Ooooh, Pretty Colors. Thank You Terry has sketchwork of the Pegloo:

Head over to TYT for many more.

Oh, Hello, Connor Varley.  Lions 247 reports that 19 year old defenseman (and Lansdale native) Connor Varley will be joining the new Penn State program.

After speaking with the Penn State coaching staff while they were at Princeton, contact continued after the change between schools. Varley was speaking with coach Fisher before coming up to visit the campus, a trip that turned out to be a dealmaker. "I went up and spoke with all of the coaches. I loved the campus, loved what I heard from coach Gadowsky and just felt very comfortable there. "They showed me the layout of the rink, it is just unbelievable, and playing in the Big Ten as well, I think it will be the best league in the country. Great coaching at a great school in a great facility against top-notch competition, I really liked everything they had to offer." Though Varley will not be coming to campus for two seasons, he will be a part of the first Penn State hockey team to compete in Big Ten conference play starting in 2013-14.

Local news fluff!

And for those of you old-time hockey fans:

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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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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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Another year, another solid class of Icer seniors prepare for their final games in Blue and White. While there were no championships for this group, a fair number of great accomplishments and accolades were still achieved. There is Carey Bell's quiet consistency on defense; Taylor Cera's successes in spite of a seemingly endless number of injuries; Chris Pronchik's role as an energy booster on offense; John Jay's undefeated career record between the pipes; Teddy Hume's success and wins that leave him as one of the winningest goalies in Icers' history; and Tim O'Brien's offensive leadership and scoring prowess that makes him only the 15th Icer to reach the 200-point mark for his career. We wish these Icers the best of luck in their final games, and hope that their success follows them as they continue onward.

February 25th, vs Rutgers:

I'm going to keep these recaps short, because the results were as anticipated. After the Icers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead, the Scarlet Knights responded to make it 2-1 after the first period of play. Then, the Icers scored the next seven goals of the game, only allowing Rutgers a late, meaningless goal to make it a dominating 9-2 Icers win. Chris Cerutti picked up his scoring touch, picking up a hat trick in the game. Mike Broccolo continued his hot streak, adding two goals of his own. George Saad, Chris Pronchik, Brian Dolan, and Kevin Miller each added a goal of their own to round out the nine Icers goals. John Jay would pick up the win, (likely) finishing his Icers career with a perfect 10-0-0 record.

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Looks like we have a tycoon on our hands, folks.

Penn State hockey benefactor Terry Pegula is now Buffalo Sabres owner Terry Pegula after the billionaire made his purchase of the team official on Tuesday.

It was a move long rumored to be in the works, so there are no real surprises here. It is kind of shocking, though, that in a matter of months, a Penn State alun has gone from being just your run-of-the-mill energy tycoon to one of the most powerful men in hockey.

It's all good for the new Nittany Lion program, too. 

Not only can whomever is named the first head coach of the team sell the brand new facilities and Penn State brand, he can sell Pegula's NHL connections and clout. When recruits look at Penn State, they'll not only see a new and exciting place to play their college hockey, they'll see a path to the pros which, really, is what every young hockey player dreams of.

The Sabres might be Pegula's team, now, but the Lions are his baby, and having a guy like him at the NHL table promoting the Penn State brand can only do good things as it grows and develops in these first few years.

The final rankings were released early in the week, and as was anticipated, the Icers not only made the tournament, but also made the jump to #10 in the rankings. A shake-up in the rankings means the Icers will take on a well-known foe in the opening round of the National Tournament - #7 Rhode Island. With games still to be played prior the National Tournament in March, the Icers couldn't plan ahead too much for a match-up with Rhode Island, but the chance existed to play the Rams in the ESCHL Tournament - a tournament more for pride and bragging rights than anything else. But before the Icers even started thinking about playing URI in the ESCHL Tournament, the ever-problematic Delaware Blue Hens stood in the way for a Saturday tilt at Brad Boss Arena.

February 19th, vs Delaware:

After splitting the season series with the Blue Hens, the Icers were hoping to take game five and really start gaining momentum heading into Nationals. Four minutes into the game, Chris Cerutti would help get the ball rolling, giving the Icers an early 1-0 lead. The energy would shift back and forth, and by the end of the period, the Blue Hens would have the energy advantage but not the scoreboard advantage. That would continue to be story in the second period, when Delaware would finally get on the board 8 minutes into the period. The Blue Hens would continue to control the play and finally take a 2-1 lead with just 2 minutes left in the 2nd period. Looking to make one last charge, the Icers pushed in the 3rd period, getting a couple of very good chances to score but coming up short. A late Delaware penalty prompted the Icers to pull Madrazo and make it a 6-on-4 advantage to tie the game. But the Blue Hens would take advantage of the empty net with 21 seconds remaining, handing the Icers a 3-1 loss and ensuring that, for the first time in league history, a team not named Penn State would win the ESCHL Playoff Tournament.

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With the major tests behind them, the Icers just needed to take care of business against the Robert Morris Colonials in the final weekend of the (meaningful) regular season. A couple of wins and the Icers were assured a spot in the national tournament; any road bumps along the way, and there would be some serious scoreboard watching to be done. With a date against Delaware in ESCHL playoffs already set for the following weekend, and a meaningless exhibition weekend against Rutgers the weekend before Nationals, the Icers could give full focus to the Colonials for the weekend.

February 11th, vs Robert Morris (PA):

Looking to keep any doubt out of the mind of the voters, the Icers played with a great deal of energy to start Friday's game. Some strong offensive play turned into an early goal for Rich O'Brien, giving the Icers a 1-0 lead just two minutes into the game. Both teams would get a few chances, but the game would remain 1-0 after one period. The second period would see RMU strike first, scoring two quick goals and taking the 2-1 lead. A tying goal from Paul Daley would be countered by another RMU goal, keeping it a one-goal lead for the Colonials. Late in the period, the Icers would (finally) take advantage of a RMU penalty, tying the game at 3-3 on the stick of Paul Daley (his second of the game). The game would remain tied until the third period, when Tim O'Brien would get his first goal since leaving for the WUGs, putting the Icers ahead 4-3. After the Colonials would respond with a tying goal, the other WUG-returnee, Eric Steinour, would put the Icers ahead once again, 5-4. Some back and forth play would eventually lead to a Paul Daley centering pass bouncing off of a Colonial player and past the RMU goalie, giving Daley the hat trick and the Icers an insurance goal with 4 minutes left in the game. It was not a pretty win by any means, but the Icers all but solidified their tournament position with the win, beating the Colonials 6-4.

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