Dec. 13, 2013
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Hockey Valley: The Opening of Pegula Ice Arena - a new, 60-minute documentary - will debut on the Big Ten Network Sunday, Dec. 15 immediately following the Penn State-Ohio State wrestling match at approximately 2 p.m.
The show will feature exclusive, never-before-seen content from inside Pegula Ice Arena, as well as interviews with head men's hockey coach Guy Gadowsky, members of the Nittany Lion hockey team and former Associate Athletic Director Joe Battista.
Fans will witness many firsts during the Nittany Lions' 2013-14 campaign, including the team's first off-ice workout, the coaches' first skate and the players' first time through the arena and locker room. The documentary includes highlights from the first game and features a pregame speech from benefactor Terry Pegula.
The $90 million, state-of-the-art facility hosted its inaugural game Friday, Oct. 11 with a standing-room only crowd of 6,370 cheering the Nittany Lions' 4-1 victory against Army. Redshirt junior Nate Jensen (Shorewood, Minn.) made history less than four minutes into the game with the first goal in the facility, while sophomore goaltender Matthew Skoff (McKees Rocks, Pa.) corralled 25 shots for the victory.
The Nittany Lions (3-9-1, 0-2-0-0 Big Ten), who opened Big Ten play at then-No. 17 Wisconsin last weekend, will return to action at the Three Rivers Classic at Pittsburgh's CONSOL Energy Center Dec. 27-28. The four-team showcase includes the Nittany Lions, Boston College, Bowling Green and Robert Morris. Penn State will play the Colonials Dec. 27 at 7:35 p.m. and will play at either 4:35 p.m. or 7:35 p.m. Dec. 28.
Following Sunday's debut, Hockey Valley: The Opening of Pegula Ice Arena will air on BTN Monday, Jan. 13, 2014 following the Penn State-Minnesota men's hockey matchup.