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P enn State's ice hockey programs may be relatively new to the national scene, but they achieved another milestone in April when the NCAA announced that the uni- versity had been selected to host the 2022 Women's Frozen Four and Division I men's hockey regionals in 2018 and '19. The Frozen Four will take place at Pegula Ice Arena, while the men's regionals will be played in Allentown. The Nittany Lions will be hosting the NCAA women's hockey championships for the first time in 2022. The semifinal games will take place March 18, with the title game set for March 20. On the men's side, Penn State will have an opportunity to host its first NCAA hockey event the weekend of March 23-25, 2018, when four teams will converge in an NCAA Division I regional at the PPL Cen- ter in Allentown. The winner of the re- gional will advance to the 2018 Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn. The NCAA also selected Penn State for a return engagement in Allentown, as the Lions will host the Midwest Regional the weekend of March 29-31, 2019. The winner of the regional will advance to the Frozen Four in Buffalo. NCAA men's hockey re- gionals are held in off-campus facilities. "Penn State prides itself on providing exceptional championship experiences for student-athletes," said assistant AD Michael Cross, who oversees the men's and women's hockey programs. "It's an honor to have those efforts recognized with successful bids to host NCAA cham- pionship events in our two newest sports and in two new, state-of-the-art facili- ties." The NCAA also picked Penn State to host upcoming cross country, fencing and women's gymnastics events. The men's and women's cross country Mid-Atlantic Regional will return to the Penn State Golf Courses on Nov. 9, 2018, and Nov. 13, 2020. The Nittany Lions most recently hosted the event last fall. In addition, Rec Hall will be the site of a women's gymnastics regional on April 4, 2020. The NCAA had previously chosen Penn State to host a regional on April 7, 2018, which will mark the 15th time the Nittany Lions have hosted the event. Penn State will host the NCAA Fencing Championships on March 25-28, 2021, at the Multi-Sport Facility. The NCAA had previously selected Penn State to host the 2018 fencing championships on March 22-25. ■ A9er leading the Penn State women's ice hockey program into the varsity era, Josh Brandwene an- nounced in April that he was stepping away from coaching to devote more time to his family. "I've been blessed to have [wife] Leona's un- wavering support for my coaching career for 25 years," Brandwene said. "It's my turn to make a change that will support her career and move into a role that enables me to spend more time with our daughter, Sophie." During Brandwene's tenure, Penn State went 45-105-19. This past season, he took a medical leave of absence in January and was replaced by assistant coach Dean Jackson. In 2016 several players complained to The Daily Collegian about Brandwene's coaching methods, however, athletic di- rector Sandy Barbour said other players came forward to defend the coach follow- ing the publication of the Collegian's story. Barbour said Penn State would conduct a national search to 7nd Brandwene's re- placement. ■ Penn State chosen to host NCAA events I C E H O C K E Y BRANDWENE Brandwene steps down as women's hockey coach OCTOBER 1 OTTAWA (Exh.).............................................. TBA 6 at Clarkson.................................................. TBA 7 at St. Lawrence............................................ TBA 12 at Minnesota................................................TBA 13 at Minnesota................................................TBA 19 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL............................TBA 20 AMERICAN INTERNATIONAL............................TBA 27 MICHIGAN.................................................... TBA 28 MICHIGAN.................................................... TBA NOVEMBER 3 MERCYHURST...............................................TBA 4 MERCYHURST...............................................TBA 10 at Notre Dame..............................................TBA 11 at Notre Dame..............................................TBA 17 at Arizona State........................................... TBA 18 at Arizona State............................................TBA 24 MICHIGAN STATE.......................................... TBA 25 MICHIGAN STATE.......................................... TBA DECEMBER 1 at Ohio State................................................TBA 2 at Ohio State................................................TBA 8 at Robert Morris........................................... TBA 9 ROBERT MORRIS.......................................... TBA JANUARY 5 WISCONSIN................................................. TBA 6 WISCONSIN..................................................TBA 12 OHIO STATE..................................................TBA 13 OHIO STATE..................................................TBA 19 at Michigan.................................................. TBA 20 at Michigan.................................................. TBA 26 at Wisconsin................................................ TBA 27 at Wisconsin.................................................TBA FEBRUARY 2 NOTRE DAME................................................TBA 3 NOTRE DAME............................................... TBA 16 at Michigan State......................................... TBA 17 at Michigan State......................................... TBA 23 MINNESOTA..................................................TBA 24 MINNESOTA..................................................TBA MARCH 2-17 Big Ten Tournament 2-4 Quarter final round at campus sites....... TBA 10 Semifinals at campus sites................... TBA 17 Championship game at campus site...... TBA Lions release schedule for 2017-18 season Penn State will play 24 Big Ten games this coming season, including four games against Notre Dame, which has joined the conference as an a8liate member in men's ice hockey. The Nittany Lions will face the Irish in South Bend Nov. 10-11 and will welcome them to Pegula Ice Arena Feb. 2-3. The regular season begins Oct. 6 at Clarkson, the 7rst of PSU's 10 non- conference games. ■

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