From Club to Championship Contenders: A History of Penn State Nittany Lions Hockey
Penn State Nittany Lions men's ice hockey represents Pennsylvania State University. The program's journey is a compelling story of ambition, fueled by passionate individuals, strategic decisions, and transformative donations. From its humble beginnings as a club sport to its current status as a Division I contender, Penn State hockey has captured the hearts of students, alumni, and the broader hockey community.
The ACHA Era: Building a Foundation
Penn State's ice hockey program has roots stretching back to 1938, aside from two games in 1909-10. The modern era of Penn State hockey began in 1971, when the program was resumed and competed against a mix of non-NCAA club teams, NAIA teams, and DIII teams. The team moved to the on-campus Greenberg Ice Pavilion in 1980, which became a beloved, if no-frills, home for the Icers. In 1975-76, Penn State became the first college ice hockey team to play in Europe.
Before transitioning to NCAA Division I, Penn State competed at the ACHA Division I level. The Icers, as they were known then, established themselves as a dominant force in the ACHA. Coached by Joe Battista for 19 years, the team garnered a strong following and a tradition of success.
Tommy Olczyk, who played for the Icers, emphasized the importance of the ACHA program: "The thing I don’t want people to forget is how successful of an ACHA program it was and all those players. They laid the foundation from a Penn State hockey standpoint. They made hockey popular at Penn State even when it was a club sport.”
In their final season as a member of the ACHA, the team was led by Guy Gadowsky. 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.
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The Pegula Donation: A Game-Changer
The pivotal moment in Penn State hockey history arrived with Terry and Kim Pegula's transformative donation. Joe Battista, the longtime head coach of the Icers, met with Terry Pegula and shared his vision of Penn State having an NCAA Division I program. The Pegulas, who had a personal connection to the university and its hockey program, shared this dream.
In 2010, the Pegulas donated $88 million for the construction of the state-of-the-art Pegula Ice Arena and the establishment of men’s and women’s ice hockey programs at Penn State. It remains the largest gift in Penn State history. By 2012, the Pegula family contributed an additional $14 million, which would be used for scholarships.
“(Terry) was very forthcoming, immediately saying, hey, my dream would be to have hockey players grow up in Pennsylvania, play for Penn State, and then go on and play in the NHL,” Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky said. “That was his vision. And that’s something that when you hear, you know, you automatically want to be a part of that.”
Transition to Division I and Big Ten Play
Penn State transitioned from club to Division I during the 2012-2013 season, first playing as an independent and then joining the Big Ten Conference in 2013.
The move to Division I presented both opportunities and challenges. The program needed to recruit talented players and build a competitive team while facing established programs in the Big Ten.
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Guy Gadowsky, who coached the Icers in their final ACHA season, remained as head coach for the Division I program. Gadowsky brought a number of transfers and recruits for the NCAA DI team to prepare for a transition from club to varsity status.
Building a Competitive Program
Even with Pegula’s financial backing there was no guarantee Penn State would ever achieve this level of success. Penn State needed to attract the right people who were committed to first taking a step backward to play and coach club ice hockey for a year before stepping up to Division I. Even then, the expectation was that Penn State would take some lumps as they competed against established programs and then matriculated to the loaded Big Ten Conference.
Gadowsky sought players who were willing to embrace the challenge of building a program from the ground up. “There’s a lot of people that love Penn State University. There’s not a lot of guys that are going to be willing to lose for what people thought were going to be a lot of years in the Big 10,” Gadowsky said. “We had to sort of pivot what we were looking for. … (We looked for) guys who wanted to welcome the challenge of starting a program where many people said you’re going to get killed, you’re not going to win a game for three years in your league. It takes a special competitor to welcome that.”
Nate Jensen, who played his freshman year at Mercyhurst, a Division I program, but committed to Penn State and Gadowsky knowing he’d first have to play for the Icers before Penn State would make the jump to Division I. Jensen would score the first goal in Pegula Ice Arena when it opened in 2013. “We were setting the foundation for something that was truly going to be great with people like Guy and Terry Pegula involved,” Jensen continued.
Defining Moments and Program Firsts
In 2017, Penn State defeated Wisconsin to capture their first Big Ten Tournament championship. Freshman goaltender Peyton Jones earned the tournament's 2017 Most Outstanding Player Award. Four Nittany Lions made the All-Tournament Team: Jones, forward Liam Folkes, and defensemen Vince Pedrie and Erik Autio.
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In their first NCAA tournament game, Penn State notched 10 goals en route to a 10-3 victory. This marked the first time in team history that Penn State scored more than 8 goals in a varsity game.
Frozen Four and Beyond
Nearly 15 years since Penn State went public and approved those plans for a Division I hockey program, the Nittany Lions are in the midst of a historic season. Behind an overtime goal from Matt DiMarsico, Penn State dramatically punched its ticket to the program’s first-ever Frozen Four.
The win will never be forgotten by this current group, but for all who bought into Penn State hockey and into this dream of having a varsity program and seeing it through, this ride to the Frozen Four is for them, too. Many are already making plans to get to St. Louis.
The Roar Zone: Fan Support
The Roar Zone is the official student section for Penn State Men's Ice Hockey. Founded in 2013, the Roar Zone was created when Penn State Hockey became a Division I team and moved play from the Greenburg Ice Pavilion to the newly built Pegula Ice Arena. The Roar Zone frequently works with Penn State Athletics to plan away game bus trips to watch conference and non-conference games.
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