Coming from careers in which slapshots count more than tequila shots, three well-known personalities from Penn State's ice hockey community have announced plans to buy their favorite bar, the Gingerbread Man.
Under the name The Hat Trick Group, Inc., Penn State ACHA Division I Icers head coach Scott Balboni, former Penn State Ice Lions head coach Pat Fung and former Icer Teague Willits-Kelley will assume ownership of the Gingerbread Man, 130 Hiester St., pending an approved transfer of the bar's liquor license.
Willits-Kelley said he wants to revive the bar -- make it the place that serve as a gathering point for different groups of students to mingle and have a good time in the past.
"I always met a lot of athletes there," he said. "There were always fraternities and sororities that frequented the establishment. We want to get back to where the G-Man is popular for everybody, not just one group."
The group announced it applied for the liquor license transfer on Jan. 15; Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board (PLCB) should approve the transfer sometime between 30 and 90 days from the submission date, Fung said.
Balboni has coached the Icers since 1997, and has served as the head coach since 2006. Fung headed the Ice Lions between 2004 and 2005 and now is an assistant coach with the Icers.
Fung said he and partners have no intention of renovating the bar except to fix minor problems.
"There may be small things that need to be replaced or repaired, but everything's in great condition," Fung said. "I always liked the G-Man as a bar and most of my friends do, too."
Willits-Kelley said the only immediate changes HTG would take would be to extend the hours, specifically opening earlier on Sundays.
He said he has worked in the local bar industry since he was 20 years old -- he has previously managed Café 210 West, 210 W. College Ave. -- and is excited to take up this new venture. He was a regular at the bar as a student.
"We're starting to build a reputation in town, and when the opportunity came up, we took it," he said.
Fung agreed it was the right time to have the Gingerbread Man transfer into the group's hands.
"We've always wanted to have a business at one time or another," Fung said. "This is the first right opportunity."
Justin Kramm, the Gingerbread Man's current owner, could not be immediately reached for comment on the sale.
Larger changes could occur at customers' requests, but "it's still going to be the G-Man," Willits-Kelley said.
