Icers blow out Villanova; score five times in second to seal game

The song remains the same for the Penn State ice hockey team.

-- Icer coach Joe Battista

"It was a lopsided game," said forward Greg Held. "But we haven't been able to put the puck in the net like we would like. With the number of scoring opportunities we had, we should have had 10 goals at least against a lesser team like Villanova."

Held, a freshman, scored twice against the Wildcats in the second period to pace the Icers. His first goal came on a two-on-one opportunity with Rich Podulka. With Held in control of the puck, the two charged down ice on a Villanova defenseman. The defenseman cheated toward Podulka, giving Held more room to maneuver. Held used the extra space to snap a quick wrist shot that went five-hole on the Wildcat goaltender.

"It was nice to score nine goals," Icer coach Joe Battista said, "but we're still having trouble finishing. When we push and press offensively, sometimes we make mistakes defensively."

The Icers opened the scoring in the first period with three goals from Rob Shaner, Todd Dakan and Chris Riley. Dakan's goal came on a power play.

Penn State began the second period with a man advantage, but Villanova took advantage of wet ice to score a shorthanded goal. Penn State defenseman Don Coyne lost control of the puck when it hit a wet spot on the ice. Villanova's Bryan Gubbins picked up the loose puck and beat Icer goaltender John Sixt on a breakaway.

The Icers rebounded from the rocky start to the second and put five more goals on the scoreboard. Alon Eizenman, Jeff Adams (on the power play) and Jason Zivkovic joined Held in the second period scoring barrage.

Held's second goal of the game sealed the victory. With the Icers on the power play late in the second, Held positioned himself on the backdoor, picked up a rebound and placed it top shelf for the goal with only one second left on the clock.

Paul Shuttleworth finished off the Icers scoring in the third, while Gubbins added another shorthanded goal for the Wildcats, this time against goalie Anthony Annexy. Annexy and Sixt each played 30 minutes for Penn State.

The defensive pairing of Shuttleworth and Hamel created a lot of offense for the Icers against Villanova. Shuttleworth racked up four assists to go along with his third-period goal, while Hamel added four assists of his own. The pair weren't on the ice for either of the Wildcats' goals.

"Hamel and Shuttleworth really produced offensively," Battista said.

Notes:

• For the first time in quite a while, the Icers escaped a game without an injury. Battista said Riley was a little banged up, but for the most part the team left Villanova injury-free.
  

• More good news on the injury front: Junior Brent Brower should be off the injured list soon and back in time for this weekend's Nittany Lion Invitational. "That's a bonus," Battista said. "He plays on the penalty kill, the power play and even on our checking line."