Tag Archives: opening of pegula

Passion Blog- Opening of Pegula

As an ice hockey player the kind of rink you play in is one of the most important concerns. The Penn State Ice Hockey Program was blessed last year by an extremely generous donation form the Pegula family. Their dream is to see the hockey program grow at Penn State and making a new ice arena was a big step in making that dream happen.

Last year the team’s home was at Greenberg Ice Arena, which had been the rink for the club hockey team when there was no D1 team at Penn State. The rink is a nice community and high school rink, but in my opinion not a proper home for a D1 program.

On September 9th, at 3:00 PM EST we moved from Greenberg into Pegula Arena. I had been waiting and anticipating for that moment for months now; some of my teammates had been waiting for years to move into the new ice rink. The moment we entered we knew something special was happening to the program. As I looked around I couldn’t help but compare our new rink to the Excel Energy Center, our professional ice hockey rink back in Minnesota. While I was comparing the two rinks I realized there was almost no difference between the two. I then realized that I would basically be playing in a professional rink for the next four years of my hockey career. It was a humbling moment.

As I said before the type of rink you play in is very important to a player. As we entered the locker room people were tearing up from the amazing facilities and amenities that were given to us. Everything was brand new, from the ping pong table to the lounger area to the showers and even to the towels.

The entire team was so overwhelmed by the facility, we were like children on Christmas morning. The team even called it “Christmas in Happy Valley.” We considered ourselves the spoiled children, who got everything they wanted. All of the people that put the rink and our locker room together are our Santa Clauses. They had everything set up perfectly for us; our new apparel was in our dry locker room, our new gear was set up in our locker room, and they even had a message for us on the white board welcoming the team to the “new den”.

Our team is so fortunate to have such an amazing facility and opportunity to start something special. We know how important this first year in Pegula is to the community and the program. As a freshman I am happy with my decision to come to Penn State. Not only do I get to become part of a positive and supportive community, but I have the opportunity right away to give back to the community by helping build an amazing hockey program for them to be proud of.