Gophers, Nittany Lions hope hockey rivalry grows

Once, they were the teams Ricky DeRosa admired from afar. As a young hockey player growing up in the Philadelphia suburbs, DeRosa followed the Gophers and Michigan and Wisconsin, programs he considered the standard-bearers for college hockey tradition and success.

He now views those teams through a different prism: as rivals. DeRosa, a senior forward for Penn State, has helped write the early history of a Nittany Lions program launched in 2012. That meant establishing rivalries from scratch, through games such as this weekend's series against the Gophers at Mariucci Arena.

Gophers fans have been slow to embrace new conference foes since the switch from the WCHA to the Big Ten in 2013. They have been particularly apathetic about Penn State, though this high-stakes series could begin to change that. Both teams are ranked in the top 10 — the Lions at No. 6, the Gophers at No. 7 — and Penn State sits two points behind the Gophers and Wisconsin at the top of the Big Ten standings.

Gophers coach Don Lucia said improved competition in the Big Ten this season should help those rivalries evolve. DeRosa knows the best way to engage fans is through memorable games, and he and the Lions are ready to do their part Friday and Saturday.

"We've been talking to the younger guys, who have no idea what it's like going into Mariucci Arena and playing in that atmosphere,'' DeRosa said. "It's incredible, and it's so fun. Sometimes you're getting it from the fans, but I think it's awesome.

"That's what is going to build these rivalries. There are guys on Minnesota's team I've played against now for three years. Building those relationships, knowing some of the players, having those close games and just going to battle, that makes for a fun, competitive atmosphere. We enjoy it, and so do the fans.''

Penn State is 3-9 against the Gophers and won for the first time at Mariucci Arena last February. The Nittany Lions are in the midst of the best season in their five-year history, earning a one-week stay at the top of the national rankings for the first time in program history during a 13-game unbeaten streak.

The Lions play to the highest-­capacity crowds in college hockey, packing Pegula Ice Arena with an average of 6,009 fans per game. Defenseman Vince Pedrie, who played two seasons of high school hockey at Apple Valley, said spectators raise the roof at every Big Ten game. The Nittany Lions' league history in other sports — particularly football — created ready-made rivalries when hockey was added, and a spirited student section has become known for signs and chants based on football scores.

"I don't know if I could say there's one team that's our biggest rival,'' said Pedrie, a sophomore whose seven goals are the most of any Big Ten defenseman. "But fans at Pegula love all the Big Ten games.

"When you look at a rivalry like Michigan-Michigan State, it's been around forever. I think Penn State will have a rivalry like that, but we're still a young program. As we grow and develop, I think you'll see us have a rivalry within the Big Ten that's similar to Michigan-Michigan State or Minnesota-North Dakota.''

Lucia said the fact that all Big Ten teams play each other four times a season will accelerate the development of rivalries. So will a strong league. Four Big Ten teams appear in this week's USCHO.com rankings: Penn State (No. 6), the Gophers (7), Ohio State (11) and Wisconsin (18). Notre Dame, ranked 17th this week, will join the Big Ten next season.

"People are getting more and more comfortable with it,'' Lucia said. "It's a good league, and it's going to continue to get better.''

He expects this weekend's series to bear that out. So do players from both teams, who understand the short-term and long-term impact these two games can have.

"It's good for us, and it's good for the Big Ten,'' Gophers defenseman Ryan Collins said of the matchup. "For two teams like us, ranked very closely in both polls, [the series] can really make a difference.''