Saar Heading To Penn State
(November 18th, 2011) - The Chicago Steel are proud to announce that forward Zach Saar has committed to play hockey at Penn State University.  Saar, who is a native of Plainwell, Mich., has registered six goals and three assists in 13 games this season.

 "I loved the campus, but the coaches were the reason I committed," Saar said. "Penn State was one of the first schools to talk with me and I got the opportunity to do an official visit earlier this year.  The players were great and the people in the community were all very nice.  To cap it off, University Park is a very beautiful place."

Saar's family ties to Penn State athletics run deep. His father, Brad, played two seasons of football under head coach Joe Paterno and was a member of the Nittany Lions' 1982 national championship team.

"My father was thrilled when I gave him the news," he said.  "He didn’t put any pressure on any of my college options, but when I told him over the phone that Penn State was the one, I could hear the excitement in his voice."

PSU starts play in NCAA Division I Ice Hockey next season.  It will compete as an independent in 2012-13 while its new 6,000 seat ice arena is constructed.  The Nittany Lions will then join Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State, Wisconsin and Minnesota when the Big Ten Conference begins sponsorship of ice hockey in 2013-2014.

"I felt I couldn’t go wrong with Penn State, especially getting to compete in what will be one of the top conferences in college hockey," Saar said. "On my visit they showed me the blueprints of the new arena and it is going to be unbelievably impressive."

The 6-foot-5, 200-pound forward is a 1993 birth year and in his second season with the Steel.  He tallied four goals and six assists in limited action last year due to a wrist injury that required immediate surgery.  He made his return to the Chicago lineup on Jan. 14, 2011 and competed in the team's final 26 games.

"We are very proud of Zach," Chicago Steel head coach Scott McConnell said. "His leadership capabilities, his work ethic and skills as a hockey player, have allowed him to continue to develop and will help Penn State compete in the Big Ten Conference, sooner, rather than later.  The Saar family is a great family and to see Zach go to the same school as his father is very special."

"It’s not easy to put a team together from scratch to compete in a conference as prolific as the Big Ten. A player of Zach's size and ability will be able to handle the pressure of going into hostile environments like the Kohl Center, Mariucci Arena and Yost Ice Arena."

Saar is the second member of his family to make a college commitment this year.  In April, his sister, Lauren, accepted a scholarship offer to play volleyball at Georgetown University.