Four of the nation's top 10 hockey clubs are in Happy Valley this weekend. The No. 2 Icers host Rhode Island (No. 5), West Chester (No. 9) and Eastern Michigan State (No. 6) in the 10th annual Nittany Lion Invitational.

The teams are ranked by the National Collegiate Club Hockey Championship Committee. Since the championship committee will undoubtedly be watching the tournament, there is added pressure for all of the teams to make an impressive showing. The top eight teams will qualify for the national tournament.

The first game, played at 5 tonight, will feature Rhode Island (11-1) against the Hurons of EMU (12-7-2). URI features a high-powered offense that scores almost nine goals a game while the Hurons play in the Central State Collegiate Hockey League -- one of the toughest divisions at the club level.

In the second game of the twinbill, slated for an 8 p.m. start, the Icers face West Chester. The Rams are off to one of their best starts ever with a 13-2 record. Two years ago Penn State beat the Rams by scoring the winning goal with four seconds left in the game. Penn State has never lost in the first round of the tournament.

"We're not going to look past anyone," senior tri-captain Midge Hutchison said.

Sophomore goalie John Gray was rested last week to help fully heal his broken hand. Gray leads Penn State's goalie corps with a 9-2-1 record and 3.18 goals allowed per game. He is looking forward to the weekend.

"It's really going to be intense. It's going to tell us about what kind of team we are," he said.

Last weekend Penn State outscored WPI, 20-4, but that makes Coach Joe Battista even more wary of the competition this weekend.

"It was nice to have an easy weekend -- it's nice to play a lot of guys and rest people but at the same time you wonder if you've lost your edge," he said.

Today's losers will play in the third-place game at 5 p.m. tomorrow -- the winners will play in the championship at 8.

Icer Notes: Penn State will be without the services of defenseman Michael Schultz, who suffered a bruised kidney in last Saturday's game . . . Lance Riddle (bruised sternum) may play this weekend . . . This will be assistant coach Jeff Cook's last weekend with the Icers. Cook, who is a volunteer, is moving to Lexington, Ky. "He's been with me since day one, we're going to miss him," Battista said.