Like a flash of lightning, he stole the puck and bolted up the ice. There was no defender to meet him as the crowd rose in anticipation of what was to follow.

Icer forward Rich Martha did not disappoint, as he slid the puck past a bewildered goalkeeper, giving Penn State a key goal in an early-season win over Eastern Michigan.

Martha's scoring prowess continued last weekend, as the freshman forward scored two goals and assisted on another in Penn State's 7-3 win last Friday night over the No. 2 Arizona Ice Cats. He also found the net one more time in last Saturday's 6-3 loss, giving him five goals and eight assists in nine games.

"Getting a win against Arizona on their ice was just what we needed," Martha said. "I think we all stepped up our level of play, and it was definitely a big win for us."

Martha's first goal in the desert was one of the nicest of his career, he said. After taking a pass from forward Chad Markowitz, Martha faked a slap shot that brought the goalkeeper to his knees. He then lifted the puck up and over the defeated netminder, giving his team the lead.

"Rich has given us some more scoring punch since he's joined the team," goalkeeper Jeff Crispino said. "He's a hard worker and seems to do the little things very well."

Martha did not begin the season with the team. During a baseball game last year, he severely sprained both ankles and spent several months in rehabilitation.

"Trying to recover from my injury was a difficult thing," Martha said. "It was something that you had to do everyday, and I knew that if I ever relaxed, I wouldn't improve."

Martha's determination to succeed is obvious. Aside from being a potent goal-scoring threat, he is not afraid to throw his body around the ice. While teammate Don Lamison was involved with two opponents in a game last month, Martha stepped in to even out the sides.

"It was a two-on-one situation, so I decided to jump in," Martha explained. "One of their players tried to throw me on the ice, but I didn't want to be punched or taken down, especially since I was trying to break things up."

In addition to hockey, Martha was proficient in both soccer and baseball, and had offers to play both at the collegiate level. But hockey has always been his favorite and so he decided to continue with the sport here in Happy Valley.

"Rich has been a big help for us since he's been here," Coach Joe Battista said. "We are very happy to have him."