After finishing third in the American Collegiate Hockey Association National Championship last weekend, it would seem that anything remaining on the ice hockey team's schedule would be anticlimactic.

But the International Collegiate Hockey League playoffs, hosted by Buffalo State, are far from anticlimactic. And they are still far away on the calendar, if you consider one week a long time.

The ICHL regular-season champion Icers (14-1-1 league record) will hit the rink in Buffalo, N.Y., at 5 p.m. on March 14 for their semifinal game against host Buffalo State (5-11). Buff State used a hot second half to butt in front of the University of Buffalo (4-12) for the fifth seed and the right to play Penn State.

The other semifinal pits second seed Niagara (9-6-1) against the winner of Wednesday's quarterfinal between third seed Conestoga (8-7-1) and fourth seed Erie (6-9-1).

"If we play anywhere near the caliber of hockey we played at ACHAs, we have a very good chance of winning," Coach Joe Battista said. "I am not going to make any kind of prediction. Our biggest mistake would be going in there and thinking all we have to do is show up to win. I would feel unfulfilled if we weren't able to win it. It has been a great season for us, but the hardest part is yet to come."

"This team is too good not to win anything," ICHL Most Valuable Player Andy McLaughlin said. "We are going to work our tails off to come out with something."

The Icers have already defeated the Bengals three times this season, including once in their own building. The Bengals play in a new on-campus rink seating 3,000 people. So, hypothetically, the Icers will be playing in front of a hostile crowd.

"I'd rather have heckles than nothing at all," McLaughlin said. "It makes it more like a college hockey game."

But in the meantime, while the rest of Penn State is spring breaking, the Icers will be doing something they are not accustomed to -- taking a break themselves.

"This is the first time these guys ever had a chance for spring break," Battista said. "It will give the guys some time to recuperate after four games in four days."

Practice was held all week, but the team will take a four-day vacation before reconvening in State College. The time off will give players a respite from the constant physical abuse taken on the rink.

"I lost eight pounds in the last five days (during the ACHA tournament,)" senior defenseman Geoff Martha.

"We are all healthy," McLaughlin said, "but we've all got bruises and charlie horses. The black and blue marks are starting to show."

Hopefully for the Icers, come next week, the pain level will be low and the determination high. The weekend will be the final games for Icer seniors Andy Dumas, Rich Filar, Martha, Mike Messner and McLaughlin.

"I hope we can send them out with a championship," Battista said.

For those fans who can't trek to Buffalo, KBL network will broadcast the Penn State-Ohio game, played during the ACHA tournament, on March 15 at 6 p.m. On Tuesday March 17, the network will show the Icer-North Dakota State game at 10:15 p.m.