Big day: Penguins accepted in ACHA

The Ice Zone also announced two big upcoming events.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN -- Wednesday was a big day for The Ice Zone and Youngstown State University hockey.
YSU men's hockey team, a club sport for the past seven years, has been accepted into the American Collegiate Hockey Association for the upcoming season.
The Ice Zone, which is also the home of the YSU team, had two other major announcements of its own.
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) has awarded the 2007 Division I National Championship host site to The Ice Zone.
The Ice Zone will also host the third-annual ACHA Division I Fall Showcase from Oct. 21-23, which features 16 collegiate teams from all over the country.
Still not with NCAA
While the YSU hockey team is still not under NCAA sanction and not sponsored by the University, it was still a big step for the team to be accepted by the ACHA.
Rocky Russo is the head coach of the Penguins. The 2000 graduate of Canfield High and 2005 graduate of Kent State is excited about the team's affiliation.
"It's exciting and a big step for our program," Russo said. "This project has been in the making for some time and we hope to continually grow it over time."
The Penguins will begin play on Sept. 30 at Toledo and will play their first four games on the road before hosting their home opener on Oct. 20 against Hilbert College.
The Penguins will be part of the College Hockey East Division and will also host that division's playoffs.
Eight locals on roster
YSU will have a 16-man roster with eight players from the immediate area.
Phil Coloucci of Mineral Ridge, who is in his second season with the Penguins, is excited about the new affiliation.
"It's exciting, but it now also gives us come credibility," he said. "Before nobody took us serious, but now that we're part of a league it will be good to have the student body behind us."
Chris Wilk, the executive director of the ACHA, also expressed his excitement at both having YSU on the team and for The Ice Dome hosting both the Showcase Classic and the 2007 national championship.
"We feel Youngstown State will be a great addition to our program," Wilk said. "And we expect an outstanding weekend here at The Ice Dome for our Fall Showcase."
Bob Mainhardt, the General Manager of The Ice Zone, agreed.
"We are honored and excited to be awarded two such tremendous events," he said. "This is a great example of our commitment to promoting hockey in the Valley, as well as providing an economic boost for the area."
16 teams in Showcase
The Fall Showcase will be a three-day event with 16 teams taking part in a round-robin tournament.
Those teams include Arizona, Buffalo, Cornell, Delaware, Duquesne, Kent State, John Carroll, Michigan-Dearborn, Ohio University, Rhode Island, Robert Morris, Slippery Rock, Syracuse, Towson, West Chester and Washington & amp; Jefferson.
"Ohio and Rhode Island are two of the preseason favorites to advance to the Division I championships this year," added Wilk.
The Ice Zone was awarded the championships after Kent State presented their proposal to the ACHA Tournament Committee at their annual meeting in Florida this past April.
The Ice Zone was one of five finalists, chosen over similar proposals by Arizona State, Iowa State, Eastern Michigan and Rochester University.