I think they've made Pegula Ice Arena the best atmosphere in college hockey." "The fans here love physical, fast sports - which hockey is, obviously - and they love passion and hockey is all of that and the students have really taken to it. "The hockey program is just trying to fit in to Penn State, and I think it's a great addition," Gadowsky said.
#Psu white out hockey code#
Chants of "We are! Penn State!" fill the 6,000-seat rink where players wear white helmets with blue stripes down the middle, and fans in the "Roar Zone" get to torment the opposing goalie from close range from a wall that's as steep as building code would allow. It's a nice progression and kids are jumping in and sticking with it."įitting in at PSU: Men's coach Guy Gadowsky knows Penn State will always be a football school, though traditions are certainly portable. "And you start looking at our programs and we've got it all laid out from learn-to-play hockey up through travel hockey. "They go to a game and a little kid says to mom or dad, 'Hey, I want to do that,'" Patrick said. He understands such growth wouldn't have been possible without Division I programs and the buzz for children who haven't yet thought about becoming college students. Ryan Patrick, the son of Hockey Hall of Famer Craig Patrick, played club hockey at Penn State and now runs its youth programs. USA Hockey reported almost 1,500 more people have begun playing hockey in western Pennsylvania from 2012-13 to 2016-17. Rapid growth: That growth is already happening in what's affectionately called "Hockey Valley." Penn State's Nittany Lion Development Program has grown from 35 children in 2014 to 150 today, and a youth association that had six teams is up to 10. "The Big Ten has a big name, it's been a national brand, and I thought that would be a good thing for hockey to grow the sport domestically." "Part of my rationale was to grow American hockey," Pegula said. Beyond football, he wanted Penn State to be proud of a hockey team.
When Pegula made the donation to his alma mater, the owner of the NHL's Buffalo Sabres and the NFL's Buffalo Bills wasn't just thinking about trophies lining a case inside Pegula Ice Arena. The women's team won 17 games in its third season, and the men's team won the Big Ten Tournament title and fell one victory short of reaching the NCAA Frozen Four last season. Those teams, which began competing in 2012-13, quickly achieved success.
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - In the shadow of Beaver Stadium stands a sparkling rink with two sheets of ice that Terry Pegula hopes will be the incubator for the growth of hockey in Pennsylvania and across the United States.Įight years ago, Pegula and his wife, Kim, gave more than $100 million to Penn State University to fund the creation of men's and women's Division I hockey programs and a facility to make them competitive.
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