Coyne, Zivkovic not slouching with age

By CARLA MOTKO
Collegian Staff Writer

Penn State men's ice hockey defensemen Jason Zivkovic and Don Coyne are known as the grumpy old men of the team, said Icers coach Joe Battista.

They both started at Penn State during the 1995-96 season and are two of the oldest players on the team. That's the old part.

And any opposing forward coming into the Icers' zone with the puck could tell where the grumpy came from.

"The guys were joking around about it, so now that's what they call us," Coyne said. "It's pretty self explanatory. We're two of the oldest and meanest guys on the ice."

Coyne was actually one of the deciding factors for Zivkovic coming to Penn State. Both players started playing hockey at very early ages, as both played with the Cleveland Barons Junior A team before playing at Penn State. The coach of the Barons wanted Zivkovic to stay and play another year, saying that Zivkovic could probably get a Div. I scholarship if he stayed.

But Zivkovic made the move to Penn State, which had been actively pursuing him, for several reasons -- one being that Coyne had also decided to sign with the Icers.

The seniors have been a commodity to the Icers, said Battista. At the end of last season Coyne and Zivkovic were tied with 153 career points which destroyed the team record for most points by a defenseman. Before that, the record stood at 142 set by Mike Messner who played with the Icers from 1988-92.

The two have also broken the national record for career points by a defenseman, which stood at 163. Also, both have a chance at breaking the 200-career-points mark, which is something that has only been accomplished by eight other players. Zivkovic is currently at 198 (46 goals, 152 assists) and Coyne is not that far behind at 189 (64 goals, 125 assists).

"Those guys are outstanding players," Battista said. "They lead by example, they're intense competitors and they have a knack for making big plays."

Those big plays come most frequently on the power play. Between the two of them, they have netted 51 power-play goals in their years as Icers.

Both players also have outstanding statistics in the classroom, and Battista feels Zivkovic should earn the Bob Johnson Award, a memorial award given to the American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) Player of the Year -- an award Zivkovic was also in line for last year.

Zivkovic came to Penn State hoping to become either an FBI or CIA agent, but his time at Penn State has changed his mind a bit.

"Hockey has been my whole life so I might go into sports law and work as an agent," Zivkovic said. "But I still wouldn't mind being an FBI agent."

Zivkovic said it is not his style to attack an opponent, while Coyne said he is usually the one to make the big hits. Coyne recognizes his role on the team is to do whatever is needed at the time.

Like Zivkovic, Coyne is very offensively minded and said he actually played on offense until high school. His reason for switching to defense was because at his high school, St. Edwards in Cleveland, the team was in more need of defensemen and the switch almost guaranteed him a place on the team.

Both Zivkovic and Coyne said they would be willing to put all other things aside for a chance to step into one of the minor leagues, but neither has seriously considered coaching at this point.

"Coaching would be fun, but it's not something I think I'm ready for yet," Coyne said, adding jokingly, "I may be old, but I'm not that old."