The Men’s Ice Hockey Alumni made their way back this past weekend to “Hockey Valley” from as far as Western Canada, Utah, Texas and even sunny Florida. It was a weekend to celebrate several milestones, and despite the pandemic (and a Nor’easter that prevented some alums from traveling), a good crowd returned “home” for the weekend to rekindle old friendships and create new networks for the younger alumni. Oh, and we laced up the skates for the alumni game and had a lot of fun.
The alumni were treated to a split by the current team with No. 12 Ohio State in front of two standing room only crowds. Unfortunately, we didn’t get the chance to properly celebrate the 10th anniversary of NCAA varsity hockey and the 50th anniversary of the resurrection of hockey at Penn State. We had visions of our largest turnout ever and would have liked to have done more to formally recognize the milestone anniversaries. But with COVID still lingering, our celebrations were a bit underscored. It did not stop those who returned from having a blast.
Alumni weekend is always one of my favorite weekends of the year. It’s great to catch up with the pioneers who kick started the program back in 1971-72 and all the former players, parents, and boosters, especially my former teammates from 1978-82. Playing hockey has always been about being a part of something bigger than ourselves and to see how far the program has evolved over the last 50 years fills our hearts with pride and joy.
Ice hockey at Penn State has had a long history filled with ups and downs and long periods of inactivity in its non-traditional and non-linear existence. The first game of record ever played was in December 1909 against Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh. After a brief stint as a club team in the late 1930s, the team became an official “varsity” squad between 1939- 1946. But that was before hockey was recognized as a NCAA Championship sport, and with World War II coming to an end and G.I.s swamping the campus, it was no time to invest in the big jump necessary to field a NCAA sponsored team. Hockey went silent for 25 long years.
It was in 1971-72 that a group of hockey enthusiasts, led by then freshman Roy Scott, rounded up more than 3,000 signatures to bring a hockey club team back to campus. After Dean Robert Scannell agreed to help fund the fledgling program Dr. Larry Hendry, a chemistry professor, became the head coach and the Icers were off and skating.
Fast forward to Sept. 17, 2010, when Terry and Kim Pegula announced their record philanthropic gift of $88 million (which later grew to $102 million) to build the Pegula Ice Arena and start NCAA Men’s and Women’s Hockey. The newly minted varsity hockey teams began NCAA play in October 2012 in the Greenberg Ice Pavilion. Hockey Valley was in business!
Jump back into the time machine to Jan. 28-29, 2022, and alumni players from 1971 to 2021 returned to rehash and embellish old stories once again. Through my eyes I will give you a brief glimpse into the weekend that was a celebration of Penn State’s 10 years of NCAA hockey and 50 years since hockey returned to Happy Valley.
On Friday afternoon, a group of alumni from the late 1970s and early ‘80s converged on former Icer player and assistant coach Tim Holdcroft’s outdoor rink off Whitehall Road. We cleared the snow off the rink as former Icer offensive standout Glenn DeStefano got a fire started. Bill Fuhrey supplied the drinks and snacks, and Heidi Battista provided the hot dogs and brownies. Then the real fun began as we played continuous 3 vs. 3 games for the next two hours in the brisk 20-degree temperatures. No goalies, so you scored a goal by hitting the goal posts. Games were played to 3 and the winning team had the option to stay and play or sit by the fire and drink an adult beverage or two. I’ll let you guess what the winners chose every time. The sunny setting was amazing with the snow-covered farmlands in the distance. Pure hockey as it was meant to be played.
After the outdoor game and a quick change our group joined up with other alums at Pegula Ice Arena for the big game with the Buckeyes. We hosted former players Bill Charles, Glenn DeStefano, Geoff Martha and team manager Jim Zarnick and their families in the Pegula Suite. The game didn’t disappoint as the two teams battled to a 2-2 tie in regulation before Coach Guy Gadowsky’s squad prevailed in a shootout. Freshman Ben Schoen converted in the shootout to send the packed house into a frenzy and send the alumni off to celebrate as though they had won the game themselves.
The word quickly spread that the alumni were meeting at Federal Taphouse and the stories began to fly. I hadn’t seen former player Erik Lightner (Class of ’94) and his wife (and former hockey trainer), Sherry, in years and told the story of Erik’s heroic goal in the 1992 ACHA National tournament that set off the loudest celebration I had heard in the old rink up to that time. Ken Fatur (’89) was trying not to laugh too hard during the evening after bruising his ribs in a collision during the afternoon outdoor skate. The merriment continued into the late night with a number of stories not fit for print.
Saturday morning arrived too soon for some as there were a few no-shows for the annual alumni game. But for the group that did make it, we enjoyed a fantastic skate for 90 minutes including a visit from Coach Gadowsky on the benches. The two teams even managed to play a competitive game with a fair mix of old and young alumni. Personally, I was appreciative that the younger alumni kept the pace playable for we old farts and were respectfully passing the puck knowing they’d not likely get a return pass.
Geoff Martha (CEO of Medtronic Medical Technology Corporation) commented later on his LinkedIn page that he enjoyed passing the puck with former minor pro player and new Stryker hire Zach Saar, despite Stryker and Medtronic being competitors. When the game mercifully came to an end, especially for the “more experienced” alums, it was time to take a group photo. I took the opportunity to thank everyone for making it back before relaying the story of how Penn State hockey was resurrected in 1971 and that it was the courage and passion of a freshman Roy Scott that was the catalyst. I then introduced “Scotty” and he received a deserved rousing thank you from everyone, especially the younger players. The alumni proceeded to take photos with guys from their respective eras.
After the game the alumni converged on a number of local establishments for lunch and pre-game beverages. My group selected Champs downtown where I ran into Steve Sanchez and Chris Cummings from the first Icer team I coached in 1987. The word quickly spread that we were headed to Pickles, where a great mix of old and new alumni and current parents met for some fellowship.
At the Saturday game, the members of the club teams were recognized between the first and second periods while the varsity players were honored after the second period. It was especially gratifying that Roy Scott, Bill Charles, Bryan Martin and Darrell Moresi from the original 1971 team made it back. Unfortunately, Coach Larry Hendry was not able to join us but was properly recognized on the videoboard. While the Saturday night game didn’t end with a victory for the current team, it was a victory in many respects for Penn State hockey and the celebration of hockey in Happy Valley.
As everyone gathered later that night back at Federal Taphouse we whined about sore backs and being tired from the alumni games. Young alums were talking about jobs and who got engaged and plans for weddings. The older alums were mostly discussing retirement and medical ailments. The 2017 team captain David Thompson, an associate at Northleaf Capital Partners, took the time to say thank you for helping him connect with former Icer Loren Remetta, who was instrumental in guiding David in his job search. I enjoyed catching up with former player Patrick Koudys, who may be one of the nicest young men (at least off the ice) you’ll ever meet, and who has always gone out of his way to say thank you for the efforts of the older players.
On Sunday I had one last alumni-related function to attend. Former Icer captain and one of my best assistant coaches Dr. Andrew Strasser, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, was coaching his daughter’s Jr. Flyers team on the varsity rink. I sat in the stands taking photos and enjoying watching Strass on the bench. Afterwards I was able to spend some time with him, his wife, Amy, and their three daughters. I walked out of Pegula Arena with tears in my eyes as the dream we had all shared for a new arena and varsity hockey had come full circle.
What impresses me most about the hockey alumni is their shared passion for the sport, for being great friends and for Penn State. So many have gone on to be very successful in business, engineering, medicine, education and have contributed back to the program financially. The future of hockey at Penn State is in great hands.
