With most of the heavy lifting behind them, the Icers have only four more games left before heading into the national tournament. This weekend, it was the unranked Mercyhurst Lakers visiting the Greenberg for a set of games. As I mentioned in my post last weekend, the Icers have had a dominating history over the Lakers. Their last four meetings have resulted in four Icers' wins, with a total score of 38-6 (thanks in large part to a 17-3 blowout in 2003). With Bryce Johnson slated to return from injury, the Icers would look to use this weekend to rest some players, get others back to game-speed, and honor the 7 newest members to the Icers' Hall of Fame.

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Even as the Icers entered their final month of club hockey play, there is still time for firsts for Penn State ice hockey. On this first weekend in February, the Icers welcomed the Oklahoma Sooners to the Greenberg Ice Pavilion for the first time in team history. The 9th-ranked Sooners are a team stocked with talent, but they have yet to seemingly put it altogether to find consistent success. Coming off of a weekend sweep of the Bobcats and a 3-0 win against the Sooners a month ago, the Icers looked to keep their solid play rolling for another big weekend of hockey.

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Ohio University. Bird Arena. The home to many of the great battles between these two storied ACHA programs. The Icers come in as the #1 team in the nation, but Ohio is not far behind at #5. If the rankings, rivalry, and the fact that this could very likely be the last meeting between these two teams weren't enough, the Bobcats entered the weekend still undefeated at home this season. Although the ACHA National Tournament is still over a month away, these two games proved to have all the emotion and atmosphere of playoff games past and perhaps still to come.

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With three straight wins and the ship pointed towards the ACHA tournament, the Icers were faced with what is often described as a trap weekend. Sandwiched between a home weekend against struggling rival Rhode Island and a road-trip to strong, even-bigger-rival Ohio, the West Virginia Mountaineers made their trip to the Ice Pavilion to take on the Icers. The Icers came into the weekend as big favorites - not only was this a less-than-mediocre West Virginia team, but the Icers have a 34-0-1 record against the Mountaineers, dating back to the 1990-91 season. The Icers were looking for two good games, in the hopes of extending their winning streak to five.

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After opening the 2012 year with a flurry of games and travel, the Icers finally returned to a schedule of normalcy at the Greenberg. Joining the Icers at the Ice Pavilion were the Rhode Island Rams. While there has been some discussion of filling out the 2012-13 schedule with some ACHA foes (most notably, Ohio), there was definitely the feeling that this would be the last match-up between these two teams for awhile. The rivalry with the Rams has grown over recent years, but this isn't the same Rhode Island team as in years past. The Rams came in ranked #20th, technically sitting on the outside looking in at the ACHA tournament. Still, URI is no team to go easy on, especially if the Icers wanted to get another winning streak started.

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There was no rest for the Icers, as the team found itself flying from Philadelphia to Oklahoma for two important ACHA games on Friday and Saturday. On Friday, the Icers found themselves in Edmond, Oklahoma for a game against the Central Oklahoma Bronchos. Following that game, the Icers would travel to Norman to take on the #8 Oklahoma Sooners. Both games would be the first time the Icers would travel to Oklahoma to play these teams (the Icers have played both teams previously, just never at their respective home stadiums). Hoping to avoid some post-Winter Classic let-down and travel fatigue, the Icers were poised for their first ACHA weekend of 2012.

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Over the past few years of doing these updates, I've tried my best to give you the essence of the game. I've learned and adapted over the years - things like adding the score at the beginning (for those who wish to skip my ramblings), and doing more summarizing for the blowouts (because you get the idea around goal #7). But you'll have to excuse me for skipping that for this game. I'll have another normal recap following this weekend's slate of games. The Icers trek to Oklahoma for games against Central Oklahoma and the Oklahoma Sooners. However, for now, I just want to share my experience, because that's what this was for everyone - an experience. (If you'd like full coverage, go check out my good man over at ThankYouTerry - dude has been a beast covering this game, and is media credentialed to boot.)

Also, for those who want the quick answer, Neumann defeated the Icers, 6-3.

I won't speak much about the Neumann fans - the fans I had around me were enthusiastic about the team, but kept to themselves mostly. They did, however, give me my first first-hand experiences with opposing fans making Sandusky jokes. I remain unimpressed. I have heard that some others had some less-than-steller interactions with Neumann fans, but it sounds much like the same things we heard from the Temple football fans from September. (To be honest, there's a good chance they were the same people in new shirts.)

A good crowd showed up to the game - last reports were just under 5,000 people showed up on a Wednesday night to watch these two college programs play. A fair amount of tailgaters were found in the parking lots, and the lines for people buying tickets at the gate were lengthy. In essence, the people at Citizens Bank Park wasn't ready for the masses that showed up. Everyone was ushered up to the 200-level (the club-box level), where they could control where people sat and could open the handful of concession stands to sustain the fans.

The Icers were technically considered the home team, and with that came the chance to hear long-time Icers PA announcer Rodney Martin introduce the teams. After hearing piped-in versions of the Canadian and American National Anthems, the game got underway. Both teams played well from the start, getting chances and swinging momentum. Neumann would take a 2-0 lead after the first period thanks to some defensive lapses and a late power play goal. The Icers and Neumann would then trade goals for the rest of the game, where it was 5-3 in the third period. A final empty-net goal for the Knights sealed the 6-3 victory. From the Penn State side, props to the Kirchhevel-Olczyk-Holstrom line, as each one scored a goal - a memory they'll have forever.

As for the rest, it was just great to be there. The fans ended up filling most of the 200-level sections behind the home plate, from foul pole to foul pole. The weather was perfect - cold, but not bitterly so, and no strong winds to make it feel worse. Late in the game, some light snow showers moved their way through the area, adding to the ambiance of an outdoor ice hockey game. And there were cool experiences to be had by many.

The fans got to see a great game against two growing programs. For Penn State fans, we got the joy of having a video monitor with replays.

The players, coaches, and staff walk away with stories to tell friends and family for years, of an experience very few will get to have.

Some of the Penn State ice hockey family now have their own stories. Members of the Hockey Management Association (oh yeah - I'll always send some love to my HMA family) worked parts of the game. And former-HMA and long-time Icers in-rink announcer, Rodney Martin, found his voice echoing through the ballpark and the clear Philadelphia night. Even in the cold outdoors of Citizens Bank Park, Rodney made it feel like home.

For me, it's everything I've mentioned, plus the small things. Things like seeing old faces, catching up with people, and watching the game with people I met through the Icers/HMA. It's having my stupid mug up on the screen for a few seconds - me in my Mike Diethorn jersey. It was seeing Penn State fans come out to support and see something special, even if they don't really care all that much about Penn State hockey.

It was an exhibition game. A game that didn't count for either team in their league standings. That's enough to forget that it was a 6-3 loss. Because it was fun. It was exciting and electric. For me up in the 200-level, it was an experience like none other and one that I'll never forget. For those on the ice, I'm sure it was everything I felt, but on a much greater scale. And to me, that's what this whole "sports" thing is about.

Following their thorough trouncing of Rutgers, the Icers headed to Virginia to finish the Fall semester with a pair of road games against the 8th-ranked Liberty Flames. The Flames presented an interesting challenge for the Icers. They come before the winter break for the Icers, and the Flames are a step-up in competition (as compared to the Scarlet Knights). As well, the Flames have found some success against the Icers in years past and could pull off a surprise win should the Icers come out flat in either game.

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After splitting the weekend against Delaware, then taking a well-deserved break over Thanksgiving, the Icers found themselves back on the ice and still holding the #1 ranking in the ACHA standings. To welcome the Icers back to action, the Rutgers Scarlet Knights made their way to the Greenberg Ice Pavillion for a set of games. Due to scheduling and the level of talent in the NECHL, 21st-ranked Rutgers is already locked into March's ACHA tournament by being the regular season conference champion. A little banged up, the Icers looked to start a new winning streak with a sweep over the Scarlet Knights.

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Over the years, the Penn State Icers have played a great number of teams, ranging from NCAA DI and DIII teams, all the way down to ACHA D2 teams. Rivalries have come and gone, and the new wave in the ACHA has tested their worth against the Blue and White. And while the Ohio Bobcats have always been "the rival" for Penn State, the Delaware Blue Hens have remained as mainstays on the Icers' schedule. This past weekend, the history of the Blue Hens hit a new level, as the two teams played games 100 and 101 against each other. If the history between these teams wasn't enough, the two teams entered the weekend home-and-home set ranked as #1 and #2 in the ACHA. Rust Arena at the University of Delaware set the stage for the Friday night game before the two teams traveled to State College for the Saturday night tilt.

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After a long weekend with SUNY-Fredonia and Pitt in the rear-view mirror, the Icers were treated to a single Friday night game against West Chester for this weekend. Looking to remain undefeated, the Icers welcomed the 23rd-ranked Golden Rams to State College, in a game that was sure to create some sparks.

Friday, November 11th, vs. West Chester, 7-0 W:

It was a game that was closer than it should have been for awhile, and a game that got very testy by the end. Four power play goals in the 3rd period would ensure that the final score would reflect the play on the ice, as the Icers would rip through the Golden Rams. Nate Jensen would continue his solid play, getting the Icers on the board just 1:13 into the game. Taylor Holstrom would extend the lead to 2-0 later in the period, and Mike McDonaugh would add a shorthanded goal in the 2nd. But the 3-0 lead meant that WCU could still make a comeback. But a chippy final period that saw two WCU players getting game disqualifications, 77 total penalty minutes between the two teams, and a 5-minute 5-on-3 power play for the Icers were just the backdrop for four power play goals for the Icers. While the Icers peppered the WCU goalies with 67 shots, PJ Musico stopped all 23 shots fired his way, preserving the shutout and making it a blowout win, 7-0.

Season Record and ACHA Ranking: 10-0-0, ranked #1 in the ACHA

News, Notes, Observations: Some love to Brandon Russo for getting a goal and an assist in his first game as an Icer. Not a bad way to make an impression on the coach and the fans. Kudos to McDonaugh for some solid work on the PK to get the shorthanded goal in the 2nd period. And props to Musico for finally getting his first shutout as an Icer. We hope there are many more to come.

In the 2nd period, Brian Dolan got into an altercation with one of the Golden Rams players, where he (apparently) grabbed the player's facemask (from the video, it looked more like he just bear-hugged the guys head, but maybe he grabbed the facemask in there somewhere, too). In hockey, that's a 5-minute major penalty and a game disqualification. This means Dolan is suspended for the next game, which is a shame because of how well Dolan has been playing this season.

And because I enjoy repeating myself, the line of Kirchhevel-Olczyk-Holstrom was dominant again, as all three picked up a goal in the game. Also, the Icers are crazy-good on Friday games. In 5 Friday games, the Icers have outscored their opponents, 43-4. Sick.

One final note, the Lady Icers (4-3-2) defeated Cal (Pa.) by a score of 6-0. While I don't want to overlook the strong play of the ladies this season, especially considering their tough schedule, I wanted to note that after the game the team took a moment of silence in honor the victims from the scandal that has engulfed our attention for this past week. I would also like to thank the Cal (Pa.) players and coaches for joining our ladies in the moment of silence.

Up next for the Icers are the Delaware Blue Hens. The Icers will travel down to UD for the Friday night game, and then both teams will travel back to Penn State for an 8pm game on Saturday. The Icers have off for Thanksgiving, and then finish the 2011 portion of the season with a home weekend vs. Rutgers and a road trip to Liberty University.

The fans of Penn State ice hockey were in for a couple of enjoyable rarities at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion this weekend. First, the rare occurrence of a NCAA-D3 team playing an away exhibition game at an ACHA team. While I couldn't track down a year, I was informed that this was not a first for the Icers, as Penn State hosted D3 Buffalo State many years ago. (And from his memory, Penn State won both games that weekend.) Even with a strong line-up, the Blue Devils from SUNY-Fredonia would surely present a big challenge to the Icers. After that Saturday night game, the Icers would then have to deal with a quick turnaround, as they would be playing at 1pm on Sunday against the Pitt Panthers.

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Within my first few weeks of being a Penn State student, I learned two things that completely shaped and altered my college experience (for the better). First, Penn State has an ice hockey team; second, they have a student group that helps run all the behind-the-scenes work for said ice hockey team. Now, this isn't a plug for the HMA (although I never pass up the chance to give some love), but rather the lead-in to the most important thing I learned about the Icers - the Ohio Bobcats are the rivals, and you will want them destroyed with every chance possible. The history between these two teams have been great - whether it's the heart-stopping, overtime wins during the season, or the winner-takes-all championship games, the Icers-Bobcats rivalry is that love-hate relationship that makes watching sports fun.

As if the (possibly) final home weekend against the Bobcats wasn't enough, the Icers then had to travel to Brad Boss Arena to take on the University of Rhode Island Rams - a rivalry that has been growing in its own right. These two weekends would certainly tell everyone a great deal about the quality of this current Icers' team.

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The Icers have officially opened their final ACHA season, making a victory lap of sorts before making the jump to NCAA DI hockey next season. While recruits continue to trickle in and reports and rumors about next year's schedule fly about, there is still a lot to focus on for this season. No longer in a conference, the Icers' only major goal for this season is to win the ACHA National Tournament in March. Being conference-less also means that there will be a variety of teams on the schedule - good and bad, old rivals and new blood. The Icers opened at home with a single game against a back-sliding Lebanon Valley College team (they moved from NCAA D3 back to the ACHA after going 0-50 over the past 2 seasons), before heading on the road to an always-talented Illinois team and a final trip to the rink known as the "Big Pond".

Friday, October 7th, vs Lebanon Valley College, 12-1 W: With a strong mix of new talent and old talent on the bench, the Icers opened the season against LVC with a passion to prove something. Bryce Johnson and Brian Dolan gave the Icers and early 2-0 lead, before LVC would put a powerplay goal past Matt Madrazo. The Icers would then rattle off ten straight goals, burying the Dutchmen on the way to a 12-1 win.

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The start of college football season means that college ice hockey season is not far behind. With the Blue-White game slated for September 30th, the Icers announced today the roster for the Icers' final season in the ACHA. Here is the team in alphabetical order, courtesy of PennStateHockey.com (returning players in italics):

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You will have to excuse my lack of updates and haphazard nature of this update in particular. Between the basketball coaching news, and the fact that I'm not used to having to write about the Icers at this point in the year, the past few weeks have found me somewhat behind with my Icers updates. Over the past few weeks, we have seen a number of new recruits commit to Penn State, including a kid with some (last) name recognition, some clarity to the head coaching situation for the final season in the ACHA, and some belief that the women's head coach will be named in the coming weeks.

Balboni Steps Down: Ever since Guy Gadowsky was named head coach of the varsity team back in April, there has been a large amount of curiosity as to how the coaching situation would work out for this season. Icers' head coach Scott Balboni was still around and ready to finish out one last season with the Icers. But there was Guy, preparing everything and getting ready for the future. In early May, Gadowsky's shadow got bigger as it was announced that his assistant coaches from Princeton (Keith Fisher and Matt Lindsay) would be joining the Penn State coaching staff. Any concerns about this situation were put to rest this past week, when Balboni officially resigned as head coach of the Icers.

Balboni was a solid coach in his five years as the head coach of the Icers. Following in JoeBa's footsteps was going to be hard for anyone, and Balbs did a great job of keeping the team competitive as one of the top teams in the ACHA. His decision to step down now is a great reflection of Balboni's commitment to the team and Icers family, making sure that the transitions to the next step are as smooth as possible. As part of the Icers family, we thank him for all of the great work he did for the team, and wish him the best in all his future endeavors.

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After an onslaught of rumors and media games from the athletic department, the Penn State Nittany Lions officially announced yesterday the new head coach of the Penn State Nittany Lions NCAA DI Men's Ice Hockey team - Guy Gadowsky. A native of Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, Guy Gadowsky will be leaving his head coaching position at Princeton University to become the first head coach of the modern era of Penn State varsity ice hockey. He is expected to begin some of his coaching duties starting this 2011-12 season with the ACHA Icers. From what I understand, he will be doing some more of the behind-the-scenes work (personnel, systems, recruiting), while current coach Scott Balboni will remain behind the bench on gameday for the Icers. This will give Guy an opportunity to get acclimated to Penn State and what it will take to start moving this team from club level to a full-fledged varsity sport.

Guy Gadowsky at the announcement press conference

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It's Championship Week in the college gymnastics world (and somehow it all centers in Ohio). The women are heading to Cleveland for the weekend championships, while the men are in Columbus for three days to determine the team and individual champions for this 2011 season. While the team fell just short of qualifying for the championships, the Penn State women will be sending Sharaya Musser to go after the all-around championship. One of the top competitors in the nation, we wish her the best and hope that she can bring home an individual championship for Penn State. On the men's side, Penn State enters these championships as the #5 team behind Oklahoma, Stanford, Cal, and Illinois, and will be looking to make a run for the 13th Men's Gymnastics Championship in Penn State history.

There are a few (major) differences I want to touch on first:

1. Like volleyball, there are far fewer men's teams than women's. With only 17 eligible teams, there are no regional meets to filter through. The top 12 teams are picked and compete on day one (Thursday), and then the top 6 scoring teams then go onto the final round on Friday. The rotations for the first day can be found on the NCAA's website.
   
2. There are 6 events for the men, as compared to the 4 events for the women. As well, only the vault (V) and floor exercise (FX) are the same for both. The other 4 events for the men are the horizontal bar (HB), parallel bars (PB), still rings (SR), and pommel horse (PH). Because there are so many events, it's rare for gymnasts to compete for an all-around title during a meet. While most of the gymnasts can do all 6 events, it is just so tiresome that it's almost counterproductive to try to have on guy do all the events in one meet.
3. The scoring is different. While the women still use the old 10.0 scale, the men have moved to the new code of points used for Olympic gymnastics. It's a rather complicated system, but to summarize, competitors get one score based on the difficulty and connection of different elements during the routine, and a second score based on the execution of the routine. These two scores are added together to come to the final score. This hold for all the events except for vault, which is harder to judge, so the criteria are changed slightly. Also, there's no "perfect score" anymore - just know that higher is better.

With the underlying details set, let's meet the Nittany Lions making the run for the championship.

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Graduation and injuries are constantly shaking the college football landscape. Thanks to some quality recruiting in recent years, the depth at wide receiver for the Nittany Lions can withstand most of these changes well. While talented, most of these receivers are still young and inexperienced. For the 2011 season, senior leadership will be key to making these receivers ready for the big stage.

After a breakout sophomore campaign in 2009, Derek Moye found continued success in 2010, leading the Nittany Lion receiving corps with 53 catches, 885 yards, and 8 touchdowns. The start to the 2010 season was a quiet one for Moye. He found moderate success in the first three games against Youngstown State, Kent State, and even Alabama. Then things slowed dramatically for Moye, as he combined for only 7 catches for 54 total yards in the games against Temple and Iowa. It is also important to note that, through these first five games of the season, Moye was unable to find the end zone.

The next week against Illinois seemed to be the game that sparked his Junior campaign. Moye would top 100 yards receiving for the day and finally find the end zone in the losing effort. Including that Illinois game, Moye would score 8 touchdowns over the final 8 games of the season, including a big day against Florida in the Outback Bowl.

As a senior, Moye's leadership will be called upon heavily. There is some (reasonable) speculation that he may be named one of the captain's for the 2011 season, and it would be a rightfully-deserved title. He has been a solid receiver and a great safety valve for the Penn State quarterbacks. If he is not chosen as a team captain, he will undoubtedly be the leader a wide receiving corps that is still young and gaining experience. Aside from Justin Brown and Devon Smith, the depth of receivers is talented, but young and inexperienced. Losing senior leadership in Graham Zug and Brett Brackett (and Curtis Drake to injury) means that these younger receivers will be thrown into major roles if the offense is to be successful. And it will be up to Moye to lead his fellow receivers both on and off the field.

If Moye plans to be a leader by example, he is going to need to start showing up for the big games. Against the key three games in 2010 (Alabama, Iowa, Ohio State), Moye had only 11 catches and just one TD. Penn State will play those three teams again, while adding two more quality opponents in Nebraska and Wisconsin. If Penn State plans to win the Leaders division and inaugural Big Ten Championship Game, all on their way to a BCS Bowl/Championship Game, then Moye will need to come up big against these quality opponents. If Moye can continue the success he found in the second half of the 2010 season, Penn State should be in good shape with the receiving corps.

As Moye has recently stated, "I'm more of a pull someone aside and let them know what they're doing. I try to lead by example." Lead away, young sir.

Attached for your listening pleasure, here is some audio from Derek Moye on Spring Media Day. He discusses how the team is progressing through the spring practices, the potential for Justin Brown, and some feelings about heading into his senior season as a potential leader.

Last time, I discussed the sport a bit and the major role players on the Penn State team. This round, I'll finish off the remaining team members and provide some insight as to what you can expect for the NCAA Regionals at Alabama this weekend.

Event Specialists: (Girls who are usually used specifically for one event.)

The third regularly used freshman, Kristin Blades is used only on the vault for now. And so far this season, she has done a great job of putting up good scores consistently. Averaging just over 9.80 this season, Kristin is a big part in making sure Penn State hits their 49.0 on vault. (Also, she looks far too much like Sharaya Musser at times. Seriously, it took way too much time trying to make sure I was picking out the right girl for these pictures.)

On the uneven bars, junior Alex Stine has become a strong scorer on an otherwise difficult apparatus. While not as high-scoring as Natalie Ettl, Alex puts up solid scores consistently to help the team be one of the best bars teams in the nation. Her season average of 9.820 helps the team get to the 49.000 level, and her season high of 9.85 means that she's consistently hitting solid routines.

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Easy bump-Fooge

With the NCAA regional meets coming up this weekend for the womens' gymnastics teams, I figured I would try to use my current hockey downtime to help enlighten the BSD readership about some of the other very successful teams on campus. How does a hockey guy make the shift so quickly to gymnastics? Like the number of licks it takes to get to the center of a Tootsie Roll Tootsie Pop, the world may never know. Also, before going further, I want to thank the Penn State Women's Gymnastics Facebook page for providing the pictures and other updates.

For the uninitiated: I'll do a separate post for the men's gymnastics team when they get closer to the NCAA Championships, and as you will see, they have a different rotation of events and different expectations of the athletes. On the women's side, there are four events that ladies compete in:  Vault (V), Uneven Bars (UB), Balance Beam (BB), and Floor Exercise (FX). Any girl who competes on all 4 events gets put into the all-around (AA) category. Most quality teams have at least two top tier AA competitors, a couple of competitors that are strong on 2 or 3 events, one or two high-scoring event specialists (girls who excel on one event), and a handful of girls who are solid event specialists to round out the competition.

Scoring at the collegiate level is still done on the 10.0 scale, with judges scoring the events based on difficulty of the routine and how clean the routine is completed. The two judges scores are averaged together for the final score. (In the case of 4 judges, the high and low scores are thrown out, and the middle two are used for scoring.) On each event, six gymnasts compete and are scored, with the top five scores being added together to come to a final event score. The total team scores on each event are then added up to determine the final team score for the meet. At this point, teams are shooting for at least a 49.000 on each event (an average of 9.8 for each gymnast), and at least a 196.000 overall score. For perspective, the top two teams (Florida and Alabama) currently average above a 197.000, and the teams 3-12 average above 196.000. Penn State is ranked #11, averaging 196.210 with a season-high score of 197.075. And now, onto the girls who make those scores possible!

All-Around: (The major role players and girls who are regularly used for all four events.)

As with any story, it's best to start from the top. And when it comes to Sharaya Musser, she is at the top of the mountain, currently standing as the #1 All-Around Gymnast in college gymnastics this year. Her season-high AA score of 39.725 (on 3/4 vs. Maryland and NC State) is the highest AA score in the nation this season. On the individual events, she ranks 4th on vault, 26th on the uneven bars, 4th on the beam, and 8th on floor exercise. To relate it to another Penn State sport, Sharaya has somehow made us forget a bit about the great 4 years of Brandi Personett, much like Talor Battle made us forget about Geary Claxton. Oh, and did I mention Miss Musser is only a sophomore? So Penn State fans will still have two more years to watch one of the most talented gymnasts in college today.

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After much discussion and deliberation, the Big Ten athletic directors announced on Monday that they will recommend to the Big Ten Council of Presidents/Chancellors that men's ice hockey be an official conference sport starting with the 2013-14 season. This is a move up from the original expectations to start with the 2014-15 season, mostly due to the fact that construction/planning on Penn State's new ice arena is ahead of schedule and expected to be ready by the start of the 2013-14 season. The Big Ten season schedule will include 20 games against Big Ten opponents (4 games against each team in the conference), leaving about 14 non-conference games to be filled by other opponents.

This move will surely continue to make waves in the college hockey world. While the WCHA might be able to survive losing Wisconsin and Minnesota, the teams in the CCHA might struggle to stay afloat after losing Ohio State, Michigan, and Michigan State. No agreements have been made with the teams leaving their respective conferences, but there will definitely be discussions to help make sure that the smaller schools (who rely on the big name schools to draw revenue) don't completely collapse. It will be interesting to see if Penn State helps out with this as well, or if the Nittany Lions will work more with the large number of east coast teams available to play.

The push for the BTHC is not surprising, but I still would have preferred to have it pushed off for a few more seasons. This would give Penn State more time to improve their brand new program, and would give the small schools the chance to start adjusting their schedules to prepare for the removal of these tops teams from their regular schedule. But it is what it is now, and the Nittany Lions will have a permanent home after one season as an independent.

The opening rounds of the ACHA National Tournament lived up to the expectations - the top 3 seeds all destroyed their (undeserving) autobid opponents; the 4th seed struggled with their autobid opponent before pulling away late; and the remaining 4 games were all one-goal games late in their respective 3rd periods. The Icers were taking on a well-known ESCHL foe in the Rhode Island Rams, hoping to pull the upset and continue towards a national championship.

March 5th, ACHA National Tournament Round One, vs Rhode Island:

Starting out strong was key for the Icers, as they have had a tendency to have some lackluster play against the tougher opponents. Both teams came out with energy and had a few chances early in the game. For the Icers, Matt Madrazo was up to the test and turned away every URI shot in the first period. The energy of the scoreless first period gave way to a more physical second period - clean, but physical. Early in the period, the Icers fell into one of the lulls that hurt them all season - poor defensive coverage and sloppy breakout attempts. Ultimately, Rhode Island would take advantage and take a 1-0 lead early in the 2nd period. It would take some time before the Icers woke up, and when they did, there was a penalty called to break any momentum. Late in the period, Dominic Morrone pressured the URI powerplay unit, dropped a pass to Paul Daley in the slot, and Daley's shot seemed to have gone through the URI goalie, hit inside the goalpost and bounce back out. It was a very quick play, and with no review system to know for sure, play continued and Penn State would still be down 1-0. (Note: Steve Penstone was able to find video of the game and showed that he did indeed see the puck go in the net. Unfortunately, it's still a moot point.) Desperate for a goal, the Icers pushed with everything they could in the 3rd period to tie the game. The Icers would pull Madrazo late in the 3rd, but the Icers were unable to convert, as Rhode Island would put home an empty-net goal, win 2-0, and relegate the Icers to a consolation game on Sunday.

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