It is a crucial component of any championship team. To have a goaltender capable of shutting down an opponent at a given point in time is a necessary ingredient for post-season success. And if this weekend was an indication of things to come, the Icer net is in good hands.

This weekend No. 3 Penn State (16-7) took to the road and received spectacular play from two netminders en route to a 5-1 victory over No. 5 Eastern Michigan (19-8-1) Saturday, and a 3-2 win over No. 8 Michigan-Dearborn (14-13-1) Friday night.

Jeff Crispino turned away 42 of 43 shots in a spectacular performance Saturday that helped to solidify the Icers No. 3 ranking for the national tournament in March.

"Jeff played a tremendous hockey game, and he was definitely a big part of the win," Coach Joe Battista said. "EMU had eight power plays but they didn't score a power-play goal, and both Jeff and our penalty killers deserve a lot of credit."

After the Eagles grabbed a 1-0 lead early in the first period, Crispino closed the door. Despite having tremendous pressure put on him throughout the game, he did not allow another score, turning back 32 shots in the final two periods.

"It was a very intense game out there," Crispino said. "The first period was a little shaky, but after that we settled down. After they got that first one, I wanted to shut them out the rest of the way, and luckily we got the job done."

The Icers trailed 1-0 after the first period, but then exploded for four second-period goals to take a 4-1 lead at the second intermission. Penn State got goals from forwards Cliff Graziano and Don Lamison in the first two minutes of period two, and power play goals from forward Rob Keegan and defenseman Larry O'Byrne later in the period, to take control. The power play clicked throughout the game, converting on 3-of-5 opportunities.

"Our power play was really on fire," Battista said. "We spent a lot of time on it in practice, and it really paid off."

Friday night was a closely contested game throughout. But goalkeeper Dennis Magulick stole the show, making 32 saves in his first start of the second semester.

In the final seven seconds of the game, Michigan-Dearborn trailed 3-2 and put tremendous pressure on the Penn State net. The Wolverines got off three shots in that final rush, but Magulick was equal to the task each time.

"We were playing with a lot of confidence," Magulick said. "The guys in front of me were playing great, and I had confidence in them and myself, and we were able to get the job done."