Icers send Delaware back to henhouse feeling blue

After getting swept last weekend in Michigan, the Penn State men's ice hockey team entered the weekend in search of solid leadership and goaltending.

That is exactly what it got against Delaware.

The No. 3 Icers (22-5, 18-3 ACHA) returned to the ice pavilion and their winning ways as they dropped the No. 7 Blue Hens 7-1 on Friday night and 6-2 on Saturday to highlight the Icer's Alumni Weekend.

Icer co-captain Tom Westfall had four points on the weekend, netting two goals Saturday. Goalie John Sixt had two sensational performances, stopping 64 of 67 shots.

Icer co-captain C. J. Patrick returned to the lineup with a goal in Friday night's game and a strong physical presence both nights. It was Patrick's first game back since suffering a concussion on Nov. 9, which was his second in two days.

"I came out for warm-ups tonight and it's just great to be back," Patrick said. "I can't really describe it. I've been missing it so much."

Patrick's return to the lineup was also a great boost for the team.

"It helps out a lot," Sixt said. "We missed him dearly. He's a fantastic hockey player. He's the total package."

The two wins for Sixt this weekend gave him 43 for his Icer career, moving him into second on the all-time goaltender win list.

"He stood on his head," forward Alon Eizenman said about Sixt's performance Friday night. "He played an excellent game. That game could have easily been 7-5 if he wasn't there."

Despite the admiration of his teammates, Sixt insists it's just business as usual when he's between the pipes.

"I just go out there and do what I'm supposed to do," Sixt said. "I take it one game at a time, one period at a time and one shot at a time."

Westfall's first goal Saturday came early in the second when he put home a rebound of a Ryan Wick blast to give the Icers a 2-0 lead. Off of the ensuing face-off, Westfall picked up the puck and skated toward the Delaware cage. After skating around two defenders, Westfall wristed a low shot, beating Blue Hen goalie Ryan Brown and giving him his second goal in only nine seconds.

"That was just awesome," Westfall said. "Actually, I've never done that before in my life. Two goals in nine seconds is pretty amazing. It was a great feeling. You're on top of the world for a couple of seconds."

The two wins for the Icers don't alleviate all of the pain caused by last weekend, but the team admits it's back on track and headed full-steam for nationals.

"I think this is a process," Eizenman said. "Last weekend was a definite wake-up call. Somebody put the smelling salts under our noses.

"This is the first step. We have to get back to playing as a team and not as individuals and just trying to get ready for nationals, because, right now, we still have a ways to go."