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Teams ranked 3rd through 11th are invited to the regional tournament in a single elimination format. By winning both games, two teams will earn the right to join the 1st and 2nd ranked teams of the Northeast region at the national tournament in Fort Myers, Florida in March.

Saturday night, the Ice Lions gathered all of their equipment. They boarded their bus and began to travel more than 45 miles -- for a home game.

Just the night before, the ACHA Division II Ice Lions had done the same thing. Instead of walking to the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, the team was forced to travel to Galactic Ice in Altoona for its second "home" game there this season.

"It didn't feel like a home game," Ice Lions coach Michael Brinton said. "It's definitely not what we like to do, but those are the circumstances when you play at a school with three hockey teams."

With the Lady Icers and Division I Icers also competing for ice time, the Ice Lions have been forced to practice at 6 a.m. on Tuesdays and 9 p.m. on Thursdays this season.

Game days have also become more inconvenient, as a slew of other hockey groups (figure skaters, amateur hockey teams, high school teams, public skating, etc.) have been fighting for time, something Ice Pavilion manager Chris Whittemore said is a lot to handle.

"We have 25 different groups and events a year that use our rink. It is a lot," he said.

Whittemore stressed that the rink is run differently than other university buildings. He declined to comment on what factors into who gets the more favorable times at the facility, saying that such things are determined internally.

"There are many things to take into account with university and non-university programs," he said. "We need to generate revenue. It is a very delicate and complex process."

The situation has left the Ice Lions feeling pushed away and wanting answers, as several members of the team decided the fluctuating early and late practice times on top of classes was just too much to handle.

"We get no respect at all," senior defenseman Tony Rossi said. "We are here competing against Division II teams that do not have a Division I team ahead of them. Between the practice times and still paying a lot for dues, a lot of people decided to quit in the beginning."

Brinton said he never received an actual reason for why his team is often stuck on the low-end of rink times. He maintains his belief that as a club sport at the school, his team should have better preference on which time slots it gets.

"I don't know anything," he said. "Honestly, I have never really gotten a full blown out reason."

Because of all the groups seeking time at the Ice Pavilion, many, including Brinton, think it is time that the school discusses plans to possibly build a second rink on campus. Whittemore agreed.

"It's something we'd love to do and see happen," Whittemore said. "However, I don't have the answer. I wish I did.

"Hopefully one day we will. The school definitely needs two sheets of ice."

For now though, the Ice Lions remain stuck playing second fiddle on their own campus without a clear answer as to why.

"We would like to help them out," Whittemore said. "But sometimes our hands are tied."

Playing from behind Friday and riding the back of an unsung hero Saturday, the ACHA Division II Ice Lions topped Holy Cross twice this past weekend, winning 4-3 and 8-2, respectively.

The disparity between the two scores may have been from a lack of intensity going into Friday's game, senior defenseman Tony Rossi said. The Ice Lions (10-7-2) were not exactly pumped up to play the Crusaders (6-10-2), something that almost cost the team.

"The first game we didn't really come out flying," Rossi said. "We came out soft and committed dumb penalties and [Holy Cross] got on us. It wasn't until we stomped them in the third period and reinstated ourselves that we really got going."

That final period saw the Ice Lions rally and score three goals to complete the comeback.

Von Mondevergine led Penn State throughout the weekend. The sophomore forward had six points in the two victories and was the "sole reason" the team completed its comeback Friday, coach Michael Brinton said.

"I have never seen him play that well," Brinton said. "He's been improving throughout the season and we hope he can keep it up."

Forward Dylan Huckestein, who was held scoreless Friday, was involved in some verbal sparring that left him riled up. Brinton talked to him before Saturday's contest and told the sophomore to leave all of that energy out on the ice.

The pep talk clearly had an effect, as Huckestein, who had just five goals all season, came out and recorded a hat trick, propelling the rout.

"He came out with that fire in his eyes," Brinton said. "He just showed himself the capability he has when he works hard."

Although considered "home" games, the Ice Lions played both games at Galactic Ice in Altoona because the ACHA Division I Icers had two home games this weekend. The Ice Lions did not feel the same comfort of playing at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion, as it had to leave campus about three to four hours early each day to get to the ice and prepare for its games.

"This can really change our season," Rossi said. "We finished strong on Friday and played really well on Saturday."

Tony Rossi admitted he was not keeping his schedule free over winter break.

After all, it is not every day that a Division II hockey player gets to skate with 25 and 26 year olds pursuing pro careers. But, then again, it's not every day the ACHA Division II Selects decide to place an Ice Lions' senior on their roster for a five-game tour throughout Europe.

"I was really psyched," Rossi said. "I did not expect to make it, but I knew it was going to be the best team I had ever played on.

"We were all strangers, but the chemistry we developed over a short time together was almost better than what I have with my team here."

That chemistry helped propel the Selects to a 5-0 record over winter break.

The competition, Rossi said, was completely different from what he regularly goes against here in America. In Europe, the teams play a possession game with less hitting, he said.

"I did not think that that much really could change, but it is like they play roller hockey on ice over there," the Penn State defenseman said. "They open up the neutral zone and just do not go for the puck in the corners ... but they are good.

"The first couple of shifts I was scared and intimidated. I did not know what to expect."

Rossi may have had such feelings because hockey is just a small part of his life.

Unlike many of his Select teammates, he chose to jump straight into college and play club hockey. Another option could have been to play for a junior team in Canada for a year or two before heading to a college with an NCAA program.

In fact, Rossi originally wanted to be an engineer, something that drew him to Penn State in the first place. The surplus of activities and, of course, hockey teams, did not hurt either.

"Penn State has a pretty good engineering program," the senior said. "My top schools were Northeastern and Penn State.

"My activities were ice hockey, paintball and roller hockey. We have two ice hockey teams, a paintball team and a roller hockey team, plus all of the other intramurals here, so I could do pretty much whatever activity I wanted to participate in."

Ice Lions coach Michael Brinton thinks the trip to Europe helped Rossi grow as a player and built his confidence.

It also made the defenseman more aggressive at both ends of the rink.

"He saw that he has the ability to be more of an offensive-defensive player," Brinton said. "There were a couple of times in practice after he got back where we had to tell him, 'Tony! You're on defense!' "

Despite Rossi's newfound aggressiveness, Brinton knows the importance of having a player like Rossi on his team.

"He brings a lot," Brinton said. "We have a very young team and as a defensive leader he shows the younger guys what to do."

PHOTO: Meghan Russell
Tony Rossi practices Thursday at the Greenburg Ice Pavilion. The senior recently traveled throughout Europe for a five-game tour with the ACHA Division II Selects. The Selects finished with a perfect 5-0 record during the trip.

Taking a quick look at the ACHA Division II Northeast standings, it becomes easy to see why Penn State might already be looking ahead to its month-long break.

The Ice Lions (7-6-1) play host to C.W. Post (3-8) Saturday night at the Greenberg Ice Pavilion in the team's last game until Jan. 12.

Unlike Penn State, whose main campus has more than 40,000 undergraduates and a Division I hockey team, C.W. Post is one of the two main (and six overall) campuses of Long Island University. With an enrollment of just under 6,000 students, its highest competitive hockey team plays in Division II.

Despite the disparity between the two teams, the Ice Lions know there is business to take care of, and they are not looking at an early vacation.

"You can never take a team for granted," Ice Lions coach Mike Brinton said. "The way we've been playing, it is important for us to come out strong."

At just one game above .500, the team is a far cry from where it anticipated at the beginning of the season.

Coming off a second-place finish in the Northeast division last season, the Ice Lions were favored to win the division this season after Stony Brook, last season's winners, moved up to Division I this season.

The disappointment continued with a 4-2 home loss to Marist last Saturday. However, knowing there is still half of a season left to be played, the Ice Lions hope to erase the bitterness left over from that contest and gain some much-needed momentum Saturday night.

"I think it showed us we need to play a little differently," Brinton said. "We really felt we should have won. [The C.W. Post game] is huge for us to build our confidence."

Facing a team like C.W. Post cannot come at a better time. It has allowed a double-digit number of goals on four separate occasions this season. Despite this, the Ice Lions are not taking their opponents lightly.

"We've been playing pretty poorly as of late," said sophomore forward Chad Uddstrom, the team's leading goal-scorer with 19. "We just have to still go in with the same mentality as we would if we were playing a contender."

C.W. Post, losers of eight in a row, will come into Happy Valley following a Friday night game against Montclair State.

Brinton knows the importance of Saturday's game, as the Ice Lions will look to come out attacking and improve their scoring one last time in 2007.

"We have been playing too passively," Brinton said. "From now on, we need to prove to other ACHA teams that it is going to be a struggle when you play Penn State."

Ice Lions defenseman Tony Rossi has had this one circled on his calendar all season.

Rossi's looking for revenge after last year's 5-2 loss to New York University, one of only three Ice Lions' losses during its 2007-2008 campaign. He'll get his shot as the two conference rivals face off at 8:30 p.m. tomorrow and 4 p.m. Sunday at the Sky Rink at Chelsea Piers in New York City.

"We see these guys twice every year, and so the rivalry heats up a bit," said Rossi, a senior and alternate captain. "Plus, playing at NYU has been tough for the Ice Lions. We usually struggle. NYU is the only team I feel this way towards, so I take it more seriously.

"I have this weekend highlighted on my schedule."

After a slow start, the Ice Lions have been showing signs of turning things around.

They enter this contest off two big wins against New Hampshire, which raised Penn State's season record to 4-3-2. Penn State captain Michael Sulkes said players are taking more responsibility for their mistakes, and he sees this as a sign of a young team coming together.

"Inexperience has definitely been an issue at times especially earlier in the year, but I believe this team is starting to grow up and believe in itself," said Sulkes, one of three seniors currently playing for the Ice Lions.

NYU, on the other hand, seems to be heading in the opposite direction.

After winning its opener with an impressive 8-3 victory over Scranton, the Violets have dropped seven straight, being outscored 49-23 over that span.

They currently reside near the bottom of the ACHA Northeast division, having only amassed two points.

Still, the Ice Lions don't want to overlook their familiar foe.

"They're a conference rival and always very tough to beat in New York," Sulkes said. "The building is always packed; it's loud."

Going into New York City for a game possesses its own disadvantages, something the Ice Lions will have to address.

On that same vein, its team motto seems to be "stay focused."

"There are a lot of distractions this weekend," Rossi said. "Going into New York can be really exciting especially for the new players ... but we have to stay focused."

For the Ice Lions, the key to winning this game begins and ends with playing their style of hockey. They need to come out strong on defense, finish their hits and capitalize on any offensive chances.

"If we do these things," Sulkes said, "very few teams, if any, can beat us."

If the Ice Lions want to pursue their ultimate goal of winning a national championship, a weekend road series against NYU is a good place to start.

"Right now the focus is on each individual weekend and taking care of business with the one game in front of us," Sulkes said. "If we do that the rankings, conference playoffs and nationals will take care of themselves."

Maybe Jerry Seinfeld was right when he said there was something that bothered him about the silver medal in the Olympics.

As he stated, "It's like 'Congratulations, you almost won.' "

And while they weren't playing for the gold medal, the ACHA Div. II Penn State Ice Lions might be able to relate, because when it comes to this season, no one knows second place better than the Ice Lions.

Despite a great regular season, the team finished second in the standings by five points to Stony Brook.

Penn State reached the championship game of the SECHL playoffs only to lose 3-1 to the Seawolves.

And after a great start in the ACHA Nationals, when it came down to one game to advance to the semifinals and win their pool, well, you can figure out there's a pattern here.

A great season that saw them lose just once since November before the SECHL playoffs, instead became a third straight season of being stricken by the Atlanta Brave syndrome -- regular season success and post season disappointment.

But this season was different.

This season wasn't just the story of being knocked out in round robin at nationals again.

This was the story of how a team can evolve and that games were, and still are, not played on paper.

Because on paper, at the beginning of the season, the Ice Lions were not a second place team.

Where they finished actually makes their accomplishments quite remarkable considering it was nowhere close to where they started.

What they were at the beginning of the season was a team of proven seniors and young talent, trying to play a wide open style that didn't really fit the mold of years past.

In a few words, they were trying to play pretty hockey.

Even Penn State head coach Pat Fung himself had doubts about how good his team was coming into the season.

"If you had asked me what kind of a team we were the first week in October, I would've said that we were a middle of the pack team," Fung said.

I remember seeing the team after a game early in the season against NYU that was cancelled.

And I saw the same team that Fung saw then.

A team that was unwilling at times to go into the corner and check. A team that at times was prone to making mistakes in its own end. A team that was not driving to the net. A team that was 4-2. A team that got embarrassed by NYU in November.

The Ice Lions didn't play another home game until January, and when I was able to cover them in person again, they were not the same team.

What the Ice Lions had become was a team that was taking the body, making smart decisions in its own zone, a team that was now crashing the net. Scoring by any means necessary.

A team that had bought into hard work and it was starting to pay off into goals and wins.

"That's the kind of team we've been all year," senior captain Jay Smith said after that game.

"A team we're going to have to continue being. We don't have the offensive weapons we did in the past. We have to grind to get our goals."

It wasn't pretty hockey, but it was winning hockey.

And, boy, did they win.

Penn State played its style at the table and earned a 13-1-1 finish, the second seed in the SECHL playoffs and an automatic bid to Nationals as a reward.

So maybe this year's disappointing finish was not because the team wasn't good enough to climb over the hurdles to a championship.

There was just always someone better.

PSU Offense Struggles in Weekend Wins

With each game's importance rising toward the end of the season, the Penn State Ice Lions traveled to upstate New York for a highly anticipated rematch against the Siena College Saints. The Ice Lions looked to avenge its early season loss to the Saints when Penn State dropped a 4-3 decision in the second game of the year. After 60 minutes of hard fought play, the teams ended regulation tied at 1-1. In the overtime period, an unlikely hero entered center stage for the Ice Lions as defenseman Drew Ward scored on a beautiful breakaway goal, sending Penn State to the 2-1 victory. Sophomore Chad Uddstrom tallied the other mark for the Ice Lions.

The Ice Lions returned home Saturday night for a matchup against the unranked University of Pennsylvania Quakers . Looking to build off a much needed Super East victory, the Ice Lions hoped for an offensive explosion against the team from Philadelphia . Unfortunately for Penn State , the fire power they were looking for never showed up. The Ice Lions managed only 1 goal by Freshman Von Mondevergine, his first of his career, on 53 shots. Sophomore Drew Golin made 10 stops for the shutout.

The Ice Lions have one more game before the final regular season ranking is released. It will be a home game vs. Marist at 10:15 pm on Saturday night. The game is also the Ice Lion's annual Senior Night where the senior class will be recognized for their years of hard work and service.

The Penn State Ice Lions returned to State College in the early hours of Sunday morning after completing a hard fought sweep against the University of New Hampshire . In the first game, fans were treated to an offensive showcase as the Ice Lions and Wildcats put up a combined 12 goals, with Penn State holding on for the 7-5 win. On Saturday, defense took center stage as Penn State 's defense clamped down and pitched a 2-0 shutout.

Forward Bobby Finney started the scoring early for the Ice Lions less than three minutes into the first period. After a New Hampshire goal midway through the first, freshman Colin Roth scored for Penn State and after a trio of Ice Lions goals by Dylan Huckstein, Matt Caracappa, and Adam Levine in the second period, Penn State was up 5-1. The third period was marred by some dirty play and after goalie Dan Koletsky left with an injury, New Hampshire was able to score two quick goals on backup Jeff Kristan. Kristan was able to settle down in net and made a huge stop on a penalty shot late in the third period to put the final nail in the coffin. Matt Markovich added a power play goal late in the third.

A strong defensive game was shown in the second game between the two teams on Saturday afternoon. Both Ice Lions goals were scored in the first period. Jimmy McClain scored on a breakaway shorthanded goal, and Dylan Huckstein picked up his second goal of the weekend off a perfect pass from Matt Markovich. The Ice Lions then focused on keeping the puck out of their own net. Goalie Dan Koletsky was back in net and stopped all 21 shots faced.

The Ice Lions have two more games in the fall semester as they go on the road once again for contests against the University of Connecticut and C.W. Post University.

The Ice Lions answered the call Friday night with a big win against Super East rival Stony Brook. Penn State embodied teamwork as they dominated the Seawolves for three periods en route to their 5-2 win. The game puts the Ice Lions back on the winning track and back in the hunt for the #2 seed in the Northeast.

The Penn State offense came out strong in the first period and jumped out to a big 2-0 lead. Freshman forward Colin Roth scored on a breakaway after a perfect pass from senior defenseman Bryan Kemmerer. Bobby Finney broke though next for his first of two goals after jamming home a rebound in front of the Stony Brook net. After seeing their lead erased in the third period, senior defenseman Eric Neufeld skated the puck from Penn State 's own end and ripped a slap shot just inside the blue line, beating Seawolves' goalie Drew Santora high glove. The scoring came to an end late in the third period after freshman Dylan Huckstein added an insurance goal for the Ice Lions. Penn State goalie Dan Koletsky played strong all game and came up with many huge saves.

The Ice Lions will take the next week off for Thanksgiving and look to continue making noise into December as they travel to New Hampshire for two games against the Wildcats.

The Ice Lions will be treated to a rare home game this Friday as they play host to Super East rival Stony Brook at 9:15pm. The game marks the first meeting between the two clubs this year, and Penn State hopes to get back on the winning track in the Super East after coming away with a 3-3 tie against Montclair State last weekend.

Stony Brook ranks first in the Super East for goals against, and the Ice Lions offense will look to step up against the Seawolves' stifling defense. This game has huge Super East and national ramifications, as Penn State looks to re-establish itself as a National Championship contender.

Ice Lions Struggle Against NYU, Beat Princeton

After the emotional letdown that followed the cancellation of their game last Friday against NYU, the Penn State Ice Lions will try not to let the two weeks between games hurt their play on the road.

It would be a safe assumption, however, that the fate that awaited NYU will probably not be awaiting the Ice Lions (2-1, 1-0 SECHL) when they play a two game weekend series against the Holy Cross Crusaders tonight at 7 and tomorrow afternoon at 4:30.

Holy Cross (2-1, 1-0 SECHL), playing in its first season in the SECHL, has shown an early penchant for offense, scoring 15 goals in the first three games of the season so far this year.

It has also shown a tendency for giving them up too, allowing 12 goals in the same span.

"They're going to be a good team," Penn State head coach Pat Fung said. "They're going to be very talented. But we don't want to change the way that we play. We want to keep playing our style of hockey: Playing strong defense and keeping the puck deep in their zone."

These two games start a tough stretch for the Ice Lions.

This weekend's games start a string of five consecutive games on the road for the Ice Lions, including a trip to Manhattan to play aforementioned NYU. They won't play another home game until Nov. 3, when SUNY Stony Brook travels to State College.

"It's very important to get off to a good start," Fung said about the stretch of road games, "because we're in the end of October and we've usually played about eight or nine games at this point, and we've only played three, so we're behind the curve."

Even though they haven't played a competitive game in two weeks, the Ice Lions don't seem to be worried about the extended time off affecting their play. Senior defenseman Tony Rossi seems to be more concerned about the trek to Worcester, Mass.

"The first period is going to be really important," Rossi said. "Because it's a six-hour bus ride to Holy Cross. So our priority is getting our legs going."

A good sign for the Ice Lions is that they are healthy going into this five game stretch.

They will have their full complement of players except for Brandon Fay, who was called up to the Division I Icers because of injuries.

Another encouraging sign is the way practices have been going this week.

Fung said that this week they've been working on the power play, especially moving the puck effectively and taking shots when the chance arrives. Also, they've focused on not trying to make the extra pass when it is unnecessary.

The coaches have also been stressing a sense of urgency into the players to attempt to raise the level of play.

"Every game is important," Rossi said.

"Holy Cross is a really good team, and we already have one loss. So the coaches have been telling us all week that we have to pick it up."

What may be the key for this weekend, however, is not what the Ice Lions have done to prepare, but what the Ice Lions don't know.

This is the first ever meeting between the two teams, and Fung admitted that it is hard to gameplan for a team that they have not seen before.

Statistically, Holy Cross is led by forwards Kevin Connolly (3 G, 4 A) and Justin Martin (3 G, 2 A).

But Fung doesn't believe that the Crusaders have any individual players that will cause the team to change its gameplan coming into this weekend.

"They've got some good players. They're in the same boat we are. Early in the season, anyone can have a good game," Fung said.

What they do know is that after two weeks, they want to play competitively again.

They've been ready since last week.

Whether or not that equates to results won't be known until Saturday night.

The Ice Lions anticipated game against the NYU Violets was canceled Friday night after heavy traffic and construction delayed NYU's trip to Happy Valley . The game tentatively goes down as a forfeit for NYU while both teams try to work out a make-up game. The Ice Lions turned to themselves as opponents as the Greenberg Ice Pavilion was host to a Blue/White game. The White team was able to hold off the Blue team with a close 4-3 victory.

Next weekend, the Ice Lions will go on the road for the first time this season as they face new Super East opponent Holy Cross for back to back games in Massachusetts .

The ACHA Division II Ice Lions are ready to take the ice tomorrow to face off against New York University, but they have no worries about playing one of their biggest competitors.

After winning against New York University last season, the Ice Lions are confident about their upcoming game. They're set to take on the New York Violets at 9:15 p.m. tomorrow at the Greenburg Ice Pavilion.

"They're good every year and play us very tough," said Ice Lions coach Pat Fung. "We have never played badly against them."

Due to the loss of 11 graduating seniors, the Ice Lions (2-1) are still playing tough offensively and defensively.

Junior defenseman Tony Rossi, who is preparing for the big game, also said the offense is looking strong this season.

"Our forwards are fast and get the job done," he said.

With 9-1 and 4-0 victories over C.W. Post and Central Connecticut State this season, the offense has proved that they are not afraid to show what they can do. However, the defense is the Ice Lions' main focus for this game.

"We are cutting out mistakes, and are mainly concentrating on defense," said Fung.

Rossi believes that the defense is going to do well. With a solid defense, he said that the team is taking this game seriously and thinks that they are strong physically and persistent. The Ice Lions have been practicing with fast pace passing drills and a lot of communication.

"We have goals, and they are coming from hard work," he said.

The Ice Lions' primary goal is to limit their penalties. With more than 30 penalties this season, the team understands it has to improve upon those numbers.

Although the Ice Lions have shown their weakness through penalties, past games this season have demonstrated strengths such as competitiveness and control.

"We have a lot of depth. We are faster and we wear a lot of teams down," Fung said.

Those strengths are going to be illustrated through the performances by many of the players.

There are nine seniors on the team this season, and Fung is looking forward to seeing how well they play. Those seniors include goaltender Dan Koletsky, forward Jim McClain, and defensemen Bryan Kemmerer and Andrew Ward.