Ice

Fans will have the chance to get their first glimpse of Penn State's first NCAA Division I ice hockey team when it hosts a "Midnight Ice Breaker" practice the night of Penn State's annual homecoming parade on Oct. 5. The event, which will be held at Greenberg Ice Pavilion, will be open to the public and free of charge. Doors will open at 11 p.m. Practice will run from midnight until 1 a.m. Following practice, fans are welcome to join the team on the ice for a free public skate. Fans who have their own skates are encouraged to bring them.

Several Flyers were at the Skate Zone practicing early Monday morning; it was a typical pre-camp development at this time of year. This time, though, the players had to rent the ice and weren't allowed in their spacious locker room at the Voorhees training facility. Such is life during the NHL lockout. "It seems ridiculous, but all things considered, you have to stay fit and be ready," said Flyers winger Scott Hartnell, who added that informal practices, without coaches, will take place all week.

U.S. SPEEDSKATING coach Jae Su Chun was placed on administrative leave Sunday, hours after his spokesman released a statement denying claims of verbal, physical and psychological abuse brought by current and former members of the national team, including five Olympic medalists. Nineteen short-track skaters filed a wide-ranging grievance against U.S. Speedskating and 14 signed a code of conduct complaint with the U.S. Olympic Committee on Aug. 30. "In light of a statement released today by Jae Su Chun - along with the on-going investigation - the U.S. Speedskating Board of Directors has voted today to place Mr. Chun on administrative leave.

The big, white ice-cream truck rumbled to a stop outside Solis-Cohen Elementary School, and the man inside leaned out, smiling broadly. "Come on over," Joseph Bahm shouted to parents and students who had gathered to see what was going on. "We have some free Popsicles for you!" The kids moved closer. "School is opening, and school is cool," Bahm said, reaching for an ice-cream sandwich and a bright-orange flier with back-to-school information. "We open up next Friday! First day of school is Sept.

The parade of retro treats marches on. And this summer it seems the foodie hipster scene has declared shaved ice is the hot "new" old way to stay - and be - cool. "We have lines. People are really excited about it," says David Carrell, one of the operators of the New York City-based People's Pops, which specializes in shaved ice, along with ice pops, both made with fresh fruits and herbs. Carrell, also a coauthor of the new People's Pops cookbook containing 55 ice pop and shaved ice recipes, thinks shaved ice is on the verge of becoming a mainstream phenomenon.

DERBYSHIRE Police have opened an investigation into alleged racist comments against Chelsea defender Ashley Cole on Twitter, 4 days after club teammate John Terry was cleared of racial abuse. Cole, who defended Terry in court from charges made by Queens Park Rangers defender Anton Ferdinand , was reportedly referred to as a "Choc Ice" by a Twitter user. The term is believed to mean black on the outside, white on the inside. Ferdinand's older brother, Rio , who plays for Manchester United, responded to the tweet on Saturday with: "I hear you fella!

With Batman lurking, the prehistoric critters of Ice Age: Continental Drift ran off with the box office, earning $46 million in their opening weekend. The animated film is the fourth in the Ice Age series, the first in 3-D. There has now been a decade of Ice Age films, with the characters voiced by Ray Romano, Queen Latifah, and John Leguizamo becoming increasingly familiar to audiences, particularly international ones. The film had already done robust overseas business ahead of opening in the United States.

BRIGANTINE, N.J. - People who sit on the beaches of Ventnor, Wildwood, and Atlantic City - where the ice cream man will put his box down and hand over a banana Fudge Bomb without your even moving, except to find the money - might be shocked to learn that in Brigantine, people lack this fundamental Jersey Shore right. And that, for the most part, they do not care. But that, possibly as early as next week, when the City Council is scheduled to vote on a seven-page ice cream ordinance 15 years in the making, they could at last be granted the right of beach ice-cream sales.

BRIGANTINE, N.J. - People who sit on the beaches of Ventnor, Wildwood, and Atlantic City - where the ice cream man will put his box down and hand over a banana Fudge Bomb without your even moving, except to find the money - might be shocked to learn that in Brigantine, people lack this fundamental Jersey Shore right. And that, for the most part, they do not care. But that, possibly as early as next week, when the City Council is scheduled to vote on a seven-page ice cream ordinance 15 years in the making, they could at last be granted the right of beach ice-cream sales.