Oct. 12, 2013
By Michael Renahan, GoPSUsports.com Student Staff Writer
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - It was the moment Terry Pegula, Joe Battista and Hockey Valley have been waiting for. It was the moment that couldn't come fast enough; the moment the players on the Penn State men's hockey team had been waiting for their whole lives.
Over the last week, the Nittany Lions weren't sure who they were going to play. It didn't matter. All that mattered was they were going to have a chance to start a new era in Penn State hockey. An opportunity to embark on a journey 35 years in the making: Division I hockey at a state-of the-art facility in a hockey rich state.
Before the game, Pegula, Battista, and team captain Tommy Olcyzk dedicated the ice, taking water from Mount Nittany, the Lion Shrine and Greenberg Pavilion to christen their new home.
The ice was dedicated, the skates were sharpened, and all that was left was to finally drop the first puck.
Students and fans started to line up hours before the game in hopes of getting a good seat and, once inside, the new arena dazzled its guests and a pregame video had them on their feet with applause.
The video's message was simple: We're a family.
At 8:14 p.m., Penn State finally opened the 2013-14 season and went on to beat Army, 4-1.
The Nittany Lions looked dominant throughout the game. They moved the puck well offensively, set a physical tone defensively and Matthew Skoff stood tall between the pipes to earn the victory.
Nate Jenson tallied the first goal for the Nittany Lions. He took a feed from Taylor Holstrom early in the first period and beat Army goalie Rob Tadazak to the high corner, glove side. Just as Jensen scored, the crowd of 6,370 exploded and Zombie Nation blared through the speakers.
An early third period two-on-one goal from Curtis Loik and a breakaway goal from David Goodwin would spark the same reaction.
Eric Scheid got a last second empty net goal to seal the first win in their inaugural game in the Cathedral on Curtin.
Hockey Valley could not have any been prouder of its team, and they made that very clear.
"The student section was the first star of the night," Gadowsky said. "I thought the atmosphere was tremendous. Walking out on the bench was a pretty phenomenal feeling.
"It's so motivating to play in front of the students. It's great to look at and you feel it. What it does for you is special and after Loik scored and jumped in the glass, it's just so motivating."
"The student section was incredible," said David Goodwin. "We heard coach Gadowsky say there's really nothing to compare it to and it's so true."
Under the bright lights, the Nittany Lions never once looked fazed or frazzled. Instead, they looked prepared and confident, in large part thanks to some pregame words from Terry Pegula.
"He had a few messages. He spoke about how he achieved what he did and his love for Penn State. I got out of it his love for a good work ethic," Gadowsky said of Pegula.
"Watching the student section was a huge highlight tonight and the players with the student section at the end of the game was a huge highlight, but something I'll never forget is Mr. Pegula addressing the guys."
Olcyzk spoke to Pegula on behalf of the team. He thanked Pegula, telling him he was responsible for almost everyone in this room being able to come to Penn State.
"He pretty much just told him thank you and that we're going to do our best every night to impress him," Nate Jensen said of Olcyzk. "We are going to play our hardest and not take anything for granted. We're just do our best every time we're on the ice."
Matthew Skoff almost had the shutout, allowing the lone Army goal with just over four minutes remaining.
Opening night came and went in what felt like a blink of an eye. For the team it was a well-earned win. For the students it was the beginning of a special bond. The night came and went, and Penn State proved it was ready for the challenges of this upcoming season.
"It's phenomenal. It doesn't remind me of anything," Gadowksy said. "This is a whole new different deal. [The crowd] was phenomenal."
Penn State is back on the ice next weekend when they travel to Colorado Springs to take on Air Force. The game is set to begin at 9:05 p.m. ET.