FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 29, 2002

2003 U.S. University Select Team Coaching Staff Announced For 2003
Winter World University Games

Additional Coaching Staff Named For Evaluation Camp, Aug. 1-4, In Ames,
Iowa

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- USA Hockey today announced the coaching
staff for the 2003 United States University Select Team, which will
compete at the Winter World University Games, to be held Jan. 16-26,
2003 in Tarvisio, Italy. The U.S. University Select Team is comprised of
players from collegiate club ice hockey teams affiliated with the American
Collegiate Hockey Association.

Joe Battista (Pittsburgh, Pa.) was named head coach for the United
States, and will be assisted by Josh Brandwene (Neward, Del.) and Chad
Cassel (Champaign, Ill.). Dr. Alan Murdoch (Ames, Iowa) will serve as
general manager and Ashley Bevan (Colorado Springs, Colo.) will be the
team leader.

USA Hockey today also named the coaching staff for the 2002 USA Hockey
Summer Select Camp, to be held Aug. 1-4 at the Iowa State University
Ice Arena in Ames, Iowa. The evaluation camp will consist of four teams
(North, South, East and West), each comprising 22 players and competing
in a three-game round-robin format. Following round-robin play,
championship and third-place games will be held on Aug. 4.

In addition to the 2003 U.S. University Select Team coaching staff,
ACHA coaches Joe Brantolino (Cranston, R.I.), Paul Fassbender
(Marquette, Mich.), Robert Larson (Murray, Utah), Chris Schmale (Beloit,
Wis.), Jon Sutton (Ft. Collins, Colo.) and Chris Wilk (Sagamore Hills, Ohio)
will participate in the camp. The camp will consist of 88 players who are
registered members of USA Hockey and the ACHA, which includes 213
registered college club teams nationwide.

Both announcements were made by USA Hockey President Walter L. Bush,
Jr. (Edina, Minn.), USA Hockey Vice President & International Council
Chairperson Ron DeGregorio (Salem, N.H.), USA Hockey Vice President &
Adult Council Chairperson John Beadle (Holt, Mich.), and USA Hockey
Senior Director, International Administration Art Berglund (Colorado
Springs, Colo.).

Joe Battista currently is the head coach of the Penn State University
men's ice hockey team. In his 15 years as a head coach he has won five
ACHA National Championships, 12 Nittany Lion Invitational Tournament
championships, and two Atlantic Collegiate Hockey League titles. He was
International Collegiate Hockey League Coach of the Year in 1992, and
ACHA Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2002. In 1996 he was inducted into
the Penn Hills Sports Hall of Fame. Battista reached the 300-win milestone
in January 2000 and has a career coaching record of 394-27-21. At the
professional level, he was director of amateur hockey development from
1982-85 with the National Hockey League's Pittsburgh Penguins.

He attended Penn State University (1978-82) as an undergraduate and
was a standout defenseman for the Icers. He was named team captain
and most valuable player during his senior season when he finished with
50 points.

Josh Brandwene is entering his seventh season as head coach of the
University of Delaware men's ice hockey team after posting a 24-6-1
record in 2001-02, the second best in school history. In 2000-01, he led
the Blue Hens to an improbable run at the ACHA National Championship
tournament, resulting in a runner-up finish. He is a Pennsylvania native
who graduated from Penn State University in 1991, where he set a career
record for points by a defenseman and was part of the 1990 National
Championship team. He also served as team captain, and earned honors
as most valuable player in the ICHL. He was a recent inductee to the
Penn State Ice Hockey Hall of Fame and was 2000-01 ACHA Coach of the
Year. Brandwene serves the ACHA as its president and is the
organization's first officer to serve on the Board of Governors of the
American Hockey Coaches Association.

Chad Cassel is currently the head coach for the University of Illinois
men's ice hockey team and led the Fighting Illini to the 2001-02 ACHA
National Championship tournament where they finished second. Before
becoming head coach, Cassel played for the Illini from 1993-95 and was
named team captain. He set the school's single-season assist mark in
1994 and earned All-Central States Collegiate Hockey League honors and
the league's best defenseman award in 1995. Following his playing
career, Cassel returned to the team as an assistant before taking the
reigns as head coach in 1997.

One of the most accomplished coaches in the history of the ACHA, Dr.
Murdoch is the men's ice hockey team head coach and program
coordinator at Iowa State University. In addition, he is an assistant
professor at the school. In 1994 Dr. Murdoch was honored with the Sports
Image Award in recognition of his 25 years of service to Iowa amateur
athletics. In 1995 he notched his 500th win as head coach at Iowa State
and his 600th victory came just three years later in 1998. Dr. Murdoch
was elected as a director of USA Hockey in 1996 and was named head
coach for the 2001 U.S. University Select Team at the Winter World
University Games in Poland. The U.S. squad represented the first time
ACHA players participated in the tournament.

A member of the USA Hockey national office staff as Manager of Adult
Hockey for the past two years, Bevan is making his first appearance as a
team leader with the U.S. University Select Team. Bevan oversees the
organization's relationship with the ACHA, in addition to six USA Hockey
Adult National Championships, and various recreational tournaments,
seminars and special events. He originally joined USA Hockey in April of
1998 as Coordinator of Events Administration for USA Hockey InLine.
Bevan earlier worked with the National Association of Police Athletic
Leagues and the National In-Line Hockey Association.

Today's selection of players to the 2003 U.S. University Select Team is
subject to the approval of the United States Olympic Committee's Games
Preparation Division.

For more information, please contact:
USA Hockey Media Relations, (719) 576-8724
Chuck Menke, ext. 171
Erika McClure, ext. 126
or visit www.usahockey.com