Big Ten looking at hockey conference

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. - The $88 million that Terrence M. Pegula donated to Penn State to fund the construction of an on-campus arena and Division I programs for men's and women's ice hockey teams could lead to a Big Ten Conference in men's ice hockey.

Penn State director of athletics Tim Curley said Saturday the Big Ten has expressed interest in forming a league.

"Yes, they'd like to have their own ice hockey conference," Curley said.

According to NCAA guidelines, there must be a minimum of six teams to form a conference. Penn State, which plans to add ice hockey as a varsity program for the 2012-13 academic year, would become the sixth Big Ten university with a program.

Michigan, Michigan State, Minnesota, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are Big Ten schools with varsity ice hockey programs. But Michigan, Michigan State, and Ohio State play in the Central College Hockey Association, and Minnesota and Wisconsin are members of the Western Collegiate Hockey Association.

Several steps would have to be taken before a Big Ten ice hockey conference could become a reality.

First, the five schools would have to pull out of their respective conferences.

"I don't know the logistics - how long it takes to get out of a league, all of that - but I sense we will move in that direction," Wisconsin athletic director Barry Alvarez was quoted as saying on Madison.com.

Pegula's gift, announced Friday, is the largest ever received by Penn State from a private donor.

Born and raised in Carbondale, Pa., Pegula graduated from Penn State in 1973 with an engineering degree in petroleum and natural gas. He is the founder of East Resources Inc., a privately held exploration and development company based in Warrendale, Pa. He sold the company in July to Royal Dutch Shell for $4.5 billion, Pegula said.

Contact staff writer Ray Parrillo at 215-854-2743 or rparrillo@phillynews.com.