Icers show off defense in wins over Spartans

The Icers may have forgotten what it's like to allow a goal. They shut out their opponents for three straight games and for half of a fourth before finally allowing a goal. In all, their streak of scoreless play lasted 226 minutes.

More than 90 of those minutes came during the weekend, as the Icers (22-8, 21-5 ACHA) twice dispatched Michigan State, 9-0 on Friday and 14-3 on Saturday. By beating the ACHA Div. II Spartans on Saturday, Icer coach Joe Battista notched his 250th career win, earning a water bottle shower from his players after the buzzer sounded.

Icer goaltender John Sixt, who made 27 saves Friday night, recorded his fifth shutout of the season -- a Penn State record -- as the No. 4 Icers increased their winning streak to seven games. He didn't get a chance for his sixth because he rested while Anthony Annexy and Mark Scally shared time Saturday.

"It was nice to get the third shutout," Battista said. "It would have been nicer to get the fourth."

Most teams can only dream of that kind of defensive commitment and, in previous years, the Icers were one of those dreamers.

In the past Penn State tried to run and gun its way to victories. If the Icers needed offense, they would cheat a little on defense in order to score. But when it came time for the national championship tournament, the Icers converted to a defensive mode, and they weren't always comfortable with the change.

Penn State isn't fooling around with last-minute adjustments this year. Battista has stressed team defense the entire year.

"(Battista) was not going to let it get out of hand," Penn State defenseman Eddie Kmit said. "He said, 'This is how we're going to have to play.' "

The Icers found out how important it would be in only the second weekend of the season.

Alabama-Huntsville, Division II national champions last year, showed the Icers they would have to play defense by beating Penn State, 15-0. The Icers figured they weren't going to have as high-octane offense as before, so they committed themselves to solid defense night in and night out.

"Everybody's staying back and blocking shots," Kmit said. "Everybody's doing all of the defensive things we need to do."

The change in philosophy means the Icers haven't been blasting as many teams. Scores like 4-2 or 6-3 are more common than the 17-0 results of the past.

"We might have sacrificed a game or two," Kmit said. "In the end it will help us out. I'll sacrifice one game in November for four games in March."

The Icers didn't give up anything against the Spartans this weekend; instead, they showed a glimpse of their glory days by scoring 23 goals in the two games. Freshman forward Jason Dickey paced the Icers by recording a hat trick each game. Eleven Icers scored goals, while 14 had multiple points on the weekend.

The great thing about the weekend, Battista said, was the Icers had an abundance of offense but not at the expense of playing solidly in their zone.

"It really talks about our commitment to defense," Battista said. "Our guys are understanding that we have as good a chance as anybody to win nationals if we play good defense."