While the excitement of a new Division I hockey program is tangible within the walls of the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, there is a sadness that lingers too, as this weekend’s ACHA National Tournament will mark the final chapter in the Icers rich history.
Founded in 1971, the Icers quickly became one of the nation’s premiere club hockey programs. In 1974 they began a streak that will end unbroken of 38 consecutive winning seasons. The Icers won their first ACHA title in 1984, one of seven titles in a span of 12 national title game appearances between 1984 and 2005; the most recent title coming in 2003, the final of four consecutive national titles.
Coach Guy Gadowsky was hired in April 2011 to help construct the Division I program but has also taken over the reigns for the Icers’ final season to better acquaint himself with the players, coaching staff and the program as a whole.
Even with the freshly dug foundation of Pegula Ice Arena just down the street, Gadowsky is keeping his eyes on his current team and its goals of winning a national title in the program’s final year.
“I don’t know if I want to call it pressure,” Gadowsky said. “First of all we’re here for the program and this is a big thing for the program and a big thing for the players that we have now. I really love the job this team has done, especially the job that the seniors have done. They want to win not only for themselves, but to build a foundation for the future. I want it for them and for the tradition and history of the program.’
When Penn State officially announced the formation of a Division I program in Sept. 2010, it sent a surge of excitement throughout college hockey. Only a few wins away from a national title, Gadowsky is hoping that the Icers can use their success to springboard into Division I and begin to match the excitement about Penn State hockey he has seen all over North America.
“I think it would be important (to win a title), I don’t know how big, but I think it would be really important for the guys who put in the work this year,” Gadowsky said. “To get a championship to spring us in to Division I, I think that would be huge.
“It is, it’s going to be a fantastic program,” he said. “We are going into the Big Ten with some of the top hockey programs in the nation that have long successful histories. We’re jumping into the deep end big time. However, I believe in Penn State.
“When we go on the road recruiting or making phone calls, everybody in college hockey is always talking about it,” Gadowsky added. “You hear about it on the recruiting trail almost, in a way, more than you do here in State College. Parents, coaches, people on the street that see Penn State on your shirt. You go to Toronto and people are talking about it.”
While there have been many new faces entering the Penn State hockey world, seniors Kurt Collins and Dan Petrick, who both grew up in the State College area watching the Icers play, have a special bond with the Icers program. A national title would not only end their playing careers on a high note but give them the opportunity to honor a program they have watched their entire lives.
“It’s been cool watching them growing up,’ Collins said. ‘I’ve lived here my whole life. I’ve been lucky enough to play for them for all four years and the opportunity to move on, and I’m a part of that. It’s kind of surreal but at the same time it’s something I’ve worked hard for my whole life.”
Said Petrick: “It means a ton, to come here and play for a team that I watched when I was young and then to be able to send it off is special. It would be a lot more special to send it off with a national championship. A lot of great players, coaches and alumni have come through here and we have to honor them by giving it a proper sendoff.”
The Icers’ quest for an eighth ACHA title begins at 5 p.m. Saturday in Strongsville, Ohio.
