley, was traded to the Bulldogs early in his second BCHL season. He transitioned seamlessly, leading the Bulldogs' blueliners in scoring with four goals and 29 assists. Alberni Valley qualified for the playoffs with a 29-20-7 record and went on a thrilling run, recovering from an 0-2 best-of-five hole against Nanaimo in the first round and a 1-2 deficit against Victoria in the second round to win both series. Powerful Surrey proved too much in the Coastal Conference finals, however, sweeping the Bulldogs out of contention.
• 2013 D David Thompson (Chilliwack Chiefs - BCHL) joined Robinson and Pellah in being knocked out of the playoffs by Surrey, with the Chiefs falling via a second-round sweep after taking out Prince George in five games in the opening round. The Pennsylvania native closed his junior career by captaining his team to a 33-21-2 regular season mark and, like Pellah, led his team in blueliner scoring with 27 points while also providing strong positional play and physicality.
• 2015 F Chase Berger (St. Louis AAA Blues 18U/Saint Louis University HS) very nearly reached the pinnacle with both of his teams, taking the Mid-States Club Hockey Association Challenge Cup title with SLUHS by topping rival Christian Brothers 2-1 in overtime. Berger assisted on the championship-winning goal then, with the AAA Blues, scored the Central District clincher to propel that team to the USA Hockey Tier I 18U national championships. At the tournament, his eight points in six games helped advance the Blues to the title game, but a 4-3 overtime loss to Neponset Valley (after leading 3-2 until eight seconds remained in regulation) forced Berger to settle for a silver medal.
• 2015 D Kevin Kerr (Team Comcast 18U/Holy Ghost Prep) also did well with both his school and club teams. Comcast took the Atlantic District bid to USA Hockey Tier I 18U nationals, and advanced to the quarterfinals before - in quite a case of foreshadowing, relative to Berger - losing to eventual champion Neponset Valley, 4-3 in overtime. Meanwhile, Holy Ghost enjoyed a typical winning season but succumbed 5-2 to La Salle College High School in the finals of the AAA Flyers Cup, the big-school eastern PA championship.
• 2013 F David Goodwin (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - USHL) didn't miss a beat following an early-season trade from Sioux City and posted his typically-robust stat line (13 goals and 30 assists in 64 games when combining totals from both teams) despite the Riders' anemic offense that contributed to a 25-30-9 record and missing the Eastern Conference playoffs by 13 points. The heady center, notably, finished his three-year USHL career with 118 points in 179 games.
• 2015 F Alec Marsh (Cedar Rapids RoughRiders - USHL) joined Goodwin in an early trip to the golf course but still turned in a great rookie season in the USHL. The New Jersey native, after irregular appearances in the lineup early on, was more or less a fixture in the top 12 by the end of the campaign. Marsh finished with four goals and 11 points in 40 games and even made a cameo on SportsCenter, thanks to his assist on a spectacular goal by linemate Dylan McLaughlin back in October.
• 2013 F Rick DeRosa (Port Huron Fighting Falcons - NAHL) captained his team to a 32-24-4 record and a North Division playoff bid - a second straight postseason trip for the Falcons after a 6-46-6 record in the franchise's first season of 2010-2011. DeRosa, who led Port Huron in scoring with 42 points and finished his junior career as the team's all-time leader, fueled a third-period comeback in the decisive game three of a first-round series against Johnstown with a goal and an assist to help the Falcons advance. The Soo Eagles, however, subsequently swept the team out of the North Division semifinals.
• 2013 D Patrick Koudys (Muskegon Lumberjacks - USHL) was an important part of a defense corps that surrendered the second-fewest goals in the USHL during the regular season, 175 in 64 games. The RPI transfer's one goal and 10 assists also helped the Lumberjacks to the playoffs despite the league's reducing the number of playoff teams from 12 to 8 this season, but they were swept in a best-of-five first round by USHL regular-season champion Dubuque.
• 2013 F Zach Saar (Muskegon Lumberjacks - USHL), following a mid-season trade from Des Moines, contributed to the Lumberjacks' playoff run with his imposing blend of physicality and size down low. He chipped in some offense - five points for Muskegon, 17 overall - but more importantly performed many of the unsung roles vital on a successful hockey team, helping the Jacks finish 31-23-10.
• 2013 F Dylan Richard (Spruce Grove Saints - AJHL) led the Saints in scoring with 22 goals and 42 points, helping the team to the AJHL North Division regular season and playoff championships and finishing as a finalist for the league's MVP award. Although the Saints ultimately lost in the AJHL finals to the Brooks Bandits, Richard scored seven times in the Saints' 16 playoff games.
• 2013 D Mike Williamson (Spruce Grove Saints - AJHL) was plagued by injuries for much of the season, but was still able to chip in 11 points in 23 regular season games to help the Saints finish 35-16-9, five points ahead of second-place Grand Prairie. He played in all but one game of Spruce Grove's playoff run to help the team to the Gas Drive Cup finals. Williamson also was the 183rd-best North American skater in the final CSS rankings ahead of next month's NHL Entry Draft.

Eamon McAdam

Goaltender
Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL)
6'2", 185 pounds
Perkasie, PA
Entering 2013
DOB 9/24/1994

Date	Opponent	Score	SA	GA	Sv%	GAA
4/23	vs. Fargo	L 3-6	15	1	0.933	2.27	Box Score
4/24	at Fargo	L 3-4	49	4	0.918	3.60	Box Score

Cal Petersen, who started Waterloo's first four playoff games in goal, won ugly to get the Black Hawks out to a 2-1 first-round series lead, but faltered in game four on April 23rd... McAdam mopped up over the second half of the contest, playing well enough to earn a start in the decisive game five, and he did not disappoint in making 45 saves behind a sometimes defense-optional team... Minnesota commit Gabe Guertler, however, ended Waterloo's once-promising season with a second-chance goal 6:38 into overtime after Alex Iafallo forced extra hockey with 3:34 left... McAdam's final regular-season stats included a 17-9-3 record, two shutouts, and a 3.45 goals against average, but his campaign was probably most notable for the litany of accolades earned throughout and mentioned at the top of the post... next up, he'll participate at the NHL Scouting Combine from May 27th through June 1st in Toronto, and on June 30th at the NHL Entry Draft, he'll hope that one franchise shares the opinion of Central Scouting, which tabbed him as their number six North American goalie in the final rankings.

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Eric Scheid

Forward
Lincoln Stars (USHL)
5'9", 163 pounds
Coon Rapids, MN
Entering 2013
DOB 5/5/1992

Date	Opponent	Score	G	A	Pts.	PIM
4/23	at Sioux Falls	L 0-2	0	0	0	0	Box Score

The Stars likely regret their missed opportunity to close out Sioux Falls on home ice in game four, as they dropped that game while holding a 2-1 series lead (covered in the last Commit Cycle), then were shut out on the road in the Western Conference semifinal's rubber match to end their season... in all, it was still a successful year for Scheid, who led Lincoln in scoring with 23 goals and 59 points... the Alaska-Anchorage transfer also led the USHL in plus-minus for much of the season, finishing +37 and fifth in the league to help the Stars to a 39-22-3 record and a fourth-place finish.