It is the longest winning streak in the history of Penn State ice hockey. But for the 1992-93 Icers, it ended one game too soon.
After 33 consecutive victories, the team finished one win short of a perfect season, losing a 2-1 heartbreaker to North Dakota State in the American Collegiate Hockey Association championship game last season.
Now, the team has the opportunity to defeat the opponent that denied Penn State a national championship. The No. 6 Icers (7-1) travel to Chicago this weekend to compete in the Chicago Classic Tournament.
At 7:15 p.m. Friday, the team faces off against No. 2 Illinois, followed by a 4:15 p.m. match Saturday afternoon against No. 5 Iowa State. Finally, in the long-awaited rematch, Penn State will have a chance to square off with No. 1 North Dakota State at 10:15 a.m. Sunday morning.
"The veterans are really looking forward to these games," Coach Joe Battista said. "It's going to be very interesting to see how the younger players respond to such tough competition away from home."
Forward Mark Konchar has been a consistent scoring threat all season. With 10 goals and eight assists, the assistant captain is Penn State's leading goal scorer, and the Icers will need his stellar play to continue this weekend.
"Mark has really stepped up his game," co-captain Erik Lightner said. "He is a very hard worker, and he's played great hockey all season."
Battista said he believes defense will be an important factor in determining the outcome of these games. But the defense was dealt a major blow yesterday, as the team learned that sophomore defenseman Larry O'Byrne will not play in the upcoming tournament.
O'Byrne suffered a concussion in last Saturday's 6-1 win over Delaware, and will be kept out of action.
"Not having Larry in the lineup is a huge loss for us," Lightner said. "He is a big part of our defense and power play, so not having him on the ice definitely hurts."
Penn State was not at full strength even before the injury to O'Byrne. Forward Mark Cervellero missed both of last weekend's games with a bruised shoulder. The co-captain expects to be ready to play this weekend in Chicago.
"We're going to have to play our best hockey to be successful," goalkeeper Derek Lecours said. "I think everyone is really looking forward to the challenge."
