On Friday, a Kate Smith tape sang "God Bless America" in the pregame ceremonies. On Saturday, when the graduating members of the ice hockey club were honored, defenseman Davis Mulholland's engagement was announced to the sellout crowd.

All of the ceremony must have worked, as the Icers defeated Niagara, 5-2, Saturday night, and tied 4-4 Friday night.

The win over Niagara, No. 1 in the ICHL, helped the Icers' playoff hopes greatly.

"We needed to win that game," Coach Joe Battista said. "Our fate's in our own hands ... we'll probably finish in second place in the league, and that'll be nice during the playoffs."

"I was definitely pleased, not just with my performance, but with the team's performance as a whole," said Josh Brandewene, who had a hat trick Friday night. "It's been awhile since I'd scored a goal, and when you score, it just forces your entire performance to move up."

Friday's game was at times an endurance test for both fans and players because the officials were as much a factor in the outcome as the players. At 18:28 in the second period, the crowd waited for about 20 minutes as officials tried to sort out penalties resulting from a short scuffle.

After all was said and done, lcer defenseman Geoff Martha received a five-minute major for charging, Knight center Chris Gallagher got two two-minute minors and Knight defenseman Jim Beattie received a two-minute minor.

"The worst part about it was, that need not have happened the way it did," Coach Joe Battista said. "(The referee) was out of position, the puck was free, the puck was sitting in the crease. He blew the whistle as Geoff Martha goes for the loose puck. He left his feet and dove for the puck and happened to bump into their goalie ... They were shaking hands afterwards because (the opposing goalie) knew there was no harm intended, and (Martha) got a five-minute major for charging."

The incident was the embodiment of the entire night -- a night which Battista felt could only be described as "over-officiated. "

Another officiating gaffe would stick in fans' minds by the end of the game. At 18:45 in the first period, with Penn State down 2-0, Icer John O'Connor apparently scored a goal. Even Niagara goalie Jim Darling, from his reaction, seemed to concede the point. The officials, however, did not feel that the puck went into the net, and the goal was disallowed.

The night belonged to the goalies. Icer Eric Zinczenko made several amazing saves, and Darling gave the Icer offense fits all night long, halting shot after shot.

"Jim Darling is, undeniably, the most valuable player in this league," Battista said. "(There were) at least five breakaways he stopped, including a couple of shorthanded chances ... every goal we scored was either tipped, rebound, or screen. Nobody beat him cleanly."

With less than a minute left in regulation, Penn State with a power play, and Niagara leading 4-3, Battista surprised just about everyone in the stands -- he pulled Zinczenko and put in forward Lance Riddile. The move paid off, as defenseman Josh Brandewene scored with 44 seconds left to even the score, 4-4, where it would stay. The score completed a hat trick for Brandewene.

"There are people that want to criticize us for pulling our goalie while we had a power play," Battista said. "What difference does it make if they score another goal? You've got to get it in."

Penn State began Saturday night better. Forward John Ioia, returning after a one-game suspension, scored an unassisted power-play goal on Niagara goalie Brian Collins at 5:06 in the first period. Two goals by Brandewene at 6:36 and 7:40 plus a short-handed goal by Ioia at 15:40 gave the Icers an insurmountable 4-0 lead.

A short-handed goal by Knight left wing Chris Smith at 9:48 in the second period stopped the Icers' momentum for a while, but they regained it with a goal by forward Andy McLaughlin at 17:04. Niagara defenseman Mike Martineau scored at 4:09 in the third, but that was all. Throughout the game, the Knights were repelled constantly by goalie John Gray, who made 39 saves for the night.

"John played well in the three games that he's been in, and he adds an extra dimension," Battista said. "He handles the puck so well, he's like having another defenseman back there. We wanted to see whether or not in a big game he was going to be somebody we could count on, and I think we got our answer."