Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey
| Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| University | Pennsylvania State University |
| Conference | Big Ten |
| Governing Body | NCAA |
| First season | 1909 |
| Athletic director | Sandy Barbour |
| Head coach |
Guy Gadowsky 5th year, 63–69–11 (.479) |
| Assistant coaches | Keith Fisher Matt Lindsay |
| Captain(s) | David Goodwin |
| Alternate captain(s) | Ricky DeRosa David Thompson James Robinson |
| Arena |
Pegula Ice Arena Capacity: 6,014 Surface: 200' x 85' |
| Location | University Park, Pennsylvania |
| Colors | Blue and White |
| Fight song | Fight On, State |
| Mascot | Nittany Lion |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | |
| 2017 | |
| ACHA Tournament Champions | |
| 1984, 1990, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003 | |
| ACHA Tournament Appearances | |
| 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 | |
| Conference Tournament Champions | |
| 1979, 1980, 1989, 1993, 1994, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2017 | |
| Conference Regular Season Champions | |
| 1977, 1978, 1992, 1993, 1994, 2008, 2009, 2010 | |
Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey, formerly known as the Penn State Icers (the name for the former ACHA team), is a college ice hockey program that represents the Pennsylvania State University. Prior to the 2012-13 season the program was designated a club sport and competed at the ACHA Division I level. PSU was previously a member of the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL, although the team competed as an independent ACHA D-I member for the 2011-12 season before moving to the NCAA D-I level. They play at the Pegula Ice Arena in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Penn State ice hockey was inaugurated in 1938, aside from two games in 1909-10. Penn State fielded a varsity hockey team for five seasons in the 1940s (1940–44, 1946–47) before the sport was dropped due to limited facilities.
The current program traces its roots back to 1971 when the program was restarted at the non-NCAA level. Consensus in the ice hockey community considered Penn State to play on a level comparable to NCAA Division III teams, with whom Penn State routinely scheduled games prior to the move to Division I. The Icers also played Division I, in-state opponent Robert Morris.
When the program was resumed in 1971, it began playing a mix of non-NCAA club teams, NAIA teams and DIII teams. In 1975-76 season Penn State became the first college ice hockey team to play in Europe. The team moved to the on-campus Greenberg Ice Pavilion, now known as the Penn State Ice Pavilion, in 1980. The 1,350-seat facility was the home of PSU hockey until 2013. From 1971 to 2012, Penn State teams won 7 ACHA National Championships, were runners-up 9 times, appeared in 29 ACHA postseason tournaments (including 10 consecutive championship games), won 9 conference playoff titles and recorded 8 conference regular season championships.
In the program's final season as a member of the ACHA, the team was led by Guy Gadowsky, who stayed on to coach as the team began play in the NCAA. Gadowsky brought a number of transfers and recruits for the NCAA DI team to prepare for a transition from club to varsity status. The team finished the regular season with a record of 27-4 and received a bid to the 2012 ACHA DI National Tournament as the number one seed and ranked first in the ACHA. In the tournament, the Icers defeated West Virginia 4-1, followed by Oklahoma 6-3. In the semifinal round, Penn State faced Oakland (MI), who were ranked as the thirteenth seed. The game was a rematch of 2007 ACHA championship when the Golden Grizzlies upset the Icers. In a repeat of 2007, Oakland ended Penn State's season and era in the ACHA by a score of 5-3. The Icers finished the season with an overall record of 29-5, 29-4 in ACHA competition and a 6-3 loss to NCAA Division II Neumann at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia as part of the 2012 NHL Winter Classic events in front of a crowd of 6,800.
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