When Penn State hockey pioneer Roy Scott arrived on campus in 1971, he was disappointed the school didn’t have a hockey team.

To address that issue, former coach Joe Battista said Scott went around and received nearly 5,000 signatures from students, petitioning to create a club hockey team.

As Scott and his teammates began to play as a club team, initial thoughts swirled around about elevating the team to Division I status. At the time, however, they were just happy to have a competitive place to play hockey.

“We just wanted to play,” Scott told The Daily Collegian. “It seemed like whether it was going to be a true Division I or not were immaterial at the very beginning.”

Fast forward 15 years, and Battista had joined Penn State as a coach for the club team. From the moment he set foot on campus in 1986, Battista began pushing for Division I status from the moment he stepped foot on campus.

“We put together proposals in the early 80s, in the late 80s, in the early 90s, in the late 90s, in the early 2000s, in the mid 2000s,” Battista told the Collegian. “We had done the groundwork, the feasibility studies, of what it would cost to make the program Division 1.”

Those dreams started tiptoeing their way to reality when athletic director Tim Curley was appointed seven years later. Scott returned to the program for an alumni event years later, where Curley approached him about the future of the program.

“I remember Tim Curley coming up to me on some alumni weekend,” Scott said. “And he said, ‘Scotty, I love hockey. Penn State would really love to have a full Division I team. All we need from you is $30 million dollars.’”

The team won its first ACHA National Championship a few years later in 1997. Five years later, Penn State had itself another four league championships.

As the club team racked up success under Battista, administration began looking for donors to support the program in becoming a Division I sport. 

In comes Terry Pegula. Although Pegula didn’t play hockey for the university, Scott said he showed interest in funding Penn State’s project after growing his love for hockey as a volunteer youth coach. On top of that, Pegula was also a Pennsylvania native.

In 2011, Pegula donated $88 million to elevate the Nittany Lions to Division I status after nearly 40 years of efforts  — a donation that wound up reaching $102 million. 

At the reception ceremony where the university accepted Pegula’s gift, Scott met Craig Patrick, the assistant coach of the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Team USA squad that won a gold medal, a run that became known as the 1980 Miracle on Ice.

“I went up to Mr. Patrick and introduced myself,” Scott said. “I told him, ‘Tonight, Penn State hockey fans believe in miracles.’”

Penn State began its first season as a Division I program in 2013, where it unveiled the newly built Pegula Ice Arena. It opened back-to-back years with losing records, but in Year 3, coach Guy Gadowsky — who initially coached the club team beginning in 2011 — did what he was hired to do: win.

“(When I interviewed him), I was so blown away by him, I called the Pegulas up,” Battista said. “They were in Philadelphia at a Sabres (versus) Flyers playoff game, and so coach Gadowsky and I drove to Philadelphia. We went and met the Pegulas before the game, and they interviewed him. After a half hour, Kim (Pegula) walked up and said, ‘Guy’s awesome.’”

Over the next three years, the Nittany Lions built on their record as they fought for postseason success. In 2017, the next step of the dream came true as the blue and white won its first Big Ten Tournament title and earned its first NCAA Tournament appearance.

“I just thought the blueprint was laid out perfectly to have a really competitive hockey (team),” John Davis, a former player, told the Collegian.

As the postseason wins stacked up and the Nittany Lions gained newer and hotter recruits, fans and players alike knew a turning point was coming soon where they would officially put themselves on the map.

“They’ve been close for a couple years now,” Chase Berger, a former player, told the Collegian. “You want to see the program go to new heights.

While the 2024-25 season ultimately ended in new heights, the path there was unlike most.

Through the first two months of the season, Penn State was 0-8 in conference play and 7-9 overall — a poor position for a team  seeking a bid into the NCAA Tournament.

“I had buddies texting me like, ‘What’s going on,’” Alex Limoges, a former player, said. “It seemed like a down year, and then at Christmastime, they started getting hot and couldn’t lose for a while.”

After falling to Notre Dame in a shootout at Wrigley Field to open 2025, the Nittany Lions began to turn their record around. Over the next three months, Gadowsky’s squad won two shootouts over No. 1 Michigan State, defeated No. 2 Minnesota in overtime and tallied only three losses in 17 games.

“These guys were waiting to get over the hump,” Berger said. “They’ve been knocking on the door for a while. I think they broke through.”

As the blue and white entered the Big Ten Tournament, it swept No. 4-seeded Michigan in the best-of-three quarterfinals before falling in overtime to Ohio State in a semifinal heartbreaker.

“The turning around is phenomenal,” Davis said. “I think that’s what they should be most proud of.”

The Nittany Lions earned a bid to the NCAA Tournament, beginning with a first-round matchup against Maine in Allentown.

With a dominating 5-1 victory over the Black Bears, Penn State was set up for the regional final and NCAA quarterfinal contest versus UConn with a spot to the Frozen Four on the line. 

“There was just an energy and an excitement,” Battista said. “It was everything we’d always dreamed about when we dared to dream that we’d be a Division I hockey program.”

The blue and white had been in that same spot before in 2023 when it was just an overtime goal away from the last four against Big Ten rival Michigan. However, it was the Wolverines who put the Nittany Lions to bed and still searching for a first Frozen Four. 

But Penn State was determined to change that two years later. After tying up with the Huskies going into the final five minutes of regulation, sophomore Matt DiMarsico put the Nittany Lions ahead en route to their first-ever Frozen Four appearance with an overtime winner.

“I just remember the moment when they scored that goal,” Battista said. “I just left my feet, grabbed my wife, hugged her and jumped up and down. I’m crying, and it’s like I don’t know, it was just years of wow, what an amazing turn around.”

While Penn State ultimately fell in its Frozen Four appearance against Boston University, the team provided a once-in-a-lifetime experience to its faithful fans.

“I think obviously the players and coaches are really excited, but I think it’s also just really nice to award the fans that have always been so good in Penn State hockey,” Berger said. “They’ve always traveled, they’ve always supported.”

As the Frozen Four match put Penn State on the map and earned high-level transfers and recruits like Mac Gadowsky, Kevin Reidler, Luke Misa and Jackson Smith, the final step of Penn State’s goal appears closer to its reach.

“I don’t think we’ll have to wait too much longer for a national championship,” Limoges said.

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BUFFALO, N.Y. — Three years ago, the Sabres had Jack Quinn, JJ Peterka, Owen Power, Mattias Samuelsson and Peyton Krebs at development camp. A few months later, all five of those players were on the NHL roster playing meaningful roles.

In 2025, development camp had a much different feel for the Sabres. The roster had eight forwards, 12 defensemen and five goalies. Nobody who played for the Rochester Americans last season, including 2024 first-round pick Konsta Helenius, was at camp. Typically, the Sabres have done a three-on-three tournament with three different teams. This time around, it was just two teams scrimmaging. This is the second straight year most of Buffalo’s top prospects have been kept home for the development camp. For a team that is heavily invested in drafting and developing its own talent, this seems like a development opportunity worth taking advantage of.

“I don’t know if it’s a philosophy change,” GM Kevyn Adams said. “A lot of the guys who were in Rochester, it’s a taxing year. The goal at this camp is less about being on the ice and more about getting familiar with the organization and who’s who and what does everybody do and what does it mean to be a Sabre. So a lot of the guys that maybe in other years would have been here, (Konsta) Helenius is the perfect example. He’s not new to the organization now because he’s been here and he’s been in Rochester. That’s part of it. I think sometimes, especially with Rochester’s length of the season, you want to make sure they get the rest and then get right into their training and don’t be disruptive in terms of some of the thoughts if you’re bringing guys over. It’s a smaller group this year but the picks this year and then last year other than Konsta. So it’s not so much philosophical. Just more so how it played out.”

This year was the 10th anniversary of the Sabres drawing a near sellout crowd at KeyBank Center for Jack Eichel’s development camp. The crowd at the Harborcenter on Thursday morning was sparse by comparison. This camp has always been more of an orientation for new prospects than it is an evaluation of players who have been in the system. But the excitement and competition that were present in years past weren’t the same with the smaller roster.

So many of the Sabres’ top prospects are playing in Rochester, including first-rounders Isak Rosen, Noah Ostlund and Helenius. The Amerks’ season didn’t end until late May, so they played a lot of hockey this year.

But new strength coach Brian Gallivan was in town this week, putting the prospects through intense off-ice training. Sabres first-round pick Radim Mrtka was laughing at the end of the week because he estimated “half the guys were puking” on testing day. The Sabres have drafted a lot of players over the last few years who need to get stronger and could have benefited from some face time with Gallivan and his staff. This could have served as a mid-summer accountability check.

“They can do Zoom calls,” Adams said. “They’re on programs, and (Gallivan) has already taken care of that. It’s not as critical. But it is something we did talk about.”

Ultimately, development comes down to a lot more than one week in July. The absence of the top prospects just left more room for others to stand out. Here’s what we saw and heard from Buffalo’s prospects this week.

1. 2022 sixth-round pick Jake Richard seems to be an annual standout at development camp. This summer was no different. During the three-on-three scrimmage, Richard scored a hat trick and then added a shootout goal to top it off. Goals in a summer scrimmage don’t mean much, but it was notable that Richard, one of the older players at camp, decided to take charge of the scrimmage in front of the big club’s decision makers.

“That’s not really something I’m thinking about during the game, it was just the competitive spirit in me that wanted to win a hockey game,” Richard said. “Everyone on the bench was like, ‘We’re not losing this game.’”

Richard took a huge step at UConn this season. He scored 15 goals and had 28 assists in 34 games. His shot has always stood out, but he’s added a strong netfront component to his game as well. Richard came up to Buffalo earlier this summer and has been getting in extra work with Sabres skating coach Mike Ansell. Richard has been staying with Sabres draft pick Gavin McCarthy, who was his junior teammate in the USHL. Skating has been Richard’s biggest focus for the last few years. The Sabres had some talks with Richard about turning pro this spring, but he wanted to go back to school to try to win with the core group UConn is bringing back. He can become a free agent if not signed by next August.

Amerks coach Michael Leone coached Richard a few times in international tournaments and said, “The transformation he made this season was incredible.” Leone noted that the bigger the game, the better Richard seemed to play in a demanding Hockey East season.

“His natural instincts, especially around the net, his ability to find space,” Leone said. “He has a really good stick in tight areas. His ability to get pucks and tip pucks, too. You don’t see that a lot with younger kids, the ability to play in traffic and tip pucks. All things you guys see at the next level are really important. How many goals are scored around the net area? He has a lot of good tools.”

2. Mrtka looked the part of a steady and smooth defenseman throughout the week. It’s always tough to judge defensemen in a three-on-three setting, especially when most of the top forward prospects weren’t in town. But what stood out is the way Mrtka carries himself on and off the ice. He’s confident and mature, two qualities that Sabres assistant general manager Jerry Forton pointed out on draft weekend.

3. The Sabres had five goalies at camp, including Scott Ratzlaff and Topias Leinonen, who both signed their entry-level contracts this spring. The NHL signing of Alex Lyon means there’s a chance Devon Levi spends part or most of the season in Rochester. That could result in one or both of Ratzlaff and Leinonen spending time in the ECHL this season as a development tool.

Ratzlaff is probably the more refined of those two goalies at this stage in his career. The Sabres made a bet on the size and mobility of Leinonen. He just needs to become more consistent technically, and goalie development coach Seamus Kotyk said he saw him take steps in that direction this season.

Sabres fourth-round pick Samuel Meloche has the same offseason goalie coach as Levi, and it’s noticeable in the way both goalies move around the crease. Meloche’s quickness is his best trait. Kotyk noted Meloche could end up playing college hockey at some point, but he’s still 17, so it might be another year.

4. Third-round pick David Bedkowski was unable to take part in any of the team practices this week because of an illness. He came down with what he thinks was strep throat while flying back from the NHL Draft. Meanwhile, 2023 second-round pick Max Strbak was not at development camp because of a personal matter.

5. There are always sneaky standouts at these camps, and 2025 fifth-rounder Ashton Schultz was one this week. The Chicago Steel forward from Minnesota is only 5-foot-11, but his hockey sense and competitiveness make him a real pest around the net. On one shift early in the scrimmage, Schultz had four shot attempts from right around the crease. If he can build the strength to match his mentality, Schultz could have a future. He said he plans to play one more year in the USHL before going to North Dakota.

6. The Sabres did not extend a qualifying offer to 2021 second-round pick Aleksandr Kisakov. That seems to signal the end of the road for Kisakov with the organization. He played 13 games for the Amerks last season after playing 32 and 48 games in the two years prior. The Sabres also no longer hold the rights to 2021 third-round pick Stiven Sardarian, who was a point-per-game player at Michigan Tech last season. According to PuckPedia, Sardarian is no longer a college student, so it’s unclear what his playing future looks like.

(Photo of Radim Mrtka: Matt Winkelmeyer / Getty Images)

CORAL SPRINGS, Florida – The 2024-25 WGCA All-American Scholar Team was announced on June 30 with 1,499 women’s collegiate golfers from 403 programs recognized with this prestigious honor. The criteria for selection to the All-American Scholar Team are some of the most stringent in all of college athletics and continue to demonstrate the high-level academic achievements of our players.

To be selected, a student-athlete must:

• Have an overall cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher.

• Be an amateur and on the team’s roster through the conclusion of the team’s season.

• Have played in 50% of the college’s regularly scheduled competitive rounds during the year nominated through the team’s conference championship.

All five of Ithaca College’s golfers on the spring roster were honored by the WGCA – Abby Bladen, Rheanna DeCrow, Annika Michel, Annelise Stencel and Helena Winterberg.

 

WORCESTER, Mass. – Rising senior Megan Schienbein of the Holy Cross field hockey team has been named to the 2025 Team Canada Junior National Training Squad, as announced by Field Hockey Canada.

One of just 25 female Canadian field hockey players to be named, Schienebein has the opportunity to train with the top U-21 field hockey players in the country and can earn a spot on the final roster for upcoming tournaments, including the Junior Pan American Games and the Junior World Cup.

Schienbein, a native of North Vancouver, British Columbia, started all 17 games for the Crusaders on defense last season, tallying three goals and two assists for eight points. In her three seasons on The Hill, Schienbein has suited up in 49 games, starting 32, tallying 12 points on four goals and four assists.

Full training squad roster

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