The photo you see is from press row at Pegula Ice Arena on the night of Friday, October 11, 2013 as Penn State welcomed Army for the first ever game at this new state of the art area.
That was the day Penn State started its second season of playing NCAA Division I Hockey after ending what was a 65-year hiatus due to the lack of resources.
It was a day that Nittany Nation could dream of what could lay ahead as they ushered in a new era of hockey.
Joe Battista -- who enjoyed exceptional success as the head coach of the former ACHA Club team -- had the dream of bringing Division I Hockey back to the University Park campus. It all became possible after a meeting with Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills owner Terry Pegula as he would donate along with his wife Kim more than $100 million to make the program a reality
Division I hockey made its return to what is now known as Hockey Valley on October 12, 2012 as Penn State hosted American International under the yellow lights of the old Greenberg Ice Pavilion. The Nittany Lions dropped the first game of their return 3-2 in overtime before recording the first win the next night in the extra session against the Yellow Jackets, 4-3, in the extra session,
Fast forward to a year later and the opening of Pegula Ice Arena, the possibilities were endless for the newest teams on campus as over 6,000 fans gathered for this historic night.
It didn't take long to know just how crazy of an environment it could be when just over three minutes into the contest as defensemen Nate Jensen took a feed from Taylor Holstrom for the first ever goal in the Nittany Lions new den.
Curtis Loik, David Goodwin, and Eric Scheid would add goals of their own to secure a 4-1 win over the Black Knights. What some may have forgotten is the Black Knights due to a government shutdown at the time almost had to back out of the game.
While the season didn't end well, it was a thought of what could come in the future under coach Guy Gadowsky once the transition was complete.
What a ride the Nittany Lion hockey program has been on ever since.
Penn State got its first breakthrough during the 2017 Big Ten Conference Tournament at Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Michigan. Seeded fourth, they knocked off Michigan, stunned top-seed Minnesota before an unforgettable double-overtime winner as Liam Folkes on the breakaway upset Wisconsin, 2-1.
The Nittany Lions would introduce themselves to the NCAA Tournament with an emphatic 10-3 victory over Union which included a five-goal outburst during the third period.
Fast forward a couple of years, Penn State appeared destined for glory in the NCAA Tournament as they went 20-10-4 on their way to capturing their first Big Ten regular season championship in 2019-20. That unfortunately would be derailed as the NCAA canceled the remainder of the season in the wake of the COVID-19 Pandemic.
After a brief down period the Nittany Lions returned to the NCAA Tournament two years ago emphatically beating Michigan Tech, 8-0, before meeting the same fate at PPL Center from six years earlier in Allentown against Michigan, 2-1, in their second appearance in the Elite Eight.
This year if you told me that this team was going to make the Frozen Four after falling in the shootout during the Frozen Confines match up against Notre Dame, I wouldn't have believed you.
After bouncing back the next game back in South Bend with a 3-0 shutout against the Fighting Irish, it turned out that was just a sign of how wrong I was about to be proven (and I'm sure I'm not alone).
Watching Penn State go from being a team that appeared destined for an early exit in the Big Ten Tournament following a last place finish to a team that was one win way from playing in a National Championship will go down as one of the most important moments on their path to when they finally climb the mountain to a national title.
Seeing them destroy Maine, 5-1, before watching Matt DiMarsico take a feed from Charlie Cerrato to send the PPL Center crowd into a frenzy as they clinched the Allentown Regional Championship over UConn in overtime 3-2.
Thursday night's defeat at the hands of Boston University during Thursday night's national semifinal at Enterprise Center in St. Louis while disappointing, it's just a sign of how far this program has come as Gadowsky completes his 13th year at the helm. It also served as a reminder how much work still remains for the Nittany Lions to enjoy their championship day.
There was plenty of tears shown by this year's Nittany Lions after the defeat, but all of them can take pride in knowing that what came before them, they helped raise the standard again.
In a matter of 13 years, Penn State went from being a program trying to build it from the bottom up to a program that should expect to make it to the Frozen Four more often. They've found what it takes to make it to college hockey's biggest stage and now have the challenge of breaking through on this stage next year in Las Vegas.
It wasn't that long ago that success was a dream for Penn State Hockey. The dreams were there and the thought was there of what Penn State Hockey could be in the years to come after the donation made by the Pegula's.
Now, both programs have made significant progress towards becoming national powers in the sport, also knowing that there is more work to be done before it could be considered a blue blood in the sport.
There may not be any national championship trophies to show for it, but there's one thing that can't be denied when it comes to how far Nittany Lion ice hockey has come.
Penn State Hockey in a short time, you've come a long way.
Speaking of making history, stick taps to the women's team who under Jeff Kampersal in seven years has won three straight conference championships between the College Hockey America and Atlantic Hockey America conferences and has made it to the NCAA Tournament each year in that time.
While the men look to make their second Frozen Four appearance, the women have an extra incentive to make the Frozen Four next year with Pegula Ice Arena will hosting the women's event for the first time since 2022.
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