Battista said he has already begun negotiations with several teams throughout D-I hockey to fill not only the 14 non-conference games in 2013, but the entire 2012 independent season. Those schools include Connecticut, Holy Cross, Army, Air Force, RIT, Alabama-Huntsville, Princeton and Cornell.
He said he has also touched base with Michigan State and Wisconsin about potential matchups during the 2012 season.
“We had to establish a lot of home-and-home deals where we play away games with these teams in 2012 and then they come to State College in 2013 for the Pegula Arena’s inaugural season,” Battista said.
Penn State will also be playing the USA National Development team the first few years, which Battista said includes a four-game slate in the Nittany Lions’ first season.
“The reason for that is scheduling non-conference games in the second semester is difficult,” Battista said. “Most teams have a full schedule of league matchups that we have had to work around as an independent. On top of that, they are a great source of potential recruiting for [Penn State].”
Battista said Penn State will also look into scheduling agreements with the already established CCHA and WCHA to fill the remaining games.
“There are a lot of options out there,” Battista said. “It’s our first time going through this so we are trying to be flexible. We’ll make sure the scheduling is mutually beneficial.”
