Penn State President Graham Spainer announced that the largest
donation in the University’s history, $88 million from Terrence and
Kim Pegula, was given to the school to fund a multi-purpose arena and
establish an NCAA Division I men’s hockey program, according to a
release from the school.
The Pegulas earned their millions (billions?) in the oil and natural
gass industry. Terry Pegula is the founder and former president and
CEO of East Resources Inc.
The new hockey program will be without conference affiliation for its
first two seasons, 2012-13. After that, some, like ProHockey Talk’s
Joe Yerdon expect Penn State to form a conference with other Big Ten
hockey schools including Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State,
Wisconsin and Minnesota.
The move could have a domino effect. Top teams could be lured by the
Big Ten Network’s money and exposure, which would cripple three of the
teams’ current conference, the CCHA. The other two teams’ conference,
the WCHA, would lose successful programs North Dakota and Minnesota.

Matthew Coller is a staff member of the Business of Sports Network, and is a freelance writer. He can be followed on Twitter

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NCAA hockey ‘s three biggest games, aka the Frozen Four, aka the Division I men’s ice hockey championship will be held in one of the most popular hockey city’s in America in 2014.  The ‘13 Frozen Four will be held in Pittsburgh, PA, most specifically at the Consol Energy Center, which is the new home of the Pittsburgh Penguins.  Pittsburgh, who reportedly beat Boston, Washington and St. Louis to host the event, will welcome the NCAA’s best between April 11-13, 2013. 

NHL.com also reported that the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, home of the Flyers, will host the Frozen Four in 2014.

"The number of quality bids submitted made the process of choosing the host sites extremely difficult for the committee," Bill Bellerose, chairman of the Division I Men's Ice Hockey Committee and associate athletic director at Holy Cross said in a statement. "We are extremely pleased with every aspect of both winning bids -- from the venue, to the community support, to the cities themselves -- everything will be first-class. We are confident both sites will put forth the ultimate championship experience for the student-athletes and fans alike."

The next Frozen Four, in April 2011, will be held at the Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn., 2012 will be held at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Fl.

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