The Greater Philadelphia Region will be well-represented this weekend when the University of Vermont takes on Penn State University in the third-annual Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, January 31 at 1 p.m.
The game will include nine players from the Tri-State area, five of whom currently play for Penn State and four players who currently play for Vermont. All nine players grew up playing hockey in the area for various club organizations. As they got older, a few players left the area to play at some of the highest levels of junior hockey, and many started their high school years at some of the region’s top hockey powers. Three players, Penn State’s Connor Varley and Peter Sweetland along with Vermont’s Nick Luukko, participated in the Flyers Cup Scholastic Championships with their respective high school teams.
The game is the third of the College Hockey Faceoff series at Wells Fargo Center and comes a year after the venue hosted the 2014 NCAA Frozen Four men’s hockey championships, in which underdog Union College defeated the top-seeded University of Minnesota to claim the NCAA Division I Men’s Hockey National Championship.
Following is a rundown of the players from the local region:
PENN STATE
Ricky DeRosa
So. – F – Aston, PA
Age 22 (2/9/92)
DeRosa attended Cardinal O’Hara High School and played his club hockey for the Port Huron Fighting Falcons of the NAHL. DeRosa tied for 14th among Big Ten freshmen in points (12) during his first season at Penn State.
Connor Varley
Jr. – D – Lansdale, PA
Age 22 (6/30/92)
Varley enters his third season with the Nittany Lions as a junior this year after spending the 2011-12 season in the USHL with the Des Moines Buccaneers. Varley played club hockey as a youth for both the Valley Forge Minutemen and the Philadelphia Junior Flyers. Varley attended La Salle College High School, where he was a member of the school’s 2008 Flyers Cup and Pennsylvania State AAA Champion team, and was named to the Flyers Cup All-Tournament Team on defense.
Peter Sweetland
Sr. – D – Newtown, PA
Age 23 (2/18/91)
Sweetland appeared in 28 games during his sophomore and junior seasons combined and was named a member of the Academic All-Big Ten in 2013-14. He previously played as a member of the ACHA team in 2011-12 and collected 13 points (2G, 11A) in 22 games. He attended Pennsbury High School and played club hockey for the Mercer Chiefs.
David Thompson
So. – D – Glen Mills, PA
Age 22 (5/19/92)
Thompson appeared in 34 games last season for PSU where he totaled five assists. He played locally for the Philadelphia Junior Flyers and attended Rustin High School where he helped lead Rustin to the 2009 State Championship.
Eamon McAdam
So. – G – Perkasie, PA
Age 20 (9/24/94)
McAdam made 10 starts in his freshman campaign and compiled a .882 save percentage. He was selected by the New York Islanders in the third round (70th overall) of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. McAdam was a three-year member of the Waterloo Black Hawks of the USHL.
VERMONT
Nick Luukko
Sr. – D – West Chester, PA
Age 23 (11/29/91)
Luukko enters his senior season at UVM. He previously played in the USHL with Dubuque, where he helped the Fighting Saints to the league championship. He played locally for the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers and Team Comcast, and also attended Malvern Prep. Luukko was selected by the Flyers in the sixth round (179th overall) of the 2010 NHL Entry Draft.
Colin Markison
Sr. – F – Princeton, NJ
Age 22 (8/6/92)
Markison is in his fourth season with the Catamounts. He previously spent two seasons in the USHL with Omaha. Markison played club hockey for the Mercer Chiefs and the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers.
Brendan Bradley
So. – F – Warminster, PA
Age 22 (8/15/92)
Bradley skated in 36 of 38 games as a freshman and played on the top line for the second half of the season. He ranked fourth on the team in scoring with 21 points (eight goals, 13 assists). He came to the Catamounts after spending a season playing for the Jersey Hitmen of the EJHL. Locally, Bradley played for Holy Ghost Prep School.
Rob Darrar
Fr. – F – Monroe Township, NJ
Age 20 (7/30/94)
Darrar is in his first season with Vermont. Prior to joining the Catamounts, he played one season in the USHL for the Dubuque Fighting Saints. Darrar attended high school at Gunnery Prep in Connecticut where he registered 63 points in 59 career games.
Tickets for Saturday’s Philadelphia College Hockey Faceoff between Penn State and Vermont are still available and can be purchased at the Wells Fargo Center box office or online via ComcastTIX.com. Family Value Packs featuring four tickets, four hot dogs and four sodas starting at $60 are also available.
Wells Fargo Center social media accounts:
Twitter: @WellsFargoCtr Facebook: WellsFargoCenter Instagram: WellsFargoCenter
To receive advance notice and special offers to future events, join the free Wells Fargo Center CyberClub at wellsfargocenterphilly.com.
Comcast – Spectacor (comcast-spectacor.com), which operates in 48 of the 50 United States, is the Philadelphia-based sports and entertainment company which owns the Philadelphia Flyers (NHL), the home arena for both the Flyers and the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, the Wells Fargo Center, and four Flyers Skate Zone community ice skating and hockey rinks. In addition, Comcast-Spectacor is also the principal owner of Global Spectrum, the fastest growing firm in the public assembly management field with more than 125 facilities throughout the United States and Canada; Ovations Food Services, a food and beverage service provider; Front Row Marketing Services, a commercial rights sales company; FanOne, a digital fan marketing company; and Paciolan, the leading provider of venue enablement, ticketing, fundraising and marketing technology solutions.
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