Icers win two, lose one in intense weekend play

By MICHAEL PALM
Collegian Sports Writer

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- After a great first period of hockey by both teams, Canisius (13-7-4) broke away for an 8-1 win against the Icers (23-5-1) at the Dann Memorial rink yesterday.

The loss came after the American Collegiate Hockey Association's No. 1 Icers beat Kent State 11-2 on Saturday and thrashed Scranton 11-1 Friday night.

The first period against Canisius -- an independent Division I team -- was an intense one for the Icers. Penn State had to kill two power plays and goaltender Jeff Crispino saved several near goals. At the beginning of the period, Canisius controlled the play. But after five minutes, both teams played evenly.

"I thought Moose played a hell of a hockey game," Icer Coach Joe Battista said, referring to Crispino. "That was the old Moose."

Just 1 minute, 42 seconds into the second period, Canisius freshman forward Josh Oort scored against Crispino on his way to a hat trick. At 6:19, Canisius scored again. Four minutes later, senior goaltender Derek Lecours replaced Crispino.

Canisius registered two more goals in the period, giving it a 4-0 advantage.

"We started making tired plays," Battista said. "We made mistakes that led directly to goals."

Penn State was missing the scoring punch of sophomore forward Rich Martha, who sat out with a shoulder injury. In the third period, Martha's absence was more evident. The Icers were unable to convert on four power-play opportunities, including one five-on-three advantage.

The Ice Griffs scored four more goals in the period. Icer freshman forward Bryan Rolli broke the shutout bid with a goal with 11 seconds left.

Also this weekend, freshman forward Jeff Adams found out he will miss the rest of the season, including the national championships, because of the concussion he suffered during practice last Wednesday. But senior forward Dave Raymer will be back for Friday's game against Duquesne.

"You play the hand you're dealt," Battista said. "What else can you do?"

At the beginning of the Kent State game, the Golden Flashes (11-15-2) flew out of the gates, led by goalie Ted Clark. He stoned the Icers, holding them to one goal over the first 28 minutes.

"I thought we played 30 minutes of great hockey," Kent State Coach Chris Wilk said.

But the Icers soon solved the problem, scoring six goals in the second period and four in the third. The Icers showed poise with their shot selection, waiting for Clark to drop before shooting.

When the Icers looked across the ice Friday, they may have been surprised. Scranton (1-20) had only 13 players dressed -- including three goalies. Scranton's team bus left at 5 p.m., and some players missed the bus.

"It's hard when you play somebody like Penn State and come in undermanned," Scranton Coach Bill Fitzgerald said. "We're not all that much to go with Penn State in the first place."

Senior Icer forwards John Farrall and Andrew Strasser and Martha each scored two goals. The fact that Scranton is a varsity program made the win sweeter for Strasser.

"There's been talk about varsity and club," he said. "You can see it's only a label."