Mike Prisuta is the sports director for WDVE-FM and the sports anchor for “Jim, Randy & the DVE Morning Show.”
62
PSU/Jay Horgas
Eventually, “If you’re a betting man I’d bet that there will be a Big Ten Conference,” Battista said. “The question is what year will it start?” Current Big Ten members Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State and Wisconsin have long-established programs. Penn State’s modern-era history with the sport dates back to a club team that was formed in 1971. The school has claimed seven American College Hockey Association national club championships, with six of those coming during Battista’s 19-year run as Penn State’s club coach (1987-06). “We did it with a lot of Pittsburgh kids, a lot of western Pennsylvania kids,” Battista said. “When you walk around this campus it’s amazing, the number of hockey jerseys you see. ”It’s amazing how many people on this campus have grown up with hockey.” Penn State’s program will continue to grow the game by playing at the CONSOL Energy Center and at professional rinks in places such as Philadelphia, Hershey and Wilkes-Barre Scranton. “The first two years we fully expect to take our SEVEN TIME AMERICAN lumps, but you gotta jump COLLEGE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION into the fray at some point,” NATIONAL CLUB CHAMPIONS Battista said. “We’re going to want to expose our program to as many areas of the Commonwealth as we can. We’re just really excited about this. “The Pegulas [Terry and his wife, Kim] want Pennsylvania, this part of the country to be thought of in the same vein as Michigan, Massachusetts 1990 and Minnesota with regard to hockey. I think we’re going to see a lot of kids that will benefit from the Pegula’s passion for the sport. “Probably the best quote was from Terry Pegula when he said, ‘Maybe someday a Sidney Crosby will come out of these hills of Pennsylvania.’” 2003 That would be yet another great day for hockey.
PSU/Jay Horgas
continued from page 61