From adjustments of travel plans to game plans, the Icers faced and overcame adversity on and off the ice during the semester break.

Last week's snow provided perhaps the longest road trip in Icers' history.

The Icers departed from State College at noon last Wednesday for an early evening flight from Pittsburgh to Minneapolis with a connection to Arizona. Only one runway was open in Minneapolis so the Icers had to circle the airport for about an hour before refueling in Michigan. As a result, the team missed the connection and turned the airport floor into a hotel.

Goaltender Dennis Magulick said the team reached its final destination at 2 p.m. Thursday.

"Everyone kind of responded differently," Magulick said of the whole ordeal. "Some people were most pissed off that we missed a full day in Arizona because when we got there, it was about 70 degrees without a cloud in a sky."

Just one day before the Icers left Arizona, they found out that defenseman Larry O'Byrne may miss the rest of the season with a recurring shoulder injury. Icer Coach Joe Battista said surgery is a must for the defenseman to continue playing.

Junior defenseman P.J. Amodeo, who reinjured his right knee just three games into last semester, had major reconstructive surgery over break and is doing well.

Senior forward Cliff Graziano sparked the Icers with three goals against Arizona last weekend after sitting out the first semester due to academic problems.

Before the semester break, the unstable goaltending situation worried Battista. However, that is no longer the case now.

Sophomore Jeff Crispino was stunning in the Arizona series and has taken the No. 1 position among the four current netminders.

"He has shown us flashes of brilliance at times this year," Battista said, adding that he hopes Crispino can continue his strong play.

The backup position will be filled by either Magulick or junior Derek Lecours.

Special teams make or break games and that was not more evident than in the Arizona series.

The Icers went 2-for-14 on the power play in the series. Battista said the main problems were the lack of preparation before traveling and the offensive zone. The team only practiced for three days after the month break, giving them no time to focus on the power play minus O'Byrne, the key contributor for special teams.

Also, Arizona's aggressive penalty killing broke down the Icers' efforts and created some short-handed scoring opportunities.

On a postitive note, Penn State killed eight of nine penalties against Arizona.

"Most of our problems before the break were related to the fact that those guys were tired and needed a break," Battista said. "Maybe we don't need open heart surgery, we just needed cosmetic surgery."