STATE COLLEGE —
At some point over the past five months, potential recruits stopped asking Penn State coach Guy Gadowsky when the fledgling program would be competitive at the Division I level.
He doesn’t know exactly when the questions stopped, but any shred of doubt was erased this week on the ice.
In the season finale, at Wisconsin, a 3-2 overtime win over the 16th-ranked Badgers signaled that Gadowsky’s bunch will be ready to go skate-to-skate when the puck drops on the new Big Ten hockey league next year.
“Obviously, Wisconsin was a tremendous win for us,” Gadowsky said Thursday, “and I don’t think we’ll be getting that question anymore.
“We have a ton of work to do, don’t get me wrong – but we’ve certainly established that we’ll be able to compete.”
Penn State had one of the nation’s top club programs before energy company executive Terry Pegula made a donation in 2010 to upgrade the men’s program and build a new ice arena.
The gift, which eventually grew to $102 million, was the largest private gift in school history.
The school also elevated the successful women’s club program to Division I status.
Both teams will play at the new Pegula Ice Arena, which is scheduled to open Oct. 11 against Army.
The Wisconsin win added more positive buzz for a team that showed improvement as the 2012-13 season progressed.
Penn State opened the season with a loss to American International.
They also lost to Division III Buffalo State and the Arizona State club squad.
“We had some really high highs, but a couple lows, too,” said Joe Battista, associate athletic director for ice arena and hockey operations. “This team got better and better as the season went on, which is a testament to the players, but also Guy’s coaching philosophy.”
Penn State finished 13-14, including a 3-2 mark against future Big Ten opponents. The Nittany Lions beat Ohio State at the Three Rivers Classic in Pittsburgh, while splitting two-game series against Michigan State and the Badgers.
Junior forward Taylor Holstrom netted the game-winning goals in each win over the future Big Ten foes.
“I’ve personally never ended my season on a win,” he said. “It gives us confidence knowing we played some big teams. We realized how good those teams are, but we have a lot to work on.”
Sports
Nittany Lions wrap up solid first hockey season
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Ottawa rallies to top Pittsburgh
Colin Greening scored 7:39 into double overtime, and the Ottawa Senators rallied for a 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Penguins that cut their series deficit to 2-1 on Sunday night.
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Locke allowed three hits over seven innings, Pedro Alvarez homered and the Pittsburgh Pirates won for the eighth time in 10 games, 1-0 over the Houston.
Locke (4-1) won his fourth straight decision and gave up one run or fewer for the fifth time in his past eight outings. He struck out four and walked three. -
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MIKE MASTOVICH | Roberts, Kent State up to old tricks
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Astros beat Bucs in extra innings
Jason Castro led off the 11th inning with a double and scored the go-ahead run on a close play at the plate as the Houston Astros topped the Pittsburgh Pirates 4-2 on Saturday night.
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Wrestling rules changed in hopes of keeping sport in Olympics
Wrestling’s governing body hopes rule changes designed to make matches more exciting and easier to understand will get the sport back in the Olympics.
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