tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-421912861082493795.post3559929569217120604..comments2024-02-22T23:46:03.011-06:00Comments on Big Ten Ice Hockey (Blog): Where Will the Big Ten Stack Up in Hockey Conferences?B1G Ice Hockeyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15694053336764460938noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-421912861082493795.post-82233338444422238772012-02-22T18:24:15.412-06:002012-02-22T18:24:15.412-06:00I'm acknowledging my bias up front :)
I know ...I'm acknowledging my bias up front :)<br /><br />I know Penn State will take a beating up front - I mean, Minnesota? Michigan? Wisconsin? You don't just step in and go toe to toe with programs like that. I keep track of the players PSU has coming in, and while there's a lot to like there and I think we'll be a little more competitive than most think at the start, it's going to be a rough go for the most part.<br /><br />That said, I have complete faith in the people charged with building the thing. You can start with Guy Gadowsky, who took a Princeton program that had been to one NCAA tournament *ever* (and won a combined eight games in the two years before he showed up) to two more in his seven seasons there. While he's the most important person, it goes a lot deeper than that to just about everyone associated with this thing. They'll get it where it needs to be eventually.<br /><br />UNO was the last program to go from zero to a major conference. They made a surprise run to the CCHA final in their third year, had a winning record in their fourth year, made NCAAs in their ninth year, and now in year 15 are considered a pretty solid program. I don't see any reason why PSU couldn't follow a similar, or even slighly better, path.Kyle Rossihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03988727251887693489noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-421912861082493795.post-27481625501631830932012-02-21T14:14:55.544-06:002012-02-21T14:14:55.544-06:00You're absolutely right Adam, PSU will certain...You're absolutely right Adam, PSU will certainly have a big adjustment entering in to the Big Ten with the already established teams that have dominated college hockey as a whole on the Div. I level for decades and I certainly do not anticipate them making waves from the get-go.<br /><br />PSU moving forward though can really only improve. While skeptics follow Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin, who have up and down years, PSU is coming in as an underdog from the gates.<br /><br />My biased will always of course cheer for the Gophers to win the BIg Ten year-in and year-out but looking at the conference as a whole (and from a non-fan perspective, covering up my maroon and gold) I can only hope PSU, and even Ohio State, will be able to compete night in and night out to not lose fans of the game due to a lack of competition in the conference.<br /><br />Thanks for the great feedback (and reminding me to address just that :))B1G Ice Hockeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15694053336764460938noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-421912861082493795.post-78340985336268517982012-02-16T10:48:29.800-06:002012-02-16T10:48:29.800-06:00PSU is dominant in the ACHA but lets not forget th...PSU is dominant in the ACHA but lets not forget that going from club level to competing with teams like Minnesota, Michigan and Wisconsin is huge. Minnesota has an average of 17 draft picks on its team every year. PSU just got their first ever commitment that's a draft pick and he's a player that left Minnesota because he didn't get much playing time. It's no doubt that PSU will be a respectable program after 5-10 years but I don't expect them to compete night in and night out with those other teams for quite some timeAdamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01185122213251386619noreply@blogger.com