Penn State Adds Hockey For $88M Pricetag

Because of an $88-million gift from the Pegula family...

Yup... $88-million... the largest private gift in the university's history gets a new arena built... among other things...

Terry and Kim Pegula get to see things come to fruition for the 2012-2013 season.

Pegula is the founder and former president of East Resources, Incorporated that he sold to Royal Dutch Shell PLC for $4.7 billion.

That's not a misprint...

The addition of men's and women's ice hockey will increase the number of sports at Penn State to 31.

Penn State has had a club hockey team, the Icers, since 1971. The team plays at the campus' 1,500-seat Ice Pavilion and is considered one of the top club teams in the country- having won seven ACHA national titles.

The school also had a men's varsity team from 1939 to 1946. Penn State has had a women's club hockey team, the Lady Icers, since 1996-97.

Five other Big Ten schools play Division I hockey, but there is no Big Ten hockey conference. Minnesota and Wisconsin play in the WCHA. Michigan, Michigan State and Ohio State are in the CCHA. Both conferences want to add Penn State, but the school could be instrumental in the Big 10/11/12 going their own way...

"They are a very attractive choice -- very attractive," CCHA commissioner Tom Anastos said earlier this month, according to the Detroit News. "They're in a different market than we're in, more and more U.S. players are on college rosters, and there's tremendous growth of the sport in Pennsylvania."

Here's some of the presser...
((HT: Penn State/Youtube))

Another Vicious Hockey Hit

((HT: PuckDaddy/HockeyWebcast))

And another question as to when vicious is "too vicious...?"

WCHA first-round playoff series between Minnesota and North Dakota...

The Sioux's Matt Frattin levels the Gophers' Kevin Wehrs... Frattin gets a five-minute major while Wehrs gets knocked out and knocked out of the game. Frattin's last 12 months have been a real blast to watch: a disturbing the peace incident that got him a suspended sentence and probation, and a DUI that got him kicked off the team- only to be reinstated just before New Year's...

Frattin now is the proud owner of a one-game suspension...

So, the HQ asks the "Goldilocks" question: too hard, too soft, or just right...?

Here's the shot, thanks again to HockeyWebcast and FSND...