Icers four wins away from championship glory


Wednesday, March 4, 1998	Icers four wins away from championship glory By TOM COOPER Collegian Sports Writer They don't believe it's their destiny. They don't believe it's their mission. And they don't believe it's the only thing they were put on this earth to do. But all they need to do is win four games to guarantee themselves their ultimate goal-- a national championship.
`Collegian Graphic on ACHA matchups`	"I think it's been a very successful season," Icer coach Joe Battista said, "but it certainly will be an exceptional season if we could win a national championship." The Penn State men's ice hockey team will join the seven other teams who have set the same goal when it travels to Ames, Iowa, for the 1998 ACHA Div. I National Tournament.
Penn State defenseman Jason Zivkovic pushes the puck up ice against Erie on Feb. 21 in the ice pavilion. Zivkovic and his Icer teammates are four wins away from the national title, and can take the first step at 10 a.m. CST today against Arizona in Ames, Iowa. (Collegian Photo/Michael L. Palmieri - click for full size image)	The Icers open the tournament with a 10 a.m. CST game this morning against Arizona. The Icers (27-5-1, 19-3-1 ACHA) are the No. 1-ranked team in the tournament. Although Ohio University is the three-time defending national champion, the distinction of being the top team will force every team to pursue Penn State. "It is not a help at all," forward C.J. Patrick said. "Every team is going to be gunning for us. But we'll just have to deal with it." The Icers' opening game against Arizona is a surprise of sorts for the team. They have yet to face the Icecats and their offensive onslaught this season. "We're going to be playing a lot of defense that night," Patrick said. "We're not going to take many chances. We're going to take opportunities when they come, because they will, but we're not going to give up many breaks." The Icers hope they can use their size and their entire roster to slow down this offensive-minded team.
`The contenders`	"These guys are capable of exploding offensively," Battista said, "but as long as we do a good job of shutting them down and put some pressure on them, our depth should be the difference in the game." Teams in the tournament play a round-robin format within their pool. After that, the top team in each group will play for the national championship on Saturday, while the second-place teams will play in a consolation game. With a national championship being decided in a four-day tournament, things need to fall into place perfectly for a team to come out on top. "I've said it every year and I'll continue to say it," Battista said. "In order to win a national championship, a lot of thing have to go right. You have to get great goaltending, have to play great defense, you've got to take care of all the little things that are within your control, and then you've got to get your share of the bounces of the puck. "You've got to stay healthy, and you've got to get your share of the calls from the referee. There are a lot of those things that make a big difference in a short tournament where every game matters."