Old Time Hockey

Thanks to the research of my good friends Lou Prato and Kyle Rossi, we all know that hockey in Happy Valley has been around for nearly a century.

Now we have more proof thanks to Greg Petrick, father of Icers senior Dan Petrick.

Greg sent these photos to Joe Battista and has graciously allowed me to post them here. As Greg said:

My Dad took these in 1948 or 49. He was a member of Phi Gam right across from the IST building. It looks like the rink was built in the front yard of the fraternity based on what I can tell from two of the pictures. Not sure of the rink location of the picture with the single skater.

These photos bring back memories of playing pond hockey in my younger days.





Speaking of pond hockey, the NHL on Monday finally made it official, formally announcing the 2012 NHL Winter Classic will be played at Citizens Bank Ballpark in Philly.

I caught up with Hockey Operations Director Bill Downey following Tuesday's practice to talk about the upcoming season, including that January 4th date with D-III Neumann U. that may - or may not - be a part of the Winter Classic festivities.

Countdown to Contact

I sense the boys are getting antsy. After more than a month of tryouts and practices, the Icers are ready to hit someone not wearing the lion on their sweater.

Unfortunately, they'll have to wait for another week and a half before kicking off the 41st and final season of Icers hockey. The curtain raiser at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion against Lebanon Valley College is set for Friday, October 7 at 7:00pm.

Notice the time change for the Friday night game - and get used to it. The move from the traditional 9:05 start is part of the transition to the varsity program.

In the meantime, the guys will get the chance to test their skills under game conditions in the annual Blue/White game on Friday night. The team will play two 25 minute periods, with the faceoff scheduled for 6:30pm. The intrasquad game sets the table for the Lady Icers home opener against Buffalo that gets underway at 9:15pm.

The coaching staff will be out of town scouting potential future Penn State stars, so Coach Gadowsky has reached out to Icers alums to man the benches. Mark Horgas (player from 1975-77 and head coach in 1979-80) will team up with Rick O'Brien (1978-79) to take on Cliff Graziano (1991-95).

All three are thrilled to be a part of the event:

Horgas: It was truly an honor to have Coach Gadowsky invite me...I have been very impressed with the entire coaching staff and administration.

O'Brien: I had to read the email a couple times to realize that Coach Gadowsky was really asking for assistance. I think it's great that Coach is reaching out to the Icer alumni to have them involved. I personally welcome the opportunity to get on the bench with the guys; I know the returning players and am really looking forward to meeting the new team members.

Graziano: I was excited, but most of all I was honored. Penn State has always held a special place in my heart and to still be involved 15+ years after I graduated is awesome. It's nice to see that the new regime of Guy Gadowsky and his staff is keeping the Icer alumni involved. To me it shows not only that he understands the tradition of the hockey program, but of what Penn State is all about.

Hmmm...two on one, huh? Form your own conclusions about that! (tongue planted firmly in cheek)

Speaking of Rick O'Brien, he'll be coaching against his son Rich. They are one of only two father and son combos in Icers history (Joe Zitarelli Sr. & Jr. is the other).

Rick has plans on shutting Rich down. Rich denies the rumor that he's asked for a no-trade clause, but he's looking forward to the game and the upcoming season.

Reminiscing

We are less than a week away from the annual Blue - White game on Friday. Seems like an appropriate time for the final installment of my interview with Joe Battista.

As I said to Joe, much to his chagrin, this is the 41st season of Icers hockey, and he has been a part of the program for more than half of those years!

While Roy Scott, Larry Hendry and others were the ground breakers that brought hockey back to Happy Valley, everyone knows it is JoeBa who has become the face - and the heart and soul - of Penn State hockey.

Joe pays tribute to those pioneers as he looks back with emotion on four decades of Icers hockey and the Icers family.

Nuts and Bolts

Part two of my interview with Joe Battista is here for you.

In this segment, Joe talks about the progress toward the eventual ground breaking for the Pegula Ice Arena and the infrastructure surrounding the arena.

Don't forget - the annual Blue - White game is next Friday. We'll be online at 6:15 pm from the broadcast booth at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion.

What a Year It's Been

Last Saturday - September 17th - marked the first anniversary of the day that has changed the landscape of college hockey.

It has been full speed ahead for Penn State hockey since the day that Kim and Terry Pegula formalized the $88 million donation that has funded the men's and women's hockey programs and the soon-to-be-built Pegula Ice Arena.

No one has been running at a higher speed than Joe Battista. Come to think of it, JoeBa only has one speed. Somehow, I was able to get Joe to sit still (more or less) for a lengthy interview in which he looks back the past year, at what lies ahead and some memories of his more than twenty years of involvement with the Icers.

In this first segment, Joe talks about the impact of the Pegula gift on the college hockey landscape.

The Long & Winding Road

By any measurement, it's a long way from the beaches of Southern California to the campus of Penn State University. Roughly 2,500 road miles from there to here - about the same distance I traveled (twice by car and once on a motorcycle) from Toronto to So-Cal back in my younger days.

For freshman goalie P.J. Musico, that trip has been even longer. Over the past three seasons Musico has played in New Jersey in the EJHL, then halfway across country in Wichita Falls of the NAHL and finally north of the 49th parallel to Flin Flon, Manitoba (home of Flyers Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke) and a season in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

P.J. has joined Yorba Linda, CA native Taylor Holdstrom on this year's Icers roster. I spoke after Tuesday's practice with the well-traveled netminder about adjusting to classes and campus life, as well as the competition between himself, Tim Carr and Matt Madrazo.

Coach Guy checked in on the goalie competition, along with an early wake-up call for the troops and his trip with Joe Battista to Buffalo for the Sabres' first pre-season game.

Speaking of JoeBa, I also sat down today with the Assistant Athletic Director "for Hockey Stuff" in a wide ranging discussion about the year that has passed since the big day for Penn State hockey and his thoughts as the Icers head into their 41st and final season as a club team.

I'll be posting Joe's interview in three parts over the next few days.

Week in Review

It has been a busy week for the members of the Penn State Icers. Not only have they been hard at work on the ice and in the classroom, they were also helping to look after their fellow students.

Coach Guy and the team delivered pizzas to Paternoville last week. In addition to feeding the masses who braved the miserable weather to camp out at Beaver Stadium, they also got the kids exercising by playing a little ball hockey.

Unfortunately, I don't have any visual evidence of their efforts, but the word is it was a hit with the students.

One of the changes this season is the team's practice time. They're on the ice in the middle of the afternoon, making it tough at times for me to get to the sessions.

Today was one of the occasions, although I was able to catch the last few minutes. I have to say that I liked what I saw. It looks like the team is quickly becoming a cohesive unit - just one week after the roster was set.

Coach G. and defenseman Nate Jensen spoke to me after practice about the on and off ice week.