Overcoming adversity is the mark of a champion. After battling a team playing for its postseason life, the Icers are two wins away from a national title.

No. 3 Penn State (24-7-1) trailed three times before finally grabbing the lead, defeating the No. 7 Iowa State Cyclones 5-4. The win eliminates Iowa State (26-16-0) from title contention, and the Icers sit one win away from advancing to the national tournament championship game.

"The difference between all eight teams in the tournament is almost nothing," forward Brad Russell said earlier in the week. "Anybody can win it, and we need a supreme effort from everyone on the team to come out on top."

Penn State received that total team effort, surviving deficits throughout the night before taking their first and only lead late in period three. With the score tied at four, forward Andrew Strasser unleashed a blistering drive from the blue line. The puck ripped through the air, slammed into the net with bullet-like ferocity, and gave the Icers the one-goal lead.

"These guys never gave up and this team really believes in themselves," an elated Coach Joe Battista said. "We worked so hard and this is what athletics is all about."

Penn State trailed 1-0 in the first period before the offense came alive. Forward Mark Konchar rifled a shot toward the Cyclone goal, and after the initial save was made, forward Cliff Graziano completed the play. Collecting the rebound from in front of the net, the junior slammed the puck behind the goalkeeper and tied the game.

Less than one minute after Iowa State took a 2-1 lead, Penn State responded. Defenseman Larry O'Byrne unleashed a viscious slap shot from the blue line. Forward Rich Martha controlled the rebound in heavy traffic and directed the puck into the goal, knotting the game at 2-2 after one period.

Playing like a team desperate for a win, Iowa State scored two goals in the first seven minutes of the second period. Trailing 4-2 with 13 minutes remaining in the period, Battista replaced goalkeeper Dennis Magulick with Jeff Crispino.

"Jeff was fantastic from the moment we put him in there," Battista said. "He came up big time after time, and even though it wasn't Dennis' night, he was out there leading the cheers and that's the sign of a leader."

Crispino faced stiff pressure for the remainder of the game but was equal to the task, shutting out the opponents the rest of the way. While the defense toughened, the offense came to life. The Icers got goals from forwards Don Lamison and Chad Markowitz 21 seconds apart, tying the score at 4-4 after two periods.

"Chad Markowitz has the heart of a lion," Battista said. "That line of Markowitz, Cavrak, and Raymer has stepped up their play in this tournament and that's been a major part of our success."